Apron Memories Blog

apron·ology #4 giveaway winner!

2012-01-26T08:49:00.002-07:00

Apronistas all, thank you for showing such love for apron·ology magazine. Issue #4 publishes February1st but for one very lucky lady, whose entry number was selected by a number generator. She has been contacted and responded with her address. I’ll be sending off her win via speedy mail, so she might have it for her week-end enjoyment.

CONGRATLATIONS and

flip your skirt...the winner is Number 59, Lisa Anne from Henderson, TN !!

The publisher of apron·ology is Stampington & Company – in case anyone wants to order the 3 earlier editions plus this latest. Worth every penny, and not much can hold up to that!

Come on, February 1, and get here already.

xxea
Tie One On…an apron, of course!

happy-final-entry-day apron·ology#4 Giveaway

2012-01-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

‘Tis the final day to enter this apron·ology#4 giveaway. Click over to my website HERE , then click ENTER HERE and voila! Leave a comment + your email address, so I might immediately contact the winner. Could be you, but only if you enter!

While the lucky winner will receive her copy early, the rest of us must wait for apron·ology#4 ’s February 1st publication date. To ease the pangs of impatience, which I’m feeling mightily, here are a few teasers: love that the script in blue is the same color as the featured apron’s polka dotted fabric. When you see the entire design, you will be so inspired.

Here, a tickle of an apron with a uniquely embellished bib. Another fabulous inspiration.

It’s always a pleasure to see a friend spotlighted in this beautiful magazine. apron·ology#4 shines brightly on my friend Judy Foreman and her Julia Child apron and story, as well as my friend Jini Burkholder.

When Jini and I met several years ago at an apron event in Farmington, NM, she showed me her amazing apron collection,

this bitty Singer and the apron she sewed on it when she was nine years old.

The little Singer has a long history in Jini’s family, and one that intrigued Beth Livesay, apron·ology’s sweet editor. Not to spoil the prettiest layout, here’s a peek:

I didn’t think it was possible, yet Beth has created another heirloom tome with apron·ology#4. I absolutely love it and so will you!!
xxea
Tie One On…an apron, of course!

apron·ology#4 Giveaway!!!

2012-01-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

apron·ology 1, 2, and 3 are now a fabulous quartet,

with the February 1st publication of the 4th edition

Beth Livesay, apron·ology’s visionary editor-in-chief, continues the magazine’s legacy of apron love through inspirational designs, gorgeous photography and heart-felt commentaries.

And so it is with immense pride of Beth and her accomplishment that I have the pleasure of offering a prepublication copy of apron·ology #4 to one very lucky winner.

Ohsosimple entry : just leave a comment at the end of this blog – including an email address so I might contact you if you’re selected the winner!

This Giveaway completes January 25th (midnight mountain time); winner selected by random human and announced Thursday the 26th.

What a fitting way to wave bye bye to January, by tying one on…an apron, of course!, settling in with a cup of aromatic tea and transporting to “apron-land” through the pages of apron·ology.

xxea

globalapron Sweden

2012-01-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

Malin Lidén, is an apronista from Uppsala, Sweden. Her globalapron contribution is vivid with detail – the darkness of her great-grandmother’s existence, a mother’s love for her child, making do, and a woman’s ingenuity.

My great-grandmother Ester lived up in the north of Sweden. It was very poor there and an especially hard life for women. The nearest food store was 36km (approximately 22 miles) away, and Judith, her daughter (and my grandmother) walked 12km (7 miles) to school.

My grandmother was a little girl in the 1930s, and when she needed an apron, Great-Grandmother Ester sewed one that would grow with Judith for some years. Fabrics were hard to get and, on top of that, expensive, so an apron such as this was a smashing idea, if you ask me! Decades later, my grandmother found her little apron and showed it to me. Redesigned and named the Ruuthie, this children’s apron is one that I now make and sell.

We live in a time that make us be extra careful with what we already have, so I re-cycle old fabrics and give them a new life in the form of my Ruuthie aprons. Here are Bianca and Maija washing up in their Ruuthies.

Maija baking gingerbread cookies and Leo and Texas in Ruuthie

rock ‘n roll.

Great-grandmother Ester past away in 1982, and Grandmother Judith is now 86 years old and lives in Arjeplog, a native lapic town with a population of 3600.

I live in Uppsala, Sweden’s 4th largest city, and very close to Stockholm. And I manufacture my Ruuthie Apron here in Uppsala. I just love aprons and I am very happy to be an apronista and share my love of the apron through my great-grandmother’s design.

Country Living Shows Off

2011-12-17T00:01:00.001-07:00

In October, I visited Country Living magazine located in the Hearst building in NYC.

Pretty exciting!

The architecture of this building is the most stunning renovation – from the escalators moving through a series of cascading waterfall steps to the welcoming openness of walls of windows through which you can see the skyline.

While anticipating the arrival of my CL contact, Cosmopolitan’s 2011 bachelors took a break from their photo shoot – took me so long to find my camera, this is the only snap of the Pin Up Parade I managed.

Had much better luck with this snap taken by a helpful floor steward – after weeks of communicating via email and telephone, CL editor Sara Morrow and I meet!

Sara’s vision for an article on show toweling – specialty towels normally set out for guests – included my providing background to such household goods, along with a variety of toweling from my collection. Appearing in the December-January 2012 issue, the

two-page article is an informative and fun read on this distinctive vintage genre.

