Barbara Covington
contributing writer
The Apron
My grandmothers knew nothing about “fashion.” They had a definite style of their own. My father’s mother, Ellen, was
an unusual woman in many respects. She was a large, stately woman. I was told she had long hair, but I never saw it. She
kept it twisted in a bun under bonnets she made, which were an important part of her attire. In fact, she also made all of
her dresses (pants for women were not of that era.) Chicken feed came in printed cloth bags that made pretty dresses.
Being an authentic country woman, she was unique. When I knew her best, she lived with her old maid daughter, Bertha. Grandfather had died after many years of marriage; divorce was never heard of in this time.
G
randma Ellen was a self-sufficient woman in every
My other grandmother, Ida, was entirely different (except for one
way. She canned vegetables and fruits, made her own
thing). She wore an apron also but was a petite woman with long
soap, and harvested all of the meat at “hog killing
white hair that she kept neatly rolled in a bun on the back of her head.
time.” I don’t remember anything being bought from
She did not wear a bonnet unless she went in the sun. Her hair had
a store, except maybe some flour. The only thing she
pretty combs to hold it in place. She also wore mid-calf length dress-
ordered from the Sears Roebuck & Company catalog
es with long sleeves. Her dresses were usual ly made of fabric with
was things she could not make, such as shoes, stockings, little chicks,
small prints, but her apron covered the front. This apron was always
feed and seed. Aunt Bertha ordered roses, which were the most beau-
bound around the edges with the same cloth of the dress. Grandma
tiful I had ever seen. The front yard was covered with many colors and
Ida didn’t do farm work, so she always stayed in her pretty dresses
varieties. They used their own fertilizer from the farm animals. Maybe
with aprons to match.
that’s why I can’t grow roses (I have no animals!). I am told that I am
My mother (Ida’s daughter) wore an apron, too. She just wore
very much like my Grandma Poston. After all, my middle name is Ellen.
one every day around the house. She also matched her aprons with
Grandma always dressed in one style. She wore calf length dresses
her dresses that she designed and made; the dress length was never
with long sleeves, cotton stockings and her bonnet—no matter how
above the calf of her leg. I saw her use her apron for many differ-
hot it was. Her shoes were dark low heel slip-ons; some had a little
ent things since we lived on a farm. When my father died, she came
button strap. She and Aunt Bertha always dressed the same way. I nev-
to live with me. When she became disabled, I helped her dress. She
er saw Grandma’s face, arms or legs. Occasionally, I would peek to see
would always have to have her apron, even though she wouldn’t be
her face. They wore the same essential piece of clothing—an apron.
doing any work. I knew her dementia was taking over when the
It was the most important piece, and they never dressed without it.
day came that she no longer mentioned her apron.
Grandma made them out of a cream colored cotton fabric known as
With Mama’s generation, the apron began to lose its impor-
“homespun.” I am sure she would have “homespunned” it if she had
tance. Time has diminished its importance as well as the
the tools, but she ordered the fabric. Today, you see butchers and
desire to have one. It will be a long time before any attire
cooks with aprons to protect their clothing underneath, but there’s
in fashion will come close to the value of “The Apron.”
nothing quite like Grandma’s apron.
Washing was minimum in those days, and aprons could be washed
easier than a dress. It was not only for “fashion,” but also very useful
for many purposes. It was used all day long! It was a pot holder for
moving hot pans and pots from the wood stove. It was also used to
carry vegetables and fruit from the garden and field, as well as eggs
and biddies (known as chicks to those that are not from the country)
from the chicken house. It was a container that was ready for anything!
When the weather was cold, Grandma would wrap it around her arms.
With its help, chips and wood were brought into the house. Aprons
were also an ideal place for shy children to hide behind when company came (Would you believe that?). When she expected company,
she never had to look for a dust cloth. It was waved out on the front
porch to signal to the men in the fields that dinner was ready. That
same apron was used to wipe perspiration from a brow bent over a hot
stove or tears from children’s eyes.
20
September 2014
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