Slideshow for The Romance of Aprons

This is a slideshow of the first treasury I curated on Etsy.  There are some wonderful aprons in this collection.  I've also included a link to the craftperson's shop with each entry.  Enjoy!

This apron was created by Bernicesdesigns at Etsy.com , a regular seller on Etsy.com.  She has a long history of sewing and working with fabrics, and has many beautiful aprons in her shop.

This is an apron I created using fabric remnents I had around my home from my fabric stash and also the fabric stashes I inherited from my mother and grandmother.  My shop is Horsefeather Nuggets at Etsy.com, and like all the crafters here, I'd love it if you'd stop by and take a look around.

This is a beautiful white polka dot on black full apron from Creativechics on Etsy.  A partnership of 5 women who work in their home studios, rendering beautiful creations like this equisite example.

A variety of aprons listed by Inwiththeold at Etsy.com, these are great examples of the individualization and embellishment I wrote about in my post "The Romance of Aprons."  The technique of embellishment shown here is often referred to as chicken scratch or Hoover's Lace, and is a way of using the design of the gingham fabric as a template for the embroidery design, similar to counted cross stitch. 

This bright and beautiful hostess apron was created by Simplyaprons at Etsy.com, and is a great example of an elegant hostess apron.  This is a great example of showpiece apron, meant to be part of the entertaining experience for the wearer's honored guests at an event.

A wonderful example of a classic pinafore apron, created by Buythedress at Etsy.com.  Variations of the pinafore, a full apron covering much of the wearer's clothing, were worn by generations as a regular part of an outfit, to protect the clothing and provide pockets. 

This is a colorful example of Mexican folk embroidery as an embellishment in an apron listed by Storybookvintage at Etsy.com.  Such aprons served to showcase cultural elements and the skill of the creator's work, as they were usually hand wrought and took many hours to create.

A wonderful example of a uniform apron, common in the first half of the 20th century, created by Dotsdiner at Etsy.com.  These style aprons were worn by everyone from servers at resturaunts to maids, and were specifically meant to enhance the lines of the female form.

This is a great example of contemporary men's and women's aprons, listed by Pinkbutterflyaprons at Etsy.com.

Aprons are still often used as part of a server's uniform today.  This custom restaraunt server's apron was created by ThatsSEWAngela at Etsy.com, and features custom details such as the zebra print fabric and pink piping on a black background.

Another beautiful hostess apron, created by Mamamadison at Etsy.com.

Here we have an apron with a new personality--as children's dress-up clothing, created by rossandrosiedesigns on Etsy.com.  It illustrates the great versitility found in the simple garment of an apron.

A gorgeous feminine hostess apron from Politelypink on Etsy.com.  This apron again emphasises the purpose of a hostess apron to enhance the entertaining experience, and the style and flair possible at an event.

This is a wonderful example of a themed apron, created by sjcnane4 at Etsy.com.  While themed aprons have been around for quite some time, this is one of the most unusual I think I've found, and would fit in well hostessing a racing event.

Another example of an ethnic or folk apron, created by Vintagepatriotgirl at Etsy.com.  Usually hand embellished, the embellishments often have signifigant meaning as well as showing off the creator's skill in the needle arts.

Last but certainly not least, the festive cupcake-themed apron, created by Aquamarsboutique at Etsy.com.  Designed for a less formal occasion, this hostess apron would do well at a birthday or garden party.

I hope you've enjoyed my slideshow.  Feel free to leave comments and feedback, thanks :)

The Romance of Aprons

I've begun some new chapters in my life, and I'm finding that they are very good things indeed.  I've started creating with some abandon those things which are important or special to me, and I'm sharing them with the world through my online shop at Horsefeather Nuggets at Etsy.com.  While this is by no means a runaway success in financial or sales terms, it is a good way for me to share my creative spirit with a broader audience, including you :)

I am also spending a lot of time on Biblical study, something I've wanted to do for quite some time, but found difficult while I was still raising small children.  While I'm not here to bash anyone over the head with my beliefs and convictions, since they are such a core part of who I am both as a person and as an artist/craftsperson, reference to them will sometimes necessarily and unashamedly creep into my posts.  It is not my intention to offend anyone, however I will not withdraw my beliefs or convictions to save someone from being offended either. 

That being said, I have also started curating treasuries on Etsy as well, and have found myself wanting to share much more than the 177 charactors that I'm limited to there.  I am not a "tweet" person, I am much more an expositonary force in personality lol.  So I will undoubtably be writing much more here, and sharing the very special treasuries I've created. 

My first treasury is titled "The Romance of Aprons", and is a beautiful mix of both modern and vintage styles, patterns, and colors.  The history of aprons goes back centuries, affording craftsmen an extra layer of protection for their clothing while they worked and usually pockets for holding their tools of the trade.  Aprons for women also afforded this protection of their clothing, but also served as a working tool, whether something to wipe their hands on while they did chores, or a convenient basket tied to their waist for gathering and carrying things from one place to another.  Depictions of aprons can be found in art renditions of the Middle Ages showing women using their large aprons to gather the harvest or as a sort of portable towel to wipe their hands on while cooking or doing household chores.  The amount and type of fabric used in the construction of the apron would often give the casual observer clues as to the woman's wealth (fabric cost a lot of money, and a longer apron, a fuller skirted apron, a pinafore or an apron with ruffles, bows, pockets, anything that used extra fabric denoted a wealthier status).  An apron made from calico or muslin verses an apron constructed from "homespun" was also a designation of wealth and status, and the amount and intricacy of any needlework served not only as a showcase for a woman's talents, it also alluded to the amount of "leisure time" a woman had at her disposal to devote to such pasttimes.  For women, the taking off of the apron in the evening was the ritual of the end of the workday for her, the time when the household had been taken care of for the day and a time when she could pursue more leisurely activities such as writing in a journal, reading, doing needlework or, if she were fortunate enough to have a musical instrament, a time to relax creating her own entertainment.  It was strictly a women's domain to wear this style of apron, and a sign of her femineity.  It was also an expression of who she was, as there were cultural and folk styles of apron, uniform aprons, formal hostess aprons and utility aprons, and aprons easily lent themselves to all manner of personal embellishment, be it embroidery, ruffles, bows, pockets, and the list goes on. 

In the 1960's and 1970's, with the advent of the Women's Rights Movement, aprons were one of the many things mistakenly thought to show women's bondage and were summarily discarded en masse along with anything that could be connected to a woman's historical role of homemaker and caretaker, and so has remained a lost expression of a woman's femineity and beauty until recent years, when it's utility and ability to facilitate style and self-expression has been rediscovered by a new generation, but with some signifigant differences. 

While aprons have come back into style, today's aprons seem to be mostly mass produced and limited in styles and colors, while aprons of past generations were usually among a girl's first sewing projects.   The diversity of styles, embellishments, fabrics and patterns seems to have been diminished, at least for the time being, although I have seen some progress in this area recently. 

An apron is simply an apron, but the history and tradition of aprons has a very long and storied past, full of nuance and romance, the story and history of women.