Merry Christmas to my fellow Apron lovers!

Another fabulous apron - just look at this stitching!

This HAS to have been done for a competition or show of some sort. I doubt very much if the embroiderer put all this effort in just to wear around the house!

Closeup of the front.
Closeup of the reverse.

Another beautiful showpiece.

When I won this apron on eBay, I asked the seller if she knew the origins. From what she replied, I believe her mother made it, and it was done for competition in a show. I thought it would attract huge bids, so I put my maximum bid in for $40, but there was only two other bids, and I won it for less than $10!!!!



Close-up of the main design. Sorry about the different colours in these photos - I don't know why that has happened, but the close-up pic is the actual colour of the calico fabric.

Two new aprons.

Don't you wonder why people chose this drab material to stitch such beautiful flowers?
Just look at this perfect stitching - the variegated colour thread bring the flowers to life.

Needs a soak, but is clean enough for a picture. I didn't actually bid for this apron. I bid for another one which I didn't win, and the eBay seller very kindly sent me this one to make up for losing the other auction! Wasn't that generous of her? Both of these came from the same lady.

Rejects from the Embroiderer's Guild!

These aprons were given to me yesterday by my volunteer co-worker. They didn't sell at the annual Paddy's Market, so Wanda snapped them up for me.

Nice example of Chicken Scratch on gingham.


Machine stitched, but I still like it - great for St Patrick's Day!


Closeup of the sweet design on this old hand embroidered calico apron.

Unfinished apron with Ballerina.

I forgot all about this one! I was in the process of deleting photos from my PC when I saw this and thought I'd better check and see if I'd posted it here. I hadn't! I did mention it on Patra's Place - it is the apron that LeeAnn included in her pack of linens for me. The stitching is all complete - the apron just needs to be cut out, hemmed with bias binding, and straps sewn on. It'll only take five minutes...yeah, sure.

Another unique design: an ice-skater!

Aprons and books about aprons.

I never cease to be surprised by the designs that pop up on aprons. This lady might have been me 200 years ago!

...and a close-up

It is incredible what you find when you go looking on Amazon.com. Type in any subject, and there are bound to be dozens of books about it. I read about these books on another blog dedicated to aprons, and finally decided I had to have them. I had lunch with two friends today, who are very understanding about my passion for linens of all kinds, but they raised their eyebrows when they saw these books. "What would anyone find to write about aprons??" Well, there are lots of photos of course, but a lot of fascinating history and information too... fascinating to apron lovers only, I suppose..

Some old aprons from Hubby's Mum!

Ken's Mum has been cleaning out some more cupboards and found these aprons stuffed into a drawer. She thinks she made most of them, and had forgotten she had kept them! She was probably going to use them for dusters until I came along and begged her not to throw anything out!! These two pictures were taken tonight when I brought them home and laid them out on the kitchen floor. They are all half aprons as you can see, and will have to be well soaked and pressed to bring them back to their former 'glory'! I might have to alter the title of my blog to "Patra's Aprons" as most of these are not actually embroidered...nah, I'll leave it alone!

As you can see, they will all need a good soak before I iron them and photograph them again to put on here individually. Notice the apron at the bottom right corner, with the coloured bands. It is pleated - I've never seen a pleated apron in my life!
Don't you just love this one! Right out of the 1950's!

More aprons, a variety of subjects.

Isn't this sweet! "Are you coming out to play with me?" one little dog seems to be asking the other!
How often do you see an apron with a teapot stitched on it? Not often enough! This is lovely - very appropriate for serving tea and cake to your family and friends!
This full apron has great sentimental value for me. One of my home care clients made it when she was a school girl (about 1930)and told me she has worn it often. But this lady always takes great care of her clothes, and even this apron has been well preserved. She said her daughter and grandchildren weren't interested in it. Their loss!

The design on this apron makes me think of Paris, for some reason. The horse and cart outside a cafe just looks French! I have no idea where it originated, as it was an eBay win.