While I enjoyed providing towels for selection within the article, I’m glad I wasn’t in Sara’s position and forced to pick one over another! Rather than just put the towels away until I used them myself, I thought to share more of these showstoppers here.

We’ve always set out our “best” linens for guests, especially as homes with multiple bathrooms were not always the norm, which meant guests would be using the main or only bathroom of the house. Knowing the bathroom was going to be used by non-family led the hostess to prepare the bathroom for her guests’ inspection with a change out of the everyday, from soaps to toweling, with specialties reserved just for company.

Of the showy specialties not included in the article is this couples’ motif set.

His and Hers, Mr. and Mrs., Yours and Mine, His and Mine were very popular transfers, and available through newspaper and magazine services, catalogues or specialty stores like five and dimes. Companies provided these transfers in bright packaging, which added to the sense that such embroidery was for fun.

This type of toweling was also a popular set for a young woman to embroider and store in a Hope Chest for her future life as a wife.

The embroidery on this towel is very fine and very beautiful, the stitches impossibly tiny and perfect. These days, handwork of this type is a dying art. It features drawn work, an ornamental needlework done by pulling threads out of the fabric; the remaining
threads are then bound together in a variety of ways, creating decorative patterns. The monogram was then stitched to the design, which was sewn into the diamond shaped cut out. Even with a magnifying glass, it’s hard to absorb the stitches are hand done. A fine linen towel so beautifully embellished would leave many a guest searching for an alternative to mussing it. Displaying such

heirloom artistry upon a larger, utilitarian hand towel is one solution to the dilemma of Am I really supposed to dry my hands with that top towel or what?

Usage Tip: To eliminate confusion about whether towels are really to be used, drape one a tad off kilter or slightly dampen one’s edge and wrinkle it a bit.

Souvenir toweling has always been a popular purchase, perhaps because it was so packable. This linen towel exhibits pulled thread with embroidery, likely bought during the 1930s, when Cuba was a popular vacation destination. I discovered “CUBA” in an old suitcase filled with stained and torn lace. I was happy to pay the seller’s asking price: $1.00.
This “peek-a-boo” towel is titillating and a little bit naughty, which were the ground rules for such humor in the Fifties. Aprons in this peek-a-boo genre have a skirt that lifts to reveal lacy undies, which is very PG compared to this lassie’s panty-reveal! I’d venture this towel was purchased as a souvenir or as a gift for a friend, and

set out to amuse party guests. This example of mid-century risqué humor is a bit of social history and worthy of a higher price tag.

Children were taught to wash their hands and face with soap and water before eating. Wetting just the fingertips didn’t count and always earned one a trip back to the sink. These towels

may have been gifts, adorably adorned so as to encourage membership in the “Clean Hands Club.”

‘Tis the season to show off our vintage holiday towels and not

worry about value, for the fun of searching out “new” show toweling never gets old.

xxea
Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Estate Sale Surprise

2011-12-07T17:03:00.001-07:00

Too often, an advertised estate sale is a forage through junk, the relatives having already hauled away the good stuff.
When I read about an estate sale at this address, I knew it to be a neighborhood of tidy homes with tidy yards and residents who moved in and stayed the duration of their lives. If the family hadn’t ransacked everything, this sale held promise.

Surprise! There was hardly space to walk, the first floor and basement a warren of rooms stuffed with a lifetime of acquiring.

It was in a closet that I saw this file drawer, and upon opening…

…patterns!! Boxes in other rooms contained even more. My total

take was 80, although it could have been many more, but I was only interested in the vintage.

Such gorgeous covers. I’m still giddy with the discovery and purchase and so happy the family wasn’t interested in “mother’s stupid sewing stuff.”

Among the patterns were several for men, including this one dated 1954. Can only imagine what she promised for him to put on that coolie get up.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

I Love a Parade!

2011-11-24T13:54:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving morning, my mother would rise before early light to stuff, truss, bake and baste the turkey. As she cooked throughout the morning, my five siblings and I watched the Macy’s Day Parade. With the grandeur of New York City as a background (“There’s the umpire state building!”), the enormous balloon characters, the bands and synchronized baton-twirling majorettes, the parade took us a to a place we could only imagine existed.

As the final float moved into view, we shimmied closer to the television. Wriggling with anticipation, we beat our heels together to the familiar song that accompanied the final float - Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane. And there he was, waving at the crowd from a glorious, sparkling sleigh, surrounded by little elves with bells on their hats skipping around giant candy canes. Oh, to be an elf!
Many years later, I lived in New York City and watched the Macy’s parade from a window of an office building. At the invite of some long forgotten boyfriend, the perch seemed the cat bird’s seat, but proved the opposite. A parade – with its floats and marching bands and balloon characters – is meant to be experienced at ground level.
I raised my own children far from the big city and on Thanksgiving morning, as I basted the turkey and talked to myself in the kitchen, the Macy’s parade was their holiday tradition.
My boys have long flown the coop, and I don’t remember the last parade I’d watched until two years ago when my youngest sister and I took a road trip to Beaufort, South Carolina, our father’s hometown and where he is buried. The timing of our sojourn was to honor Daddy on the tenth anniversary of his death.
Checking into the Beaufort Inn, Carol settled into our room for a

nap and waved me off to explore Beaufort’s historic downtown. A two block walk, and I was on Main Street, where surprise! surprise! the annual Christmas parade was about to start.
Taking a spot on the sidewalk, the flatbeds rolled past, followed by

bicyclists, skateboarders, and a stroller brigade of mommies pushing their babies…
high school marching bands, cub scout troops, choirs…
square dancers, more flatbeds…
Trucks with children and…

a tractor pulling pets and their people.

