JJT
09-19-2004, 10:43 PM
http://www.yankton.net/stories/091804/nei_20040918018.shtml
Apron-ology: St. James Hosts Apron-Loving Farm Wife To Disclose The History Of The Garment
By Linda Wuebben
P&D Correspondent
ST. JAMES, Neb. -- Aprons may have vanished from most women's wardrobes but they remain a fashion mainstay for Esther Duncan.
"I go crazy when I see aprons," the self-proclaimed apron expert said.
The Veederburg, Ind., farm wife and history teacher spoke of her passion for aprons Sept. 9 at the St. James Marketplace near Wynot, Neb.
Approximately 50 people showed up to listen to Duncan talk about her research on aprons and demonstrate her ability to identify the garments' age, as well as see her apron display dating back to the late-1880s.
She has studied the history of aprons going back to 423 A.D.
So adept is Duncan in apron knowledge, she can see an apron and tell what era it came from, if it belonged to a housewife or a farm wife, what is was made of and some characteristics of the owner.
"An apron I recently analyzed was fashioned out of material using soft peach, sea green and tan fabric," she said. "I can tell this person had a no-nonsense attitude and was ready to get down to work."
Duncan said vibrant colors like red indicate the owner has something to say and wants to be noticed.
"Never throw away an apron," she said. "Every apron tells a story about the person it belonged to."
Most people associate aprons to women's garments, but men were actually the first to wear them. The cloth covering told others about their status or occupation. For example, the biblical Jesus wore a nail apron, which is similar to those worn by carpenters today. In addition, colors identified their profession. For example, dark leather garments were worn by blacksmiths or fishmongers in street markets in Western Europe.
In the 12th century, women began to be seen in aprons called pinapins. They were pinned at the bosom and white in color.
Aprons always reflected the times, Duncan said.
In the 1800s, cotton from Egypt came into Western Europe for aprons, and the colonies followed suit. Prints and plaids also became popular at this time. Pinafores, another type of apron with ruffles over the shoulders, was used for children at that time. Royalty and wealthy women richly embellished their aprons and used silk as the fabric of choice.
But women who prepared meals and cleaned the homes stayed with linens or woolens. When women tended the fires in the 1800s, their linen aprons were trimmed on the bottom with a strip of woolen, since this fabric did not flame up as easily as linen -- a safeguard from the spitting flames.
During and after Civil War times, southern belles traded their hoop skirts and petticoats for pinapins and half-aprons. But women in other parts of the country continued passing along the traditional apron to the next generation.
"A farm wife's apron was usually a workhorse," Duncan added. "It covered a large area, front and back and threadbare areas appeared from use."
She told of an apron she examined in Illinois. The back of the apron was threadbare and the owner wondered what her grandmother did to wear it thin.
"Her grandmother liked to shuck corn with her husband," Duncan said. "The apron was worn from where she walked up and down the rows of corn."
Later on, during the Depression, aprons became slimmer and shorter.
"Make do or do without," Duncan said was the motto for women in the Depression. Aprons were made from the printed fabric yard, pillow tops and bed sheets, and apron scraps were kept for quilt squares.
Other aprons were made from feed sacks.
"In 1929, feed companies started making printed feed sacks," Duncan said. "Little did they first know how helpful these were to a farm wife. The sack of feed for her chickens was now a colorful tool to be used in any way her imagination decided."
In the 1950s, there was an explosion of aprons. War was over, the men were home and a baby boom was on. Aprons were made with ruffles and dotted swiss, and were even included in wedding celebrations.
Then came the revolution.
"When women burned their bras in the '60s as a result of the Women's Movement, they burned their aprons, too," Duncan said.
There are still some women who wear aprons -- some fashioned and sold by her.
She said she tries to adapt today's fabrics to yesteryear styles.
"I remember when my mom bought a five-year package of ricrac for five cents and also two spools of thread for five cents," Duncan said while fingering an apron in the St. James crowd.
Now, she said she has to search "everywhere" for 100-percent cotton ricrac, a hard commodity to find today, to go with her cotton fabric. A trademark of Duncan's aprons includes ricrac to symbolize the pie crusts and cookies a woman makes. She makes her own bias-binding and only uses 100-percent cotton fabric.
Duncan's patterns come from aprons that catch her fancy. It may be an apron someone called her to look at. She said she even leaves her classroom for these "please look at my apron" calls.
Today's women want an apron that looks well with jeans, she said. One of her most popular styles she copied from a friend -- hostess aprons made from Halloween or Christmas prints. They sell like hotcakes, she said.
Through her hobby, Duncan said she hopes to preserve the great memories of the women who wore aprons. Aprons defined their positions as wives, mothers and farming partners, she said. And aprons are a legacy that Duncan said she wants to see live on.
