The thought of wearing an apron may seem old fashion to some, but I find it timeless. People certainly don’t use them like they use to from what I remember as a child. An apron has so much purpose, love and comfort. You might think it’s just to keep stains off your clothing, which is a very good use, but have you ever thought of the sentiment of an apron and how it holds so much more. My grandmothers always wore an apron to keep their clothing clean. They also surely used them as a makeshift basket to carry in vegetables from the garden, fruit from the apple tree and eggs from the hen house. My mom always wore an apron; it was a special part of her. She might use it to clean a cut or wipe away some of our tears. Mom’s aprons always had pockets and you never knew what you might find in them; crumbs for the birds, a penny she picked up, or a piece of candy for us kids. In the evening, there was always a special hook for the apron to rest on until the next day when it would be put to work again. I still have some of my mom’s aprons.

Wearing an apron is a timeless and lost treasure that I think should be brought back. Aprons have made somewhat of a resurgence over the past several years but not to the point of the stature they held many years ago. I can clearly remember as a child that an apron seemed very normal and it was just part of the way my mom dressed each day. She had quite a collection of them too. Some were full coverage and went over her head and some with just half aprons.

There are several styles of aprons. A Bib apron is the most popular type worn today. It’s a mid-to-full-length apron that covers a person’s chest and torso and tied at the back. The Pinafore apron, with ruffled straps, was the standard on Downton Abbey. A Cobbler or Tabard apron might have been worn by some of our grandmothers. It a loose-fitting, smock style apron without a waistline, ties at each side or at the back and with large pockets in the front. A Crossover Apron slipped over the head, was also loose-fitting with large front pockets and had crisscross wide straps in the back so no ties were needed. The Bungalow apron is the least common apron. It was worn in the 1950’s and was a covering that resembled a house-dress of that era. Ladies would wear it in the morning over their pajamas while preparing breakfast, as well as while they got themselves ready for the day. The Waist or Half apron was another 1950’s common style. This became a fashion statement apron that was made to optimize the hourglass silhouette.

I remember watching ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and always seeing Mrs. Cleaver wearing a lovely Half apron tied around her skinny waist over her beautiful dress and the look was always finished with a set of pearls around her neck. Alice on ‘The Brady Bunch’ had an apron on in almost every episode. Ant Bee on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was usually seen in a Bib or Cobbler apron. Julia Child was known for her blue denim half apron with a towel draped over the tie to wipe her hands. Edith Bunker on ‘All in The Family’ made famous the Bib-style apron with hip pockets, piping around the edges and hem and then tied in the back. I read that Edith Bunker’s apron sold at auction in 2013 for $1200.

My cousin Lorraine has a vivid and detailed memory of Home Economic class in Lewiston Maine and learning to sew her first project, an apron! It was 1967 and the pattern was a full Bib Apron, but a short one because she wore mini skirts back then and thought it would be cool to make the apron that way too! She told me she used blue denim fabric for the skirt and bib, then added red checkered fabric ties, neck piece and waistband with red checkered heart shaped pockets and everything was top stitched with red thread. She said she got an A for a grade on it and has always saved and treasured it.

Aprons were so familiar at one time and held so much tender meaning behind their domestic purpose that there were several popular songs that included them. This one was penned ‘Momma’s Apron Strings’ and written by Shawn Lane and Gerald Ellenburg. It became a well-known song by the bluegrass musician and voice of Larry Sparks ‘Momma used it to bring in apples, in the fall of the year, carried sweet corn that she grew, which made it look a little used, but to me there wasn’t nothing Momma’s apron couldn’t do. They don’t use them quite as much today, but we sure could use them to wipe some tears away’. It seems that a lot of us could use that apron nowadays for much of the same purpose.

If you’re a sewer and would like to make a vintage style apron for yourself, www.sovintagepatterns.com has many patterns to choose from. I’m sure The Melamine Cup in Jaffrey has a few aprons hanging in their store or you can also purchase original aprons from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s and 70’s online at Etsy. An apron makes a wonderful gift for anyone; you could even tuck a handwritten family favorite recipe and a piece of candy in the pocket! Somehow an apron is just filled with love and special magic.

Ruth Blais Thompson is a lifelong resident of the Monadnock Region and is a Realtor for Blais & Assoc. Realtor’s in Keene. Her pastimes are writing short stories and playing and writing music. She lives in Dublin with her husband and 2 cats.

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