An lastly, Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus…

The excitement that greeted Santa on his three-wheeler, surrounded by elves on Harleys was immense. The waving from the crowd, the squealing of children…you’d have thought this Santa was the real Santa. And in small-town America, he is.
xxea
Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Goodie Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway Winners

The random generated number picker has selected #14 “janpwhite” and #122 “dwright” as the lucky Goodie Giveaway Winners.

To everyone who entered and participated, thank you. By putting the “give” back into Thanksgiving, truly, you have made someone’s day more than a bit brighter.

The entries are so inspiring. Thank you for sharing and for making National Tie One On Day a part of your Thanksgiving tradition.

xxea and sponsors

Thanksgiving Out of A Can

2011-11-21T17:12:00.001-07:00

When it came to opening a can and calling it cooking, my mother was the champ. And no meal lent itself more to Mama's can cuisine than Thanksgiving. The green bean casserole? 1 can condensed mushroom soup + 1 can drained green beans + 1 can French fried onion rings = voila! Cranberry sauce? Straight from the can onto a lettuce lined plate, it bore the indentations of the container.

Years into adulthood, when the Thanksgiving meal became my domain, that casserole was laid to rest and fresh cranberry sauce replaced canned. The recipe is as easy as opening a can, but tastes so much better: 2 cups cranberries + 1 cup orange juice (not from concentrate) + 1/2 cup sugar, stirred over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken (15 minutes or so). Chill & serve on a lettuce lined platter, an homage to my mother.

A cranberry log atop leaves of lettuce was traditional to more Thanksgiving tables than just ours. When I first saw this 1942 Thanksgiving snapshot, I immediately noticed the log in the glass

server. I remember laughing because it so reminded me of my mother. Then, I took in the scene: a family with four military-serving sons home on leave for the holiday.

My Dad was also in the Navy. I don't know where he was Thanksgiving of 1942, but according to this newspaper clipping dated May 20, 1941, he was due home in late June on a ten-day leave. The handwriting on the clipping is his mother's, my Grandma Birdye. She kept it in an envelope, along with a photo of her sailor boy.

Over the next four years, there are more clippings, but none suggest he returned to SC on leave. His discharge card is dated October 8, 1945, and then he shipped home, in time to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

What with the scurrying taking place today and tomorrow by so many traveling home for Thanksgiving, my mind is stuck on the military, and the empty place settings at too many tables in far too many homes.

Before carving the turkey and diving into a heavenly blob of mashed potatoes, it should be law that each and every one of us gives thanks for those in the service, and prays for their homecoming, which is a world of difference from home on leave.

From the entries to National Tie One On Day™, I’ve copied two that are specific to the military. I hope you are as inspired by the writers as I.

I have been participating in NTOOday for a few years. This year will be a bit different as we are exploring ways to help out at Fisher House, the residence available to families of service personnel getting treatment at the Walter Reed National Medical Center. The current conflicts have taken their toll on our dedicated service people, and as many are far from home, we are hoping to add a little levity and personal touch to their celebrations.

I use this time of year to give to select homeless men who are Vietnam Veterans. I lost my husband and son, both of which were veterans, in 2004 within a 2 month time span. Since then around Thanksgiving I have hunted out a homeless veteran and gave him gifts that I would have bought for my husband and my son such a thermal underwear, socks, gloves, hats, etc. I also include some of the goodies they enjoyed like stained glass candy, fudge, cookies, breads, etc. I use this to hone my husband and my son and to keep their memories alive. Thank you for allowing to share with you how I spend Thanksgiving and tie One On Day.

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National Tie One On Day™ Goodie Giveaway!

To encourage your putting the “give” back into Thanksgiving and adding National Tie One On Day™ (…an apron, of course!) to your holiday tradition, a dedicated group of sponsors are putting some fabulous "give" into the NTOODay 2011 Goodie Giveaway!

To enter, click HERE

The National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway sponsors are generously providing an array of giveaways, which I’m highlighting throughout the NTOODay™ campaign.

Sew,Mama,Sew! ships worldwide and will be shipping twowinners a fat quarter package of especially selected fabrics.
Andrews McMeel Publishing, signed copies of The Apron Book, The Kitchen Linens Book and Apronisms
National Association of Baby Boomer Women, a one-year membership package
Rebecca Ruth Designs, a selection of Rebecca Ruth Designs’ retro-style patternS
Creative Machine Embroidery and SewNews, CME and SewNews magazines
Simplicity Pattern Company, 2 retro-reissue apron patterns
Stampington & Company, issue 4 of apron●ology magazine

Colonial Patterns/Aunt Martha’s Transfers , an assortment of transfers, toweling, embroidery floss, needles and hoops and aprons
and from
EllynAnne, Sew It All! Season One CD

Thank you to all who are spreading the word of National Tie One On Day, for the more who participate, the more who receive.
xxea

National Tie One On Day_Pumpkin Persuasion

2011-11-20T14:31:00.001-07:00

    For this year’s Thanksgiving gathering, my assignment is desserts, of which one must, according to Thanksgiving law or something, be a pumpkin pie. PP is not my favorite pie, but to others, it’s not Thanksgiving without it. And since I’m in a crowd-pleasing mood, I’ll bake one.

