Textile Display at The Dining Room at 209 Main

Nostalgia - Apron Collection by Jean Adler


Jean Adler, a musician, mother, and wife in Monticello, Wisconsin shares her apron collection with The Dining Room at 209 Main: My apron collection was inspired by one worn by my grandmother. It was embroidered with the saying, "Never Trust a Skinny Cook." Born in 1903, Grandma Alice was a young mother at the height of the Great Depression. Like all women of meager means she prepared meals with the few items that were in her pantry. It was often said of grandma, "She could make a shoe taste good." I don't recall either of my grandmothers not wearing an apron when they were in the kitchen. It was a habit born of necessity. However, aprons served more than one purpose. Pockets were catchalls for clothes pins, produce gathered in the garden, and sewing supplies. Aprons could also be an "instant" dust cloth. But first and foremost, aprons kept your dress clean. Anyone who bakes and cooks knows that these are messy jobs. In a day when a woman owned but a handful of dresses they needed to stay clean as long as possible.

If you have an apron whose age you are unsure of,
this chart will give you a few clues:

	20's	30's	40's	50's	60's
COLOR	White	Muted	More Color	Brights	Brown
DESIGN	Long	Close-Fitting	Close-Fitting	Flared	Varied
FABRIC	Sheer Cotton Lawn	Flour, sugar grain sacks	Sacks Organdy	Gingham Organdy	Varied left-over dresses
TRIM	Cutwork Drawnwork Embroidery	Bias Tape Lace	Bias Tape Lace	Rickrack Pompoms Sequins Beads Embroidery	Rickrack Bias Tape Lace

Photos in the display used by permission:
APRON MEMORIES by EllynAnne Geisel, Andrew McMeel Publishing, 2006.


Ruth Knight Sybers Knitter's Treat Monticello, WI 53570 www.209main.com - Textiles - current and past exhibits at The Dining Room knitterstreat@wekz.net - to join e-mail list for announcements of knitting workshops/new exhibits at The Dining Room at 209 Main knitterstreat@wekz.net - to order patterns, books, Vivian Hoxbro kits, yarn, etc. Annie Modesitt workshop - March 25,26,27 Joan Schrouder - June 11,12,13, 2007


As always, a heartfelt thank you to Rhoda Braunschweig who plans and David Braunschweig who assists in "hanging" each exhibit.