Thursday 19 November 2009

Vintage aprons...a sweet tale about Grandma

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This arrived in my inbox this morning - I thought it was a lovely way to remember the aprons of years past...

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material - but, along with that, it served as a pot holder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasions was even used for cleaning our dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying egg, fussy chicks, and sometimes half hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal for hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought in to the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the Autumn, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in for dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Remember...

Grandma used to set her hot, baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her grand-daughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs was on that apron...

3 comments:

  1. What a beautiful letter! I'm finding myself wearing an apron more and more lately with a toddler running around the place. it has been used for wiping away tears (his and mine), pockets filled with pegs, tissues and toys, keeping splashes of water off my clothes when Felix has a bath, and most importantly on the morning that I go to work to (kind of) protect my work clothes from marmalade, vegemite and snot!

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  2. I love your use of your apron! - I love the fact your apron is still used the same way it has been in decades past...

    Cheerio!
    Ness

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  3. This is a great article, such sweet memories of aprons in my life and really is a symbol of motherhood and love.

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