    In searching for a recipe, I learned there is a jack o’lantern pumpkin and a pie pumpkin, and a “jack” does not a pie make.

    I also learned that baking a pumpkin pie wasn’t always a simple task. Back in the day, just processing the pumpkin was a job. In reading about a pumpkin’s preparation, I became curious as to whether this pie has been a consistent recipe of pumpkin, eggs, milk and spices over the years, or if in the last, say, 100 years, it’s experienced significant changes.

    From a selection of early cookbooks, I saw scant variation in the ingredients, nor in the chore of putting this pie together:

1902 Woman’s Favorite Cook Book

“Pumpkin Pie (Like Mother Makes)”

1 qt milk, 3 cupfuls of boiled and strained pumpkin, one and one-half cupfuls brown sugar, one-half cupful molasses, the yolks and whites of 3 eggs beaten separately, a little salt, one level tablespoon each of ginger and cinnamon, salt to taste. Beat all together and bake with an undercrust; enough for three pies.

Pumpkin Pie 1904 Gold Medal Cook Book

One cup stewed and sifted pumpkin, one level teaspoon salt, one saltspoon mace, one teaspoon cinnamon, two-thirds cup sugar, one beaten egg well mixed together, pour over one cup each of cream and milk boiling hot, fill the plate and set into oven as quickly as possible; if pumpkin is watery add one teaspoon flour. It is done when it rises well in the middle. A rim of puff paste can be laid around the edge of the plate if liked, if used it should be at least one inch wide and the edge that goes down into the pumpkin rolled very thin.

Pumpkin Pie 1915 Things to Eat

4 Tablespoons pumpkin, 1 pint cream (or milk with piece of butter size of walnut), 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs well beaten add last. Will make 3 pies.

Pumpkin Pie 1929 The Modern Home-Maker

2 cups stewed and strained pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon mace, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tablespoon flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup milk. Line a buttered pie plate with pastry. Beat eggs, add to milk and pumpkin. Add sugar, flour, salt and spices and mix thoroughly. Pour into lined pie plate and bake in a hot oven until a golden brown color.

Finally! Canned pumpkin makes its way into our collective pantries and Good Housekeeping bestows its approval on a pumpkin pie recipe that no longer required the hours nor mess of stewing, straining and mashing.

Pumpkin Pie 1930 MEALS Tested, Tasted

and Approved - GH Institute

2 cups pumpkin, 3 eggs separated, 1 cupful brown sugar, 1/34 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 cupfuls scalded milk. To cooked or canned pumpkin, add egg-yolks, sugar, salt and spices, and mix thoroughly. Add scalded milk and fold in stiffly beaten egg-whites. Pour into a pie plate lined with pastry and bake. Makes 2 medium or 1 large and 1 small pie. To serve, cool the pie slightly and arrange small mounds of unsweetened whipped cream, 1 in the center of each individual piece of pie. Drop 1 tsp honey in the center of each mound of cream and serve at once.

All I have to say is thank goodness for canned pumpkin. But I wondered, are all canned pumpkin products the same, or is there one canned pumpkin and recipe that stands out? Seems there is!

According to my new apron friend, 91-year-old Pillsbury Bakeoff veteran Joan Vanburen of Willmar, MN, Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe is “…easy to make and comes out good for anyone.” And in this Joan

is in agreement with Beth Howard, proprietress of The World Needs More Pie website, whose only alteration to the recipe is eliminating the call for cinnamon as a personal taste preference. And in that, I am in total agreement.

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National Tie One On Day™ Goodie Giveaway!

To enter, click HERE

The National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway sponsors are generously providing an array of giveaways, which I’m highlighting throughout the NTOODay™ campaign.

Beth M. Howard From her home in Eldon, Iowa, where she is the proud resident of the famous American Gothic House, Beth sells pie to tourists from her pitchfork pie stand and teaches pie making classes. Pie is meant for sharing. Pie connects people. Pie is the perfect partner to National Tie One On Day. Beth’s goodie is an adorable tee, style choice by the winners.

Bernina ‘s Swiss precision is at the heart of every product they make. Known for Quality, Innovation and Design with innovative features that make sewing easier, BERNINA lets you focus on your project―and not the machine. BERNINA’s nationwide network of fully trained independent dealerships provides the highest standard of service, beginning with free guide classes after purchase. Bernina’s giveaway is the world's first 'Lady's Knife', a complete sewing tool in smart pocketknife form, specially designed for women!

Swiss Sewessential

Heavenly Hostess by Cynthia Waddell, is a line dedicated to upscale aprons and kitchen linens. All Heavenly Hostess products, including beautiful vintage inspired hostess aprons, retro inspired cocktail aprons and vintage inspired halter aprons, are designed and manufactured in Sunny California.

Cupcake Cutie

MikWright is a nationally known greeting card company founded in 1991 by friends Phyllis Wright-Herman and Tim Mikkelsen. You know their brand – they were the first to incorporate vintage snapshots with sharp-witted humor. MikWright is carried in over 2000 retail outlets and has licensed products with Andrews McMeel Publishing, Design Design, Luckie-Street and High Cotton. When MikWright “ties one on,” it usually involves vodka and olives. Accordingly, MikWright is a proud sponsor and supporter of “National Tie One on Day™. For two lucky winners, two bountiful gift boxes of MikWright goods.

