Printed Apron

I am in an apron-craze right now. I've always wanted to make aprons for women in my family, and did make one for my Daughter-in-Law and one of my Nieces. Aprons have a rich history not only for cooking and baking, but for working in gardens and many service industries.

A pre-printed & cut, yet not finished apron appeared in a bin I went through this morning. It has a little feel of canvas but not quite that tight a weave. Cannot tell if it was pre-washed or would shrink, yet thought it was a good idea to line it too. Claudia, from 5 Heart Quilts, a fabric store in town, said that you can help pre-shrink small fabric pieces by spraying them wet and then steaming them dry. 

I wondered if it came from the pieces my friend Virginia passed on from her Mother. I didn't tag it before storing last year. As I looked at it, it seemed the bottom piece was meant as pockets. It got top stitched in place and with vertical lines running between the houses did make the pockets. 

Having just finished a different apron with a tie around the neck and ties at the sides, I had a good idea how to do them. My choice of color for the ties was settled by finding some pre-cut red for the waist ties and pre-cut green for the neck. Its a little long but works according to the print. I used a muslin for the back and top stitched around it for security on the seams. I am not at all sure how it will stand up to use and washing. 

Its still pretty exciting for me to find a use for fabrics in my stash. I am getting better in seeing how to make things happen. Whomever bought this piece thought it would make a nice apron, yet either never found time for it or changed her mind. I honor the Ancestor-quilter for her original ideas and investment in the materials, and give thanks this morning for who she was and where she was in her life. I do hope she likes how it turned out. I do.