Training Our Daughters to be Keepers At Home . . .
and to Reach Out to the World!
Edwardian-Style Aprons
The girls just finished sewing their Edwardian-style aprons last Tuesday with my Mom and I. We purchased the pattern from www.Sensibility.com:
The aprons were a bit on the tricky side, as my Mom felt like they weren’t designed as well as she would have made them herself. So, we altered a few things and lined most of the apron so that it was thicker with two layers of fabric.
My daughters are anxious to wear them in the kitchen and for dress up around the house, but they also want to enter them in the county fair. If they go ahead and wear them and wash them, they won’t score so well on their entry, so I’m going to leave the choice up to them. They can fold them up and put them away in their "hope" boxes (large clear Rubbermaid totes), and bring them out for the county fair in August, or they can wear them now and not worry about the fair. If I didn’t have a 30-year-old washing machine, the aprons might do okay being washed, but ours is so old, that I just wouldn’t want to ruin the aprons by repeated washings. I suppose we could also hand wash them.
We are really enjoying going over to my parents’ house on Tuesdays for the girls’ sewing lessons! We’ve chosen to not be involved in a sewing 4-H club right now. I have the full leader’s 3-ring binder for 4-H sewing, and there were some aspects about it that didn't appeal to me. For our weekly sewing lessons, my mom works with one girl, and I work with the other. It’s a great time for me to refresh my memory of sewing skills learned in the past, since I don’t really ever make time to sew anymore.
The aprons were a bit on the tricky side, as my Mom felt like they weren’t designed as well as she would have made them herself. So, we altered a few things and lined most of the apron so that it was thicker with two layers of fabric.
My daughters are anxious to wear them in the kitchen and for dress up around the house, but they also want to enter them in the county fair. If they go ahead and wear them and wash them, they won’t score so well on their entry, so I’m going to leave the choice up to them. They can fold them up and put them away in their "hope" boxes (large clear Rubbermaid totes), and bring them out for the county fair in August, or they can wear them now and not worry about the fair. If I didn’t have a 30-year-old washing machine, the aprons might do okay being washed, but ours is so old, that I just wouldn’t want to ruin the aprons by repeated washings. I suppose we could also hand wash them.
We are really enjoying going over to my parents’ house on Tuesdays for the girls’ sewing lessons! We’ve chosen to not be involved in a sewing 4-H club right now. I have the full leader’s 3-ring binder for 4-H sewing, and there were some aspects about it that didn't appeal to me. For our weekly sewing lessons, my mom works with one girl, and I work with the other. It’s a great time for me to refresh my memory of sewing skills learned in the past, since I don’t really ever make time to sew anymore.
The Humble Apron
I wear my apron – it’s a friend,
To help me cook and clean and tend.
It takes the brunt of splats and stains
And saves my clothes from laundry pains.
It helps me sense my duty clear,
To cook and clean for loved ones dear.
Yes, in my apron I become
A servant to the ones I love.
Yet under all the apron’s stains
My clothing bright and clean remains.
Then when removed it hangs unseen,
And I am crowned the household queen.
Copyright Sharon Kaufman 2000
