Sharing apron memories

If you missed our apron party last week, you missed a lot of fun and a lot of aprons.

There must have been 100 or more colorful aprons, all spread out on the tables in the training room at The Gazette.

No two were alike. Many were hand-sewn, of fabric ranging from vintage feed sacks to cotton and lace. There were crocheted aprons, aprons with trim around the necks and pockets. Some of the lace was hand-tatted, an almost lost art. Many aprons were made of checkered gingham, all colors, some smocked.

There were "halfies," some designed with hard hoop waistbands and others with drawstrings. There were cobbler aprons, fancy aprons; some had left-hand pockets only, some wrapped around and tied in the front (indicating that the wearer was unattached).

Some were new, some were very old; some had "chicken scratch" borders, and there were styles for men, women and children. There were long ones, short ones, and one which took a few minutes to figure out how to get it on. Somehow, you had to put your head and arms through some holes and twist your body into it.

There were aprons with front-half legs, tied to go over tuxedos or slacks, some to go over men's boxers and some over women's shorts.

Some had matching bonnets; many were hand-stitched and embroidered. Some of the aprons were reversible, with different patterns on each side – so they could be turned over if they got dirty? No one really knew.

There were, of course, poodle aprons, and aprons with detachable hot-pad pockets.

It was a burst of color and creativity, a hubbub of women chattering, eating cookies and drinking coffee and discussing all the creations.

Margaret Hall, of Dixon, had made herself and her little doll matching aprons with their names embroidered on the front waistband. There wasn't room for "Margaret" on the doll, so she wrote "Peggy" for short.

Aprons are by no means "out." In fact, they grow more popular every day.

Some of the women present programs about aprons. Elizabeth Itnyre, of Polo, and Judy Dampman, of Lanark, make presentations called "Memories," and "The Forgotten Apron."

Some of the aprons they brought to the party last week included a clothespin apron (who uses clothespins anymore?) and a child's cross-stitch gingham apron.

There were several child-size aprons, and many pieces handed down from past generations.

Dixon resident Gloria Kunde's favorite is a large turkey apron, which she said the kids thought was hilarious the first year she brought it to Thanksgiving dinner. "Now it is just tradition," she said.

The column this week is all about aprons. I had no idea it would be this long.

I put a note in my column that I wanted to do a story all about aprons. I asked readers to tell me their apron stories. It obviously brought back memories for a lot of people, including me. I was overwhelmed. I could not figure out how I was going to talk to all of these apron buffs. So, I decided to have an "apron party."

I asked them to load up some of their aprons and come to The Gazette office, so we could reminisce and show off our apron stuff.

I had no idea there was this kind of interest in aprons. Nor did I know how many different kinds there are, how beautiful they are, or how many were made in home economics classes 50 or 60 years ago. There were many made in 4-H classes, as well.

What a time we had! It was definitely ladies' day. I only saw one man – and he was carrying a basket filled with his wife's aprons.

The only downside is that I have no space at all for recipes. I am sorry about that, we got a little carried away. But I promise you there will be plenty of recipes in the next few weeks.

Readers' apron letters

Aprons were a mainstay

Anna M. Millhouse

Polo

Aprons have always intrigued me. I liked making aprons for myself and my friends, out of colorful holiday materials. My husband and I farmed from 1949 to 1968. An apron was a mainstay. Farm wives needed it to protect their clothes, as they only had a few dresses, and laundry was done once a week, on Monday.

Hungry men doing chores and working in the fields kept farm wives busy in the kitchen, baking bread, making noodles, pies, and all kinds of stick-to-the-ribs dishes. The apron was put on first thing each day. It was handy and worked great for opening a jar, or drying off a freshly washed table. Some might have even used the tail end for wiping a kid’s snotty nose.

Eggs had to be gathered twice a day, so while making dinner (which was the noon meal and supper the evening meal) I ran to the chicken house, gathered up the corners of my apron, making it into a basket, and set about gathering the eggs. After preparing the meal, the apron was taken off and hung on a hook before sitting down to the table with guests. It was always there waiting on the hook at the start of a new day.

In those days, chicken feed came in bright-colored feed sacks. The material made a pretty apron and clothes for the children. Later came the cobbler apron. (Cobblers were aprons that covered the front and back and had pockets across the front.) These were nice for carrying cleaning supplies in the pockets. Wedding reception serving girls always wore cute little aprons made of delicate materials and trimmed in lace. Fond memories of aprons, and a town-girl-turned-farm-wife, invade my mind. Thank you for inquiring about aprons, so I could have this walk down memory lane with you.

The apron lady

Eva Cowley

Dixon

My hobby about aprons started from reading a magazine article that members of a club were invited to wear their favorite apron and have a story to go with it. I thought it was an interesting topic and started looking for aprons at thrift shops and tag sales. While wintering in Arizona, the activity lady needed a theme for the spring ladies luncheon, so I suggested the idea to her. It turned out to be a colorful and interesting event. For decoration, I had a clothes line pinned up with my aprons. People have sent me aprons from many different states.

My aprons are bibs and “halfies,” (half aprons, tying around the waist) and are crocheted, fancy, well worn, left-hand pockets only, hoops, gingham checks, with chicken scratch borders, and styles for women, men and children.

Last year I went to Andover, Ill., to see the aprons of Karen Anderson, (deceased) and was surprised to see many of the different styles that I have in my collection. There have been books and many articles written about aprons. I have enjoyed talking and showing my collection of 150 aprons to church groups and organizations.