HARALEE® is a Portland, Oregon, based company that designs, manufactures, and markets moisture wicking
sleepwear for women. Haralee’s Cool Garments for Hot Women are ideal for the woman experiencing night sweats due to menopause, breast cancer, medications or high internal thermostat. Owner Haralee Weintraub is a breast cancer survivor; she donates a portion of her company’s sales to breast cancer research. Haralee is generously providing two gift certificates toward “cool” purchases.

Thank you to all who are spreading the word of National Tie One On Day, for the more who participate, the more who receive.

xxea

National Tie One On Day_Soup’s On!

2011-11-16T09:31:00.001-07:00

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National Tie One On Day™ Goodie Giveaway!

To encourage your adding National Tie One On Day™ to your holiday tradition and embracing its message of sharing and gratefulness, a dedicated group of sponsors are putting some fabulous "give" into the NTOODay 2011 Goodie Giveaway!

To enter, click HERE

I’ve been reading the comments of those entering the National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway and each is so very personal and inspirational. Especially touching are those whose own bounty may be stretched thinner this year, yet they will give of what they have to another with less. Such is the true spirit of Thanksgiving!
My own NTOODay offerings are stacked in the freezer, awaiting delivery next week. Time still to fiddle with the packaging aspect.
Last year, I wrapped each mini loaf first in plastic, then with a vintage hankie and lastly, a hotpad. I used the downloadable notecard for a personalized message, packed the kaboodle into an old lunch box and made the rounds.

This year, I’m going with sturdy brown lunch bags as more suitable packaging for the Cherry Pumpkin Bread and carton of soup.
I added this particular soup after making it for my family – it’s not an expensive recipe and really “sticks-to-your-ribs.” Many of my recipients are into their Golden Years and without their partners. I wanted to provide them with just a bit more fare this year, and this delicious soup should do it!

Fill ‘em Up Bean Soup

3 cups dried beans
2 boxes (32 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2 chopped onions
2 T chile powder
salt & pepper
4-6 links beef/turkey/applewood chicken

In a large pot, cover beans in cold water (with 3-5" to spare) and soak overnight. Drain. Rinse.
Heat 2-3 T olive oil in the pot & saute onions until softened.
Add beans, tomatoes, broth and chile pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to simmer. Cook until beans are tender (1-2 hours).
Ladle 1/2 the beans into a blender and pulse until puréed. Pour back into the pot.
Add cut up meat (beef /turkey /applewood chicken /hot links) to the soup. Cover & simmer for 1+ hours. Taste before adding salt & pepper.
Cool. Pour into individual containers & freeze.

The National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway sponsors are generously providing an array of giveaways, which I’m highlighting throughout the NTOODay™ campaign.

American Sewing Guild is a membership organization that welcomes sewing enthusiasts of all skill levels. With a mission of Advancing Sewing as an Art and Life Skill, ASG has over 20,000 enthusiastic members in 138 chapters throughout the USA. ASG proudly offers this Goodie Giveaway- a canvas tote

produced by the Malika Mums (mothers of disabled children). Featuring the ASG logo on one side and “this is not a plastic bag” in Swahili on the other, the bags enable mothers to provide for their families – it’s ASG’s “sewing as a life skill” mission statement in action!

Double D Ranch is the inspiration of four regular girls from Yoakum, building on their hard working Texas roots and a childhood spent in the Southwest. They don't care how things are done in New York. They've managed to build a fashion and furnishing company deep in the heart of Texas and they wouldn't have it any other way. For two lucky winners, Double D Ranch is providing this gorgeous bag,

from the DD Ranch apparel line of Western haute couture.

Judi Ketteler is a widely published writer who loves working with creative, inspired entrepreneurs — helping them to write the web sites and marketing materials that grow their businesses. A craft veteran passionate about sewing, women’s history, and vintage bargain-hunting, she is providing the two winners with personalized copies of her book: Sew Retro: A Stylish History of the Sewing Revolution + 25 Vintage-Inspired Projects for the Modern Girl!

National Tie One On Day™ is a win-win, for participant and receiver. Thank you for helping to spread the word and making someone’s day a little brighter.
xxea
Tie One On…an apron, of course!

National Tie One On Day Expresses Gratitude

2011-11-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

National Tie One On Day™ was created six years ago when I began to notice that Thanksgiving was talked about in terms more commonly associated with stress than with joy.

A day that should be about expressing gratitude, I created an opportunity to put the “give” back into Thanksgiving and easily share one’s own good fortune with someone in need of a kind gesture.

Celebrated on the eve of Thanksgiving – Wednesday, November 23 this year – National Tie One On Day™ is an opportunity to share our bounty by wrapping a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron, along with a note of encouragement tucked in the pocket; then “tie one on” (an apron, of course!) and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone in need of a bit of kindness.

What with technology replacing face-to-face communication, the act of writing a note and hand delivering it with an offering is an expression of kindness in itself, and bread is the ultimate expression of this, because it is the basic comfort food.

Give us this day our daily bread isn’t just a prayer. The words are also a reminder that to have more than daily bread is to be blessed.

In preparation of my own National Tie One On Day™ deliveries, I baked a double batch of cherry pumpkin bread. I love this bread because the recipe is a breeze, it freezes beautifully, slices without crumbling and tastes delicious. Whether as a single large loaf or mini-sized for tucking into an apron pocket, this baked good will make someone’s day sweeter.

Cherry Pumpkin Bread

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (I use a whisk for this task). In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and pumpkin until smooth; then add to the large bowl. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moist. Now stir in the dried fruit. Spread evenly in 1 large loaf pan, 2 smaller loaf pans or as I do – a loaf pan divided into 8 mini loaves.