Apron-ology: St. James Hosts Apron-Loving Farm Wife To Disclose The History Of The Garment
By Linda Wuebben
P&D Correspondent
ST. JAMES, Neb. -- Aprons may have vanished from most women's wardrobes but they remain a fashion mainstay for Esther Duncan.
"I go crazy when I see aprons," the self-proclaimed apron expert said.
The Veederburg, Ind., farm wife and history teacher spoke of her passion for aprons Sept. 9 at the St. James Marketplace near Wynot, Neb.
Approximately 50 people showed up to listen to Duncan talk about her research on aprons and demonstrate her ability to identify the garments' age, as well as see her apron display dating back to the late-1880s.
She has studied the history of aprons going back to 423 A.D.
So adept is Duncan in apron knowledge, she can see an apron and tell what era it came from, if it belonged to a housewife or a farm wife, what is was made of and some characteristics of the owner.
"An apron I recently analyzed was fashioned out of material using soft peach, sea green and tan fabric," she said. "I can tell this person had a no-nonsense attitude and was ready to get down to work."
Duncan said vibrant colors like red indicate the owner has something to say and wants to be noticed.
"Never throw away an apron," she said. "Every apron tells a story about the person it belonged to."
Most people associate aprons to women's garments, but men were actually the first to wear them. The cloth covering told others about their status or occupation. For example, the biblical Jesus wore a nail apron, which is similar to those worn by carpenters today. In addition, colors identified their profession. For example, dark leather garments were worn by blacksmiths or fishmongers in street markets in Western Europe.
In the 12th century, women began to be seen in aprons called pinapins. They were pinned at the bosom and white in color.
Aprons always reflected the times, Duncan said.
In the 1800s, cotton from Egypt came into Western Europe for aprons, and the colonies followed suit. Prints and plaids also became popular at this time. Pinafores, another type of apron with ruffles over the shoulders, was used for children at that time. Royalty and wealthy women richly embellished their aprons and used silk as the fabric of choice.
But women who prepared meals and cleaned the homes stayed with linens or woolens. When women tended the fires in the 1800s, their linen aprons were trimmed on the bottom with a strip of woolen, since this fabric did not flame up as easily as linen -- a safeguard from the spitting flames.
During and after Civil War times, southern belles traded their hoop skirts and petticoats for pinapins and half-aprons. But women in other parts of the country continued passing along the traditional apron to the next generation.
"A farm wife's apron was usually a workhorse," Duncan added. "It covered a large area, front and back and threadbare areas appeared from use."
She told of an apron she examined in Illinois. The back of the apron was threadbare and the owner wondered what her grandmother did to wear it thin.
"Her grandmother liked to shuck corn with her husband," Duncan said. "The apron was worn from where she walked up and down the rows of corn."
Later on, during the Depression, aprons became slimmer and shorter.
"Make do or do without," Duncan said was the motto for women in the Depression. Aprons were made from the printed fabric yard, pillow tops and bed sheets, and apron scraps were kept for quilt squares.
Other aprons were made from feed sacks.
"In 1929, feed companies started making printed feed sacks," Duncan said. "Little did they first know how helpful these were to a farm wife. The sack of feed for her chickens was now a colorful tool to be used in any way her imagination decided."
In the 1950s, there was an explosion of aprons. War was over, the men were home and a baby boom was on. Aprons were made with ruffles and dotted swiss, and were even included in wedding celebrations.
Then came the revolution.
"When women burned their bras in the '60s as a result of the Women's Movement, they burned their aprons, too," Duncan said.
There are still some women who wear aprons -- some fashioned and sold by her.
She said she tries to adapt today's fabrics to yesteryear styles.
"I remember when my mom bought a five-year package of ricrac for five cents and also two spools of thread for five cents," Duncan said while fingering an apron in the St. James crowd.
Now, she said she has to search "everywhere" for 100-percent cotton ricrac, a hard commodity to find today, to go with her cotton fabric. A trademark of Duncan's aprons includes ricrac to symbolize the pie crusts and cookies a woman makes. She makes her own bias-binding and only uses 100-percent cotton fabric.
Duncan's patterns come from aprons that catch her fancy. It may be an apron someone called her to look at. She said she even leaves her classroom for these "please look at my apron" calls.
Today's women want an apron that looks well with jeans, she said. One of her most popular styles she copied from a friend -- hostess aprons made from Halloween or Christmas prints. They sell like hotcakes, she said.
Through her hobby, Duncan said she hopes to preserve the great memories of the women who wore aprons. Aprons defined their positions as wives, mothers and farming partners, she said. And aprons are a legacy that Duncan said she wants to see live on.