Man Shirt Apron / History of the Apron

jerri, me, vickey, connie, shirlene

2-5-14:  We made these today in crafts and it was soooo easy.  I'd adapted this idea a few years ago into adult bibs (see "adult bibs" post). We all went to thrift stores and bought big (the bigger the better) mens' shirts and got started. Jerri used the cuff end of a sleeve to add a pocket on the side of hers.

We had such a good time and we taught Vickey and Shirlene (our yankee crafters) a new word - SASH!  They'd heard them called ties, but had never heard sashes.  I posted on facebook just to see what my friends from all over the USA call them.  Most said sashes or aprong strings.

cut sleeves off first

cut back off, careful to keep collar intact

shape the front and hem along edges

I'd originally made this as a bib and today just added the sashes

Shirlene at work on her apron

Mr. Ken checks in on us and keeps the fire going while we craft

tried one of those casual shots -- haha

4-14-14:  used a cuff for a pocket

added a handmade flower pin and gave this one to Meleah at Thanksgiving

History of Aprons

I don't think our kids
know what an apron is. 
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few and because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons required less material.  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.  

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.
 

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk 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.  

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.  Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. 
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. 

October 2016:  My new Spearfish Friend, Marie, lost her husband earlier this year.  I made a couple of aprons and a bib out of 2 of his shirts for her to give as gifts.

I added a handmade flower to this one

I sewed one of Richard's hankies to this one