Flowers in a basket with a white ribbon in satin stitch.
Oh this is a cutie! One of the prettiest gingham* half aprons I have seen, it has been pleated, and the cross stitch sections are surrounded by lace.
*This isn't traditional gingham - it is another type of material that resembles gingham, and is often used to embellish in the same way.
I am so pleased to read everyone's comments on this blog. It sounds like you are all enjoying seeing my apron collection; I am certainly very happy to make it available to so many people online. The idea of an online museum that was suggested to me some time ago appears to be taking off!

Some more of my aprons.

A few more aprons, which don't fit into any of the categories I have set up here for the others...What's the point of putting 'labels' on them here if nothing shows up on the blog? Or am I missing something?

One of several gingham half aprons embellished with cross stitch and ric-rac.
Detail on the pocket.
My friend Helen gave this to me for Christmas a few years ago. She found it at an opshop in Violet Town, in rural Victoria.
This doesn't need any detailed explanations - everyone knows the Willow Pattern from somewhere!
Vine leaves and grapes; this would be good to wear at a wine tasting!

Apron from around 1930-40 - what do you think?

This arrived from rural Victoria yesterday, and I haven't washed or ironed it yet. I was so excited I just had to photograph it immediately!

Where do I keep my aprons?

Janice has asked where I keep my aprons, and do I ever wear them? I used to have them all hanging on skirt hangers in the same wardrobe as my tablecloths, but I recently took all the aprons out to photograph them and they are still in a pile on a chair. In that short time, I have sorted out my tablecloths, which means that I hung up a few recent additions to the collection. That in turn meant there was less space in the cupboard to hang other things, so I'm thinking about not replacing the aprons in the same wardrobe as the cloths, otherwise they all get crushed. I am considering packing them in those large clear plastic boxes, which will then go at the bottom of the wardrobe.

Do I wear them? I do wear aprons when I am cooking or cleaning up in the kitchen, but not my lovely embroidered ones! I have a dozen aprons in the linen cupboard along with the day to day linens like teatowels etc. and these aprons are simple printed fabric, or gingham with cross stitch. I guess I should get around to photographing them too, as I have noticed that American women in particular, like the printed aprons.

The only time I do wear an apron from my collection is if we have guests to lunch or dinner, and I will pop one on just for fun, while I dish up the meal. The other time the aprons get 'an outing' is when I take them to show a group of people such as in an aged care facility, or womens group where I'm the guest speaker. While I'm talking about my collection, I have one on myself.

Aprons with a floral design.

One of my dear home care clients gave me this before she moved into a nursing home. I don't think she actually made it, as she had always told me she never did much embroidery when she was younger, but I still remember her whenever I look at it.
This is definitely worth a closer inspection.

This simple creation is the only one I've embroidered myself. I bought it either on eBay or at an opshop (so long ago I can't remember), barely started, and I was able to finish it off fairly quickly.
Closeup view of the floral heart.



The tiny exquisite stitching deserves a closer inspection:

Aprons with an Aussie theme.

These are only a few of the many apron designs produced in Australia in the first half of the 20th century to commemorate Aussie people, animals, events, etc. This one was made to commemorate the centenary of South Australia.
Miss Western Australia. No year known for this...Have you heard of any other country in the world who have made aprons to celebrate their Miss World contestants?? I hardly think today's beauty contestants would be flattered!!
Miss Australia, but the year isn't given. My elderly homecare clients are guessing in the 1930's.
This is another of those incredible examples of stitching where the design has been completely filled in with stem stitch. Koalas of course!

Captain James Cook is credited with having discovered Australia and the cottage where he was born in England was transported over here many years ago, and still remains a popular tourist attraction in Melbourne. I love this apron - it must have a story behind it but I can only imagine the truth. It has obviously been stitched by two people - one experienced and one learner. Some of the stitching is perfect, and the rest is rather awful! I think Mother might have been teaching her small daughter to embroider, and this is the result. It's never been quite finished, and I am leaving it as it is.

A lady from the 1940's era, calling 'Coo-ee'