this is the apron song

 
Oh-how I love aprons. so here is more about aprons-this one shown above is from Country Living magazine and a free pattern on how to crochet it is here. I'd love to try this-until now my crocheting experience has been making a square that sort of resembles a coaster-or just a pitiful wad of yarn. The magazine blurb also mentioned this wonderful exhibition of aprons (and so did stephanie, hillary, and kim, thank you-that's what reminded me of all this) and the article suggested buying super cheap vintage aprons on ebay-so for all you junkers and thrifters, please snatch them up before the ebay sellers do!

here are some photos from great books I have right now from the library regarding apron history and all things apron-y:

children's apron turning into a bonnet! from Gingham Aprons of the '40's and '50's, by Judy Florence-a book solely about gingham aprons and the handwork that goes into the embellishment of them.

from Aprons-Icons of the American Home, by Joyce Cheney-great general book with glossary (lots of terms to know!-who knew?) I love the chicken (obviously) and the blue birds! Thanks amanda for posting about this book.

Holy cow! the scenic apron, the childern's one-piece with the kitties and dogs-and vintage pattern galore! My favorite of the 3 books: Aprons of the mid-20th century, by Judy Florence-wonderful general book, tons of photos, (more than the others) and a really great section on the vintage sewing patterns of aprons. I am going to buy this one for sure.

so, I'd love to do "a month of aprons", like a month of softies-think of all the themes. I would do a clear plastic one for sure-for you know, the 60's theme (or naked theme!) but gosh dang it, I can't do another thing right now or I will implode!

 

Comments

[Grammie]

The embellished gingham: That combination of rickrack and gingham has always appealed to me. Plus yellow and brown is starting to be my favorite combination. And the one-piece children's pattern reminds me of my own kindergarten days. This is a fun and nostalgic entry today. Your grandma would certainly have approved. She even looked like the model in the patterns.

[amanda s.]

Oh, those birds! This is all so fascinating. I love your idea of a "month of aprons" with different themes. Hmnn...perhaps just a vintage inspired apron swap would be a good start--less overwhelming to organize and commit to? I'd be glad to help! (what are we thinking? we don't have enough going on now?) ;)

[riarug]

Now, would you really actually implode, or would it be a messy explosion?

Circling around the blog world I am starting to think that there is a tight-knit comunity of bloggers who are all participating in the same exchanges. And I often wonder, how the hell is everyone doing this? I myself have designed so many Month of Softies entries in my head only to have life get in the way. I have signed up for Back-Track, participated in Nervousness and finally got around to drawing an entry for Illustration Friday. And I sometimes post three times a day to my blog. But how is it people seem to be everywhere contributing to everything? Arggghh I feel so inadequate. Love your aprons. Love your month of aprons idea. Hate you (lol) for adding to my misery knowing that there may eventually be one more thing that inspires my brain, that I will struggle to complete and fail miserably because "life" is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

OK, I agree... it is implode.

[Karen]

oh wow! Must be apron day! I wrote about aprons too! :) Love that crochet one and the one with birds!

[hillary]

ok, I've officially caught the apron fever. and oh you'd kill me if you knew all the aprons I've passed over while thrifting all these years. or worse yet the ones I've cut up for pieces. "oh I need rick rack I'll just get it off that old apron." yikes! just don't start loving housedresses because I've really massacred those! I'll have to dig through everything and see if I have any that have survived that I can send along to you.

[kim]

oh I am swooning! Thank you so much for feeding my frenzy.....Yippee.

[Stephanie]

Jack found that Country Living article online yesterday when he was looking for something for a client. He emailed it to me with the caveat, "I really don't want to hear about aprons anymore."

I, however, would be up for some sort of apron exchange/project.

[mari]

i have been meaning to sit downand send you a note about the Country Living article on Aprons, and i see that you already know all about it!!! figures! i'll have to share my 3 aprons. i had a 4th - a 1950s? black chiffon? slinky number, that i lent to someone and well that was last i ever saw of it!!

Mari

[myra]

Thanks for the wonderful post, I just can't seem to get enough of aprons recently.

[laurie]

so many cute aprons so little time! you've inspired me to post pictures of my own aprons -- actually they were my maternal grandmothers. thanks!

[jenn]

we have no books that cool in my library (as usual).
I love the new Amy Butler apron pattern...

[abbyjane]

Aprons are awesome. I recently made the apron from the Simplicity pattern you posted at the very bottom on the right side. I made the bottom one of the three pictured on the pattern envelope - the one with the wide yoke. It required lots of bias tape - urrrrrr....but it was fun to make. Unfortunately, I think my chest is a tad too small (or maybe it just needs another dart). Anyway, thanks for all the aprons!

[kristen]

saw hillary's post about aprons and came here. thanks for the post with all the pictures. i've been noticing aprons everywhere the past month and have been wanting to find some vintage patterns to make my own. do you have any suggestions as to where you find those vintage patterns?

[raquel]

i love these fever of aprons :) i want that theme in month of softies too :)

[Melisa]

My SIL made me a little apron with pockets, that you can button a certain way and it becomes a sun bonnet for gardening. I'll have to find out where she got the pattern because I'm thinking it may have been a freebie.

[Lu]

It is funny looking at everyone jump on the apron band wagon. I started getting the itch to make a collection of them a couple of months ago. I love, love, love them!

I am down for an apron sewing swap or whatever. That would be so much fun.

[Ana Ramos]

I love aprons too. I think you should do the moth of aprons, or organize a swap, there are many people who would love to be apart of it.

[Erin Fae]

I am so overwhelmed by this post! I cannot deal with the lovely land o' pin-o-fore! :passes out from excitement:

How can you be an angry chicken when there are so many aprons you could wear or concieve of making?

[aoi wowie]

Wow. I bought an apron a few days ago from my local Goodwill for a couple of dollars. It's an exact copy of the brown gingham apron with yellow rickrack from the book!

[aoi wowie]

Whoops. Reverse that. My apron is brown/yellow, while the pictured apron is yellow/brown. ^_^

[Sara A.]

I love aprons too. I collect apron patterns. I must have over 100 of them. I started to actually make and wear aprons about a year ago and I really like wearing them too. Ebay has hundreds of patterns.

Sara

[Maggie Ann]

What a wonderful post about aprons. I just posted a picture of a very similar 'bonnet' apron. I didn't realize so many other women liked aprons. I thought they were so 'out' it wasn't funny. Anyway, thanks for a super interesting post.

[Mary-Frances]

Okay, I'm embarrased (haven't perused all the comments above, so not sure if I'm the only one) but I actually own the apron/bonnet combo and have a mother/daugher pair (am I embarrasing?)...anyway, I posted it on my blog if you want to see the real thing...only in the 50's eh?

[Gina]

I keep finding these links on aprons!! My passion is for hand embroidered aprons, and I have found most of mine on eBay here in Australia. I am starting to wonder if it was only Aussie women who embroidered their bib-style aprons so beautifully? Most of the aprons I have seen so far on everyone else's blogs are possibly more recent vintage, made of printed materials and sometimes embellished with cross stitch or applique. Please visit me at Patra's Place and have a peep at one of my favorites.