My newest (old) aprons.

A colleague at the Embroiderers' Guild of Victoria also collects aprons, and she gave me these aprons after she'd culled her collection recently.
This is an uncut calico apron which has been partly embroidered. Probably dates back to the 1940's or 50's.

Whenever I see gingham I think cross stitch and chicken scratch. But the person who made this apron had completely different ideas. It is machine stitched, and a lot of work has gone into making the strawberry part of the flower, and attaching them to the fabric. A very unusual addition to my collection.


Naughty French Maid's apron. I put this on last night just for fun when I got out of the shower, and pranced around the living room in front of Ken. He just raised his eyebrows!

This is a cute little half apron - not a child's size, but not for a large adult either!

This IS a child's apron, and one of the cutest ones I've ever seen. I'm going to ask my niece if I can photograph it on her 3 year old daughter, who will look just adorable in it!

Finally, this is obviously for the hostess when she has friends around for a card night! I've got plenty of card table cloths in my table cloth collection, but this is the first apron I've seen to match them!

Lady in a blue dress on a brick wall.

I can't begin to explain how excited I was to win this on eBay last week! Words alone won't describe the beauty of the work in this apron. I've taken three photos - one of the apron as a whole, a closeup of the design, and a section of the reverse, so you can see the meticulous hand stitching - just in case you thought it was applique or machine stitched!

Phar Lap apron

Phar Lap was arguably Australia's greatest racehorse, and I'm not going to enter discussions about any aspect of Phar Lap's ancestry or history! There is a large space devoted to him in the Melbourne Museum, which includes various memorabilia, one of which is an embroidered apron which I have long coveted. So you can imagine my delight when this turned up on eBay! It is not the same standard of stitching as the one in the Museum, but I'm happy to have it in my collection, as it is obviously quite old.

Apron with lady smoking.

Gosh, how politically incorrect is that these days! This apron is stitched on some kind of homespun fabric, with hand crocheted edges, but no ties, which makes me think it was done for an embroidery show or contest.

Did "My Fair Lady" inspire this apron?

Most of the aprons I would like to have in my collection are already in somebody else's collection, but now and again I find another nice one. This arrived today from Western Australia via eBay. The seller called it a crinoline lady, but strictly speaking it's not that style. I think she looks more like Eliza before Henry Higgins transformed her!

Apron commemorating Amy Johnson.

I found this at our local antique market. At first I didn't know what it was about, although it was obvious that the date and name had some historic meaning. I Googled it today, and discovered that it was to commemorate the flight of Amy Johnson (Johnnie)the first woman to fly solo from London to Darwin in May 1930.

Unfinished vintage apron.

An old friend of mine works in an opshop in Hobart (Tas) and now and then she finds some old embroidered items that she sends on to me if they haven't sold in the shop after some time. Her latest find is this apron with a pair of kookaburras which need finishing off, as well as some smaller designs at the top. Then of course it needs to be cut out and made up. I have dozens of these Semco calico apron sheets with patterns stamped on them; there was an enormous variety of designs available back in the first half of the 20th century.

More Apron lovers blogs and websites

I have just discovered a whole new world of Apron collectors out there, and have added links to their websites and blogs on my side bar. Kitchen Madonna last year proposed a National Wear An Apron Day, for May 14th. Here is what she wrote:

After your funeral, do you think your granddaughter will bury her face in your professional looking briefcase or in your treasured apron? When a woman puts on an apron, it makes no less of a statement than a fine leather briefcase. It announces she is on duty to be receptive to whatever happens in her home and everyone that encompasses. And that is a wider sphere of influence than many would allow.

An apron is like a uniform that conveys authority and unconditional regard and motherly wisdom all at once. Who said aprons are just about cooking and cleaning? They are also about emotional availability, hospitality, and femininity. They state in clearest terms that to serve is to reign.

There is an apron renaissance going on out there and much of it is recorded on the internet. Women everywhere are taking pictures of their aprons and posting them on certain blogs. They are scouring the internet looking for vintage patterns and materials. They are writing about what being a mother and a housewife means to them. These women aren’t depressed. They don’t need valium or to secretly drink or to watch a wildly popular television show that is a diabolical inversion of their lives.

I think a National Wear an Apron Day should be May 14th during the month of Immaculate Mary and the day after Mother’s Day. Amidst the quiet drama of our everyday lives, we can celebrate in gratitude our homes and families by toasting each other with tea and homemade cookies and fresh buttered bread. And go ahead, on Career Day at your local school, invite a girl over to see what your life is like. She most likely will have no idea how to hold a baby or how to make a stew or how to bake a casserole to take to a bereaved family or how soft your apron is for drying tears.

The devil very well may wear Prada but authentically feminine women wear aprons!

I suggested to K.M. that this should and could be, an International Day. Are any of my readers prepared to join me here, by emailing me a photo of yourself in your favourite apron in time for Wear An Apron Day? If I get enough, I'll publish them in a slideshow format (if I can figure out how to do it - everyone says it is easy!)

Fabulous Geisha Girl apron!

I won this on eBay last week. The seller is a lady in N.S.W. who told me this was made by her grandmother around 1960. She would have been about sixty when she made it.
These photos show the apron in full (unfortunately the colour is not correct), a closeup of part of the design (colour is better in this pic.) and one of the reverse, in which you can see the enormous amount of stitching done.
What else can I say, but WOW...

Doggie apron!

My friend LeeAnn from Peartree Cottage presented me with this cutie last weekend! I haven't washed and ironed it yet, but it photographed okay I think.