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APRONS - Practical use or Fashionable wear?



Is the APRON fashionable or...
practical in your home?

creator: etsy.com/shop/spicerakdesigns


Or...is the APRON...
both practical and fashionable?


creator: joyfulabode.com


In your opinion...
do you think APRONS are a thing of the past?

source: agmuseum.com
  
Here are other questions to ponder.
If you do wear one...
are you ashamed of the ragged piece of textile?
Was it a hand me down?
Or, do you cherish it most of all...
like an old pyjama you just cannot part with?

Do you just have great memories of yourself and mom
wearing one during your kitchen get together ?


Are you accustomed to wearing an apron at all times?
In other words...can you be considered an 'Apronista' ?
Wondering what I can possibly mean by this title?
A woman who loves aprons, wears, makes, sews, sells, or collects aprons;
and loves the romantic vintage images of the old fashioned definition
of being a woman, with the gifts and talents that entails.
We may do it the easier, faster way now, due to modern conveniences,
but an apronista takes pride in her role as a woman, and realizes the
joy and respect that comes from being a WOMAN & HOMEMAKER
(even if she may also work outside of the home.) -- Ref: Apronista.com
***
Do you have a cherished collection of aprons...
with practically no space to spare?

source: quiltcropandcabbage.blogspot.com
***
Do you wear aprons not to dirty yourself?
Or...do you wear one just because you look so cute?




Do you have one for just that special occasion?
source: cottagefarmvilla.blogspot.com





Maybe...the apron makes you feel good and...
gets that ‘spring’ back in your step?
creator: etsy.com/shop/Boojiboo














Could this fabulous 'Retro' apron...
let you pretend as if you know what you're doing?
creator: etsy.com/shop/Boojiboo







Or, maybe...you just wear the apron so to embellish the great looking Hostess that you already are?
creator: etsy.com/shop/loverdoversclothing












Do you prefer the very short apron style? 
creator: etsy.com/shop/spicerakdesigns
 



 
   




Or is the long 'Domestic Diva' look...
more your style?
creator: etsy.com/shop/loverdoversclothing







 





Feeling somewhat...'Flirty'?
source: flirtyaprons.com
 


     
 
 

Or maybe for some...
was all you really had in mind in the first place?
creator: etsy.com/shop/loverdoversclothing
 
 




As for myself...
I quite honestly wear an apron 
ONLY once and a while.


I'll let you guess which one belongs to which apron occasion ;0)
I do however have to admit...
having viewed some of these beautiful aprons...
I just may start wearing them more often.
***
Here's a brief HISTORICAL
accounting about APRONS


Aprons have been cooks' companions for hundreds of years.
Indeed, aprons were used by men and women for a variety of
tasks long before they were seen on 1950s television.
During this era, women were portrayed as homemakers and
good mothers and you rarely saw them without their aprons.

Some researchers point to Biblical references about aprons.
They cite a passage in which Adam and Eve sewed together
fig leaves to make aprons to cover themselves. 


We traditionally think of aprons being used for cooking,
and while that is true, they have served as a cover-up
for other tasks that tend to be messy.
Occupations such as butchers, welders and bakers have always used
aprons to protect both their clothing and bodies from their work.


For centuries, homemakers have used aprons.
Even since the early 19th century, women have
used aprons to keep their clothing clean.
They have also used aprons to carry essential utensils such as rolling pins,
for gathering and carrying eggs and for transporting kindling wood.
Aprons have been an effective tool for many, many years.


It was not until the 1940s and 1950s that society started to see the
stereotypes of the "perfect mother" who always wore an apron, no matter what.
Until that time, aprons were thought of as a functional piece of the wardrobe.





Today's aprons are more stylish.
Perhaps surprisingly, aprons have made a fashionable comeback,
even making occasional runway appearances in the form of the apron dress.
-- Ref.: Thomas Morva...author on ezinearticles.com


source: whenbessattacks.com


Does anyone remember when a woman
would not dare cook without an apron?
source: flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com


Today...the APRON seems to be the
symbol of the retro/vintage women.

***
What has been perceived in the past about the APRON:
The principal use of Grandma's apron
was to protect the dress underneath,
but along with that, it served as a potholder
for removing hot pans from the oven.


It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on
occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.


From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks,
and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

source: rurallivingcanada.4t.com

When company came, those aprons were ideal 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 into 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 fall, 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.


If family came to dinner, there were other aprons in the kitchen
for the other 'women-folk' to help out with preparations.


When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron,
and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.


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

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an Apron...except MEMORIES.

Please note: This particular story has been published many times over the years.
The original storyteller was hard to pin down.
If ever you are the writer or know of this person...please inform me
so that I can credit the appropriate person with merit.
***



APRONS make a great Hostess gift...
a really nice Mother's Day gift

or maybe just a gift to spoil yourself.

Enjoy this little gallery of fashionable wear...
from some very gifted seamstresses.




I had to stop myself from continuing.
They were all so fabulous.

The creators I mentioned in this feature story...
are only but a handful from which you can choose from.


Have fun searching for your apron.
(please note: I have no personal gain from showing off these very talented crafters.)




Guess who refuses to wear an apron at my house?
Our 'Mr. Sushi'...the little Prince who is served
hand and foot.
He certainly showed me what he thought of my
apron photo shoot.

So, tell me...
what are your thoughts NOW on the lovely
practicality of the fashionable APRON?

Fashionable and practical flavourful wishes,
Foodessa


Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)
Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com