From Deseret News archives:

The ties that bind

The ultimate symbol of pre-'women's lib' days is enjoying a magnificent revival

Published: Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 12:05 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
A simple piece of fabric with strings that tie around the waist. Domestic armor that protects against the splashes and spills of the kitchen world. Some fluff and frippery that add a festive, yet useful, touch at parties. A serviceable garment. A decoration. A repository of memories.

Aprons are all that and more.

"Aprons hold the spirit of women like nothing else," says housewife, mother and author EllynAnne Geisel. "I love them."

Geisel has of late been on an apron odyssey that has taken her places she never imagined. In recent years, aprons, which might be considered the ultimate symbol of pre-women's lib days, have enjoyed a resurgence of interest, she says. Old aprons have become collectibles; new aprons have become popular attire.

And one thing that Geisel has learned is that every apron tells a story — almost everyone has a story about an apron that was near and dear to them. Aprons are touchstones for memories of mothers and grandmothers, of home and hearth, of love and comfort — and yes, sometimes of burden and toil.

Geisel's own connection to aprons began when she was growing up. "Harriet Nelson was my idol," said Geisel by phone from her Colorado home. "She was everything I wanted to become — a wife, a mother and a homemaker. I watched 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet' every week on television."

Story continues below
That was exactly the job Geisel grew up to have. "But in 1999, when my last child went away to college, my days as a full-time homemaker were over." In looking for something to fill her time, Geisel turned to writing. "I had always wanted to be a writer," she said. She decided her first freelance article would be about a piece of vintage clothing — the apron.

Geisel visited a number of thrift stores and ended up with a basketful of aprons. While she was washing and ironing them, a brainstorm hit, she says. "I looked down at the hand-sewn apron I was ironing, and I realized that the owner would have washed it and ironed it just as I was doing. I wondered who she was, and what we might have in common, and I knew this was a fascinating relic of another time."

For four years, Geisel piled her aprons in a basket and toted them around, giving talks and gathering apron stories. That eventually led to a traveling exhibit that has graced a number of museums and is now managed by the Women's Museum in Dallas, a Smithsonian affiliate.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Apron photo courtesy of Andrews and McMeel Publishing

The waist apron at left has detachable potholders on the bottom corners.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

I laughed at the names that were given to the snakes, such clever names. I...

Harpring's NBA career is over

I used you to really hope you were always kidding with your political posts....

RE: Anon @ 5:47 There is a BIG difference between freedom of and freedom...

Schanze shuts down 'Awesome Computers'

The only ones that are disturbed are the liberal media that hates guns so bad...

Matt it has been awesome to have you here as a player and role model. I hope...

I'm a USU grad, and saw a great shirt about US not you! "DEE GLEN SMITH...

Hey look, Jazz Cop and CL are agreeing with each other on back-to-back...

Hey, the papers are going bankrupt because of their inability to adjust their...

Harpring's NBA career is over

Matt, you will be truly missed. Thanks for showing us what playing with real...

2A All-State teams

Good job to all the ladies this season. Hard work and determination has it's...

Advertisements