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!)