Displaying Vintage Aprons

I don't know why, but I am attached to vintage aprons. I love them and the work our mothers, Aunts and Grandmothers put into making them. I have posted about my vintage aprons before. Click here and have a look.

My aprons are ones that I have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. I do not have any of my grandmother's aprons, I wish I did. In every memory I have of her she is wearing an apron.

Aprons were used to . . .

pick up hot dishes
dry the inside of a freshly washed mug
wipe up spills
wipe away tears
wipe dirt from your children's faces
dry your hands
carry in eggs from the hen house
carry in fruits or vegetables from outside
dust furniture
stand on the porch and wave it to let the men and children know supper was ready
and of course -
a place for shy children to hide behind.

I found this hiding behind my Hoosier cabinet. I never used it, so I guess I had taken it out and placed it behind the cabinet and forgot about it. When I found it, I thought it could be used to display some of my aprons.

I decided to get some of my clothespins and attach my aprons on the rungs. I wrapped a long torn piece of material around the hanger. Wrapping jute rope around it would also look good.

 

 

But my favorite way to display them is here on my back door. It is a metal door, so I attached strong magnets onto the clothespins and stuck them on the door.

 

 

 

I have more aprons, so I can occasionally switch them. I love the colors and all the detail they put into them.

 

 

 

Found Treasures in the Garage

Vintage Thingies Thursday

I'm participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday again, hosted by Colorado Lady. Go visit and see others who are posting their vintage thingies.

I was cleaning out the garage and look what I found:

old aprons. . .


more old aprons. . .


more old aprons. . .


and more old aprons.


And I found some vintage table cloths hiding out there, too.


I just love the colors in these three. . .



and the colors in these also. They used to make table cloths so pretty.


And here are three more.


I also found these old post cards from Florida. Most are dated from the 1930s. The colors are so vivid and the texture of the cards are so different than the ones made today. Take a close up look at them and see how pretty they are.



And, last but not least, here I am wearing a hand made dress made in 1963 when West Virginia was celebrating it's Centennial. I just love it! Now if I could just lose about 10 pounds so it would fit me better.


I think I'm going to have to clean out the garage more often. It's hard to tell what else I might find out there.

I didn't find this in the garage, but since Saturday is the 4th of July, I thought I would post this beautiful old picture of the flag that hangs in my bedroom.

God Bless the USA!

Collections and Recollections - Aprons

Aprons have been around for a long time. They were worn to protect your clothing from dirt and stains.

Women of the Civil War era were frugal and they recycled fabrics. Aprons were made from flour sacks, old blankets and old dresses.

During the Great Depression aprons were created from flour and feed sacks, the same as quilts.
Soon after, the new choice for aprons was calico.

During the 1930s and 1940s it seemed that all the women of the household wore aprons and the 1950s were definitely the high point of their popularity. They became a way of showing off their handiwork.

Women wore aprons while cooking, to meet guests in, and to do the housework.

But aprons had multiple uses such as:

picking up hot dishes
drying the inside of a freshly washed mug
wiping up spills
wiping away tears
wiping dirt from your children's faces
drying your hands
carrying in eggs from the hen house
carrying in fruits or vegetables from outside
dusting furniture
standing on the porch and waving it to let the men and children know supper was ready
and of course -
a place for shy children to hide behind.

How most people do without them now, I don't know.

Yes, the apron was a very useful item of the housewife. Most of my memories of my grandmother have her in an apron.

But the beautiful handiworked aprons are almost a thing of the past.
I collect them in remembrance of a by gone era.
I wish I had my grandmother's aprons. But, sadly, they have disappeared and I only have my memories.

Here are a few of my vintage aprons:

PRETTY PASTELS ALL IN A ROW

A small one......

a dainty one....

a pink and blue one.

Two ginghams.....

a patchwork and pillowcase one....

and two more for good measure.

This last one, a smock apron, isn't too old. I have pictures of me wearing it in the 1970s.

Hope you have enjoyed a trip down memory lane with my collection and recollections.

Do you have any apron memories? If you can help me date any of the above aprons, please comment and let me know.