"Seeing a woman wear an apron lets you know she loves to create. Her creations may be pies or paintings or pottery, but she also produces an aura of comfort, ease and curiousity. You just naturally think, "What is she making?"

I picked up a copy of Mary Jane’s Farm catalog/magazine at the store this week. The current issue, Artists in Aprons, is devoted to readers’ stories about aprons including several patterns (free and for purchase). The article by Jeannie Pierce exerpted above spoke to me for some reason. It articulated what being at home means to me. Being at home isn’t a frivolous luxury, nor is it degrading or limiting as some would like us to believe. It is a rare opportunity, in our age, to fully explore the creative, nurturing, lifegiving aspects of womanhood. Her thoughts led to more of my own. What are we making?  A life.  A good life.

I love that the whole issue embraced what aprons represent in the most positive light. Truth is the apron, once a staple in a respectable woman’s wardrobe, is nowadays just as likely to provoke scowls, scoffs and scorn by our sisters along the way. To them it represents oppression and shallow pursuits. What a shame. There is such liberty available to a keeper of the home. Your day is your own as are the choices you make about how to fill it. You can indeed fritter it away if you so choose, which is also a shame. But you have the ability to soar to great heights artistically and intellectually. You answer only to your own agenda rather than that of an employer. You can make something. Something good. Something irreplaceable. Something only you can. To me this is what those aprons represent.

I loved the stories and the pictures like I said. Very inspiring. But on a practical level I have not found the specific apron pattern ‘I’ would like. Seems most aprons on the market today are neither unique nor particularly useful. The barbeque style apron prevails and frankly it doesn’t do the trick for catching my messes. Pleasant View Schoolhouse featured a perfect style a while back. It went all the way around the skirt which is especially helpful if one was tempted to run to the barn or garden in a good dress.  Or if one might possibly be ambushed for a hug from behind by a sticky faced child who just couldn’t wait. : )

I surfed for such an apron with no luck. Then the Vintage Homemakers list was discussing a company called the Paisley Pincushion. Their site wouldnt pull up for me but many vendors seem to carry their patterns. Granted I am a sucker for a watercolor illustration and could be tempted to buy just about anything so displayed <g>.  Truly though these look GREAT! As though you could not help but be inspired to ‘make something’.

Some more apron articles to peruse:

Vintage aprons at about.com

hillbilly housewife apron evangelism

appeal of aprons (has patterns)

Now to finish stacking the book boxes so I can reach the sewing machine……  On that note we DID unpack, sort, and repack THIRTY boxes from our storage area this week.  Woo hoo!!