For the large 8 1/2” loaf pan, bake 1 1/2 hours or until a wooden skewer/toothpick inserted into loaf’s enter comes out clean. Bake less time as pan size decreases (mini-loaves take 20-25 minutes).

NATIONAL TIE ONE ON DAY™ INSPIRATION: To see how others are celebrating NTOODay, click here!

The National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway sponsors are generously providing an array of giveaways, which I’ll highlight throughout the NTOODay™ campaign.

Mary Mulari is busy – appearing regularly on the PBS show Sewing with Nancy, at national quilt and sewing expositions throughout the year, and adding to her apron pattern business with new and re-envisioned designs. Mary is providing two lucky winners with her latest patterns:

Modern June’s Kelly McCants specializes in retro-inspired apron designs and other goodies for the hip housewife. Her love of oil cloth is the inspiration to her newly published book, which she will personalize for the lucky winners. Kelly is also providing oil cloth yardage for sewing up a project in her book!

IceMilk Aprons gourmet line of heirloom aprons is designed of quality linen, nature’s natural fiber. Each apron is preserved in a jam jar and includes a heritage tag, apron story and blank recipe cards. Two winners will receive Vanilla-Churned Sunday

Thank you, dear readers, for spreading the word about National Tie One On Day™ – for the more who participate, the more who will receive.

xxea
Tie One On...an apron, of course!

National Tie One On Day Goodie Giveaway!

2011-11-01T15:26:00.007-06:00

Six years ago, I embarked on a personal campaign to put the “give” back into Thanksgiving through a gesture of kindness. Little more than wrapping a baked good within an apron and writing a note of encouragement, I was unprepared for the uplifting feeling I experienced upon delivering the bundle to a neighbor going through a difficult time. Such is National Tie One On Day™ a win-win for giver and receiver.

Participation in NTOODay™ is simple. On the day before Thanksgiving, pause in the preparation of your own meal, wrap a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement in the pocket, and tie one on…an apron, of course! and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone without your bounty… a neighbor, friend or family member in need of physical or spiritual sustenance, a bit of recognition or just a kind word.

To encourage your adding National Tie One On Day™ to your holiday tradition and embracing its message of sharing and gratefulness, a dedicated group of sponsors are putting some fabulous “give” into the NTOOD 2011™ Goodie Giveaway!

Two national winners will be selected to receive: Courtesy of

American Sewing Guild, the special edition tote bag benefitting the Maliki Mums in Kenya, Africa and membership package

Bernina of America, the uniquely designed Sew Essential Lady Knife

Colonial Patterns/Aunt Martha’s Transfers , an assortment of transfers, toweling, embroidery floss, needles and hoops and aprons

Heavenly Hostess, designer of upscale aprons and kitchen linens, the fully reversible, vintage-inspired Cupcake Cutie halter apron

Creative Machine Embroidery and SewNews, CME and SewNews magazines

Simplicity Pattern Company, 2 apron patterns

Double D Ranchwear, Double·D’s newest handbag, an example of the company’s commitment to quality and passion of haute Western design

Haralee®, designer of functional, beautiful sexy sleepwear as CoolWear for Hot Women, $25.00 gift certificate

Modern June, Cool Stuff for the Hip Housewife and Her Home, a personalized copy of Sewing With Oil Cloth and oil cloth yardage to get you sewing your first project

The World Needs More Pie, Give Piece A Chance tee, cap sleeve or long sleeve

IceMilk Aprons, by heirloom designer Ashley Leckey Schoenith, Vanilla-Churned Sunday creme linen apron

Judi Ketteler, personalized copy of Sew Retro: A Stylish History of the Sewing Revolution + 25 Vintage-Inspired Projects for the Modern Girl

Mary Mulari Productions, two of Mary’s latest Easy Reversible Apron patterns, Everyday and Elegant – the Waist Tie and the Full Flair

MikWright, nationally known greeting card and accessories company offers a MikWright apron and 1 dozen MikWright greeting cards

Andrews McMeel Publishing, signed copies of The Apron Book, The Kitchen Linens Book and Apronisms

National Association of Baby Boomer Women, a one-year membership package

Rebecca Ruth Designs, a selection of Rebecca Ruth Designs’ retro-style apron patterns, as well as table runner, soft doll, and quilt patterns

Sew,Mama,Sew! , a fat quarter package of especially selected fabrics

Stampington & Company, issue 4 of apron●ology magazine

and from

EllynAnne, Sew It All! Season One CD

To enter the NTOOD™ 2011 Goodie Giveaway, please leave your email address and a comment on this blog entry - and share how you will be participating in National Tie One On Day™, what you'll be making, baking or sewing, the beneficiary of your act of kindness, how you're putting the “give” back into Thanksgiving!

The two Goodie Giveaway Winners will be selected early Thanksgiving morning using a helpful random number selector. I’ll be contacting the two winners via email – without an email, however, alternate winners with emails will be selected.

(NTOODay™ 2011 Goodie Giveaway Winners must provide mailing addresses within the United States – no overseas mailing is available.)

Thank you, thank you for embracing National Tie One On Day™ , for spreading the word, and posting the National Tie One On Day logo on your blog/website/newsletter. The more who participate, the brighter Thanksgiving for many.

xxea and NTOODay™ sponsors

“Women in aprons have traditionally prepared the Thanksgiving meal, and it is within our historical linkage to share our bounty.”

