My Mother's Apron November 18 2018

My Mother's Apron

Hey Everyone! I wanted to share a photo of this old apron my mother made when she was 13 years old. She was still living and going to school in Switzerland, before she immigrated with her family to America in the late 1920’s. She made this apron in her “Home-Ec” class where she learned how to embroider and sew.

I know this sounds like overt gender discrimination within the school system, and yes it is, but some people (crafters like me) enjoy learning and re-creating these classic embroidery stitches. The difference between then and now is that I do it for fun, not because I’m forced to do it at school. Home-Ec was still mandatory when I went to school, and yes I enjoyed it. Hey, everyone needs to know how to sew on a button at some point in their life.

But let me get back to this beautiful apron, the quality of the linen fabric is superior to modern day linen, in fact it is to this day in perfect condition: no holes, tears or broken threads. It’s hard to believe that there are no old food stains still remaining on the apron. My guess is that the quality of the linen is so excellent that stains are easily removable.

The timeless simplicity of the charming designs makes the apron appear modern and current. The two embroidery thread colors featured on the linen are a deep rust and a slightly darker linen color. The combination of these two colors bring a sophisticated yet minimalistic addition to this timeless design.

The darker linen embroidery is commonly known as an Outline Stitch, the rust colored stitch is known as the Star Stitch.  The stitches appear intricate yet simple and clean. These two types of stitches compliment each other quite well, there’s a balance between the more complex rust stitch and the clean linen stitch. The composition of the design reminds me of something I’d find at Anthropologie! If you like the style of stitches on this apron, then you should take a look at our strip quilt (Lily’s Dogs) which features similar stitches, which frame each dog.

This apron displays the individual design and character of the crafter. I hope our quilts kits will provide you with the same ability to create a one of a kind, thoughtful, and handmade gift for a loved one.

Speaking of aprons, I will be busting mine out in a few weeks for the holidays when I start baking an assortment of Swiss Christmas cookies! Keep your eye out for family recipes in the next few blogs!

Have a wonderful November, talk to you again during the Holidays!

Heidi