They call me the apron lady.

Fond memories

I do have fond apron memories. I remember my grandmother and my mother wearing them. I have aprons that I made as a 4-H’er with some kind of embroidery stitch, as well as one my grandmother made.

I also have several Christmas aprons in adult and child sizes that I inherited from my grandmother.

I learned the hard way to wear an apron often while I am cooking as I destroyed at least 2 very nice designer shirts with cooking mishaps. So, I do wear one, frequently.

Christine Ware

My mother wore them

Thank you for thinking of this idea. I treasure the fact that my mother wore them, and, in fact, she still wears them! When my children were little, they had them and thoroughly enjoyed wearing them with Mommy when we baked in the kitchen together.

Those days are long gone now! Ha ha!

Cathy Binder, Sterling

She wore aprons all her life

I, too, have worn aprons all my life – from half aprons (made from towels) to cobbler aprons, to the kind with the bib on the top, or the more-or-less cover-ups like my grandmother wore. And now, since my husband passed away about a year ago, I am wearing the denim aprons that he wore.

I grew up in Emerson and lived the first 62 years of our married life there, before moving to the retirement home.

We used to have a lady in Emerson, who, along with her daughter, made aprons to help eke out a living. She lived to be almost 100 years old.

I still have several aprons she made.

By the way, Susan Tucker, my daughter, was the one who told you where to get the 1/4-pound beef wieners. She lives in Morrison, so I save all your columns and send them to her.

My husband, Paul, worked for Rock River Provision for almost 25 years, as a driver salesman, so we had many of these at our potlucks and family picnics.

Ruth George, Sterling

She wears aprons on holidays

I think your idea of an apron story is a good one. I remember my grandma, she wore hers all day. I spent all summers with Grandma.

When I was growing up, aprons were always my Christmas presents to her, made of dark cotton fabric. When I got married, I also wore my apron to cook. At one time, I had an apron with “cook alcoholic” on it. I was always cooking, baking from scratch.

I have always worn aprons for holidays – Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and so on. I have always thought an apron did two things – covered up your clothes with a clean apron to cook, and, when you were done cooking, you could take it off, and your clothes were the same as before.

Shirley Dodd, Sterling

Thanks for the memories

Now that I am retired, I love reading your column and have even tried a few recipes. Just made the cheeseburger pie yesterday. Thanks for making me think of my grandma and her aprons.

Grandma Neifing has been dead for 55 years, but I still can see her standing in her kitchen with her full apron on. She had many of them, and they completely covered her dress. She wore them all day, even when she was using her treadle sewing machine. I don’t remember seeing her without an apron.

Thanks for bringing back a great memory for me. I laugh as I think of how my grandchildren probably don’t know what an apron is, and they certainly won’t remember me in the kitchen.

Jo Anne Mills

‘Keep Grace or throw her out?’

I am Betty Obendorf of Polo and I write a column for the Tri-County and have since 1997, when I retired from teaching. My grandmother and mother always wore aprons that were full length.

I have four of my mother’s aprons yet today and her dust cap. She always wore an apron when cooking and cleaning. One of her aprons is made from a floral feed sack. She added the dust cap when cleaning and my job was to take the curtains off the curtain stretcher. I wear an apron myself when cooking.

Just last week when I was returning from a 1,000-mile vacation with my sister, I wondered what I would prepare for supper that my husband would like. I decided dried beef gravy on toast. I walked into the house around 4:30, sat and visited with my husband and he said, “What about dried beef gravy on toast tonight?” I told him that is exactly what I had in mind and he said he had taken the Lanark Locker plant dried beef out. I got up, took off my suit jacket, put on my apron and made dried beef gravy on toast.

The vacation was over and it was great to be back home in the kitchen. I always read your column and use many of your recipes. In fact, we have a standing joke when Kenneth will say, “Do I throw Grace out this week with the papers or do you want to keep her?” Many times I say to him, “I am keeping her.” Someday I need to get a cookbook because I have all these newspapers.

Betty Obendorf, Polo

Picture of her mom

Eileen sent me a picture of her mother, Evangeline “Van” Bell, on wash day in the 1940s, wearing an apron, of course. Eileen said her mother wore a “rubber” apron underneath her cotton apron to keep her dry while using a wringer washer, which was, Eileen said, a very wet job.

“Not wasting a minute, she swept the back sidewalk, between loads,” Eileen said.

Eileen Bell Kane, Dixon

In addition to all the letters, many readers sent me different versions of a poem called, “Grandma’s Apron.” They were each a little different, but all amusing and told about all the things Grandma did with her apron. I am sorry we don’t have room to print them all, but we found one version online, just to give you a taste.

Thank you all so much for the response to the request for apron stories, and thanks to everyone who attended my apron party. It has been a fun week, and maybe we can do it again sometime. If you have any ideas or subjects we can feature and have some fun with, let me know.

–Grace

Grandma's Apron

Here's one version of "Grandma's Apron," by Tina Trivett, purported to be the original poem written in honor of her grandmother and posted on a poetry website in 1999:
 

The strings were tied, it was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed.
For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed.
The simple apron that it was, you would never think about;
the things she used it for, that made it look worn out.

She may have used it to hold, some wildflowers that she'd found.
Or to hide a crying child's face, when a stranger came around.
Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth.
Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth.

She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire.
To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire.
When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow.
You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow.

She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside.
Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride.
When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest.
I'm sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best.

I miss you Grandma. ...