Snow Day Redress

2011-10-30T12:11:00.005-06:00

The mid-week snowstorm was a big surprise and with the roads slick (my least favorite driving condition), the perfect day to stay in and accomplish some major domestic clean-up. But no sooner did I think such a thought, than it was nudged to a back burner and replaced with a most brilliant way to spend a snowy day: redressing Scarlett, my mannequin.

I’ve long thought how to change Scarlett’s form from its unflattering concrete gray to something more colorful, and within minutes of the first flakes falling, I figured it out.

From a bag of vintage scraps

I cut out shapes, dipped each into a mixture of decoupage paste thinned with water, and randomly covered the form.

The redressing took a day, which seems a long time for such a carefree project, except the cleaning up part added considerable time – which brings me to this after-thought suggestion: Cover the floor and tabletop with plastic before beginning any project that includes dripping paste.

Scarlett Redressed in Vintage!

In all her glory, Scarlett showing off the first of my new line,

Domesti-Chic · Limited Editions

I so thrive on the creative process. Whether inspired by a bag of scrap fabric or a recipe, it's the excitement of the possibilities I find energizing. Now to reserve a bit of that excitement and face the maelstrom of domestic duties still simmering on that back burner.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

NPR Ties On Some Apron Love

2011-10-24T14:48:00.004-06:00

When The Apron Book published in 2006, I received an invitation to visit NPR-Washington for an interview with Jacki Lyden. I knew Jacki as a voice reporting from war zones around the world, and to

(Photo by Will O’Leary)

imagine being interviewed about my love of aprons by someone of such experience and authority had me a bundle of nerves.

Before our meeting, I read Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, Jacki’s memoir of her and her two sisters living with their mother’s delicate mental health.

The book is a journey and ultimately, a love story to family, and I was honored that Jacki recognized similar connections in The Apron Book.

In October 2006, wearing pearls and a Smoochie apron, I waited in the lobby for my interview. Jacki did everything she could to put me at ease, and I so appreciated the effort. The interview was an amazing experience, and I consider it a life highlight!

That was five years ago, and over that time, Jacki’s book became a script and a week ago, the script a performance reading in NYC to benefit Fountain House, a mental health organization. And

Prince Charming and I decided to support Jacki and her hard work and attend this wonderful event.

A trip to New York City is a big deal to one of us, not the least of which is the opportunity to wear my latest vintage purchase – a

wool suit jacket with fur collar. Fall was in the air just enough that I wasn’t pushing the look too much. Our 20 minute train ride to Aliseo, the restaurant where Jacki had arranged a private dining experience for her friends and family, turned into much longer as we negotiated the riot between police and protestors in Times Square to the subway, where it was announced the G train, our train, had shut down.

A secondary train routing + a considerable hike with only a minimal amount of whining about the height of my cute heels and the cobblestones of Brooklyn, and we finally arrived.

Greeting Jacki!

Catching up!

Meeting other celebrants!

Between one picture and another, my camera threw a fit and refused to flash. Then fixed itself, sort of, in time to snap Chef Albano presenting a crusted sea bass. Served in courses with glasses filled often, the Italian feast Chef prepared was bellisimo.

Aliseo is Jacki’s neighborhood restaurant, so the after-dinner walk to her loft was a short stroll. I thought I’d need at least a mile or two to ever have room to eat another bite, but that was before Jacki took a turn of the living room offering gourmet chocolates.

From one Saturday to the next, from a Brooklyn loft

to a local fundraiser for an animal shelter, there is a similarity: another occasion to don a vintage find.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

National Tie One On Day seeks fb "Like" s!

2011-10-10T22:14:00.005-06:00

Help! Facebook's redo has me going grrrrrrr, as I'm trying to put together a National Tie OneOn Day fb page. Seems I need 25 "Like"s before the page can be discovered.

National Tie One On Day is about those with bounty providing those in need of an act of kindness. In order for more to receive, more must participate, and "more" can be reached if this fb page can be found.

So, thank you for helping to bring NTOODay to "more" by visiting facebook, National Tie One On Day and "Like" - ing the page.

xxea
Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Mama's Got a Grand New Bag Winner is...

2011-10-02T08:47:00.005-06:00

Thank you, Random Humans Molly and Austin for so adorably selecting the winner of Mama's Got a Brand New Bag Giveaway!

And congratulations #39, Green Goose. IceMilk Aprons' Piggy market bag is yours! Please contact me with your info for mailing.

I so enjoy that moment when I come across the perfect Random Humans to select the winner of a giveaway. More fun than letting a number generator do the picking. Molly and Austin are stylists at Denver's Rockstar Industries , my "rockin'" hair salon.

IceMilk's new line of market bags is fabulously functional, well-priced and cute, to boot. Would that I could give one to each of you who entered. I so appreciate your dropping by my blog.

xxea

Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Vegetable Vases inspire Vintage Va-voom

2011-09-29T11:07:00.009-06:00

With the sudden appearance of one leaf on the yard, then two hundred, tunnel vision set in and all I could see was the dining room's table covering needed to be changed out. From sunny Fifties fruit to something more...fall-ish.

I've had this quilt topper forever and having not once made a move toward sewing it to a backing, I decided instead to use it as a tablecloth.

Last night was the covering’s inaugural with a dinner for four. I set out to buy a bouquet for a central vase arrangement, but the grocery’s selection wasn’t great and the cost not worth it. Then I saw the price of green peppers, 4/$1.00.

Instead of a single vase, the hollowed green peppers served as individual vases at each place setting. I bought a flowering mum plant (cutting the blooms from the stems) and 4 colorful peppers to add some bam!, as Emeril would say. So easy and so beautiful.

Love it when a spontaneous inspiration turns out much better than the plan.

With the dishes cleared, the topper is a marvel of fabric squares dating from the late 1930s into the 1950s. At first glance, it looks like a haphazard placement of florals, but stepping back, you can

see there’s a sense of design to her selection of square placement.

The size of the topper is large/queen, so we’re talking a lot of fabric scraps that had to be of a certain size.

So fun how she decided to include two squares of the cowboy fabric.

The borders aren't finished, so there are lots of threads dangling, which one day/some day, I will or not get to. Actually, retaining the raw edging retains the mystery as to why this topper was never completed. When next guests are seated around the table, I’ll ask this very question. What a great conversational starter! What do you say? Chiming in welcome!

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Sharing a Tidbit of Good News

2011-09-27T22:30:00.004-06:00

I’ve the alphabet to thank for a dear friend. Designated seating based on the spelling of our last names landed me, Ellyn Anne Levy in the desk behind Ginny Ray Legare. And a girlhood friendship was born. Today, we’re dear and old friends who talk several times a week, our calls always including a catch-up on what’s what with

my boyz and her three, twins Laura and Gregory, and Lucian.

There’s always news, but nothing so BIG of late as what’s happening to Laura and her band, Kylesa !!!

Kylesa’s interview and performance on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly is tomorrow, Wednesday September 28th!

Laura is so sweet – just like her mama.

Just had to share the pride my friend is feeling for her girl.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag Giveaway!

2011-09-27T11:02:00.004-06:00

IceMilk Aprons is Southern domestic finery by my friend, heirloom designer Ashley Leckey Schoenith. Ashley’s eye for detail is evident in IceMilk’s sleek linen designs and use of subtle shades, as well as her creative packaging and provisions, like Kraft paper recipe cards. Ashley is branching out with a gorgeous children’s line AND burlap market bags with vintage graphics that are charmingly nostalgic.

I’m such a fan of IceMilk – total quality and produced in the US.

To celebrate IceMilk’s latest products, Ashley is offering a giveaway from her market bag line!

Entry to this giveaway is simple enough - leave a comment (& an email address so we can contact the winner) with your choice of bag, should you be the lucky one. Deadline is Friday, September 30th in the late, late evening. Winner selected by random human on Saturday.

Always a joy to support a venture that's so purely heart driven.

xxea

Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Peach Pie Worth the Detour

2011-09-20T14:52:00.013-06:00

The harvesting of produce is in the final weeks and we decided to take a ride out east of town to shop the farms. At Musso’s, the bounty was so artfully displayed, my sense took its leave and

was replaced with the desire to buy lots of food in bulk and do something great with it. By the time we wound our way to the checkout, my enthusiasm was waning for the job I was

committing to and instead of leaving with a grocery cart of produce, we purchased a bushel of peaches.

Driving home and regaling my husband with visions of the peach pies I was about to make and freeze, I made a last second decision to exit the regular routing for a detour on a pastoral, two-lane country road. As I steered the car down the ramp and onto the road, I remarked at the beauty that is just outside our town. And just as those words left my lips, I saw him.

Was there a reason, the officer inquired, why I was speeding at 50 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone? M-m-m-m, because I was coming off the ramp and going down a hill? Orrrrrr, because I was chatting at my husband about the beauty that is nature AND going down a hill?

Orrrrrr, because I didn’t see you in time to hit the brakes and was going down a hill?

Tho’ agreeable to my notation that the country is indeed beautiful, and a bit sad that he was about to issue my first driving ticket ever, he nonetheless wrote me up. At 10 miles over the speed limit, that quarter mile was going to be costly. What to say but thank you – I was brought up to be polite, even in the most difficult of circumstance.

With the peaches a day from turning, I needed to simultaneously dwell and process (which would be me multi-tasking). Step 1

Step 2

Step 3: I’m always surprised when boiling and a quick cool make peeling a breeze.

A slicing incident leads to a napkin wrapped with scotch tape, and my concluding that the sign of a house without children is a house without a bandaid box.

Step 4: Six cups of sliced peaches sprinkled with almond extract, several pats of melted butter, quarter cup flour (which I was low on, so I substituted potato starch) and a tablespoon of citrus acid powder

Step 5: Toasted almonds chopped into smallish bits

Step 6: Almonds sprinkled onto the bottom layer and topped with sliced peaches mixture. Cover with second crust, free forming the crusts’ edges to meet & crimp. Brush milk over the top crust & sprinkle with sugar; set pan on foil or a baking sheet in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes; then 325 degrees for half an hour.

Step 7: Serve warmed with a dollop of whipped cream.

My pie pan is an oldie and sliced up without an eye to leftovers, delivers pie for 10. Given the cost of the peaches ($32.00) + the speeding ticket ($169.50), this was a $20.00 piece of pie, which I savored to the point of licking the plate clean. That detour was costly, but the smiles from friends who joined us for dessert…worth it.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Tie One On...a tablier, of course!

2011-09-19T17:05:00.007-06:00

FRANCE

Patricia Diawara is fabulously French and were you to hear her telling of this story, her accent alone would have you captivated. Her apron story begins with a young girl, Annie Collins.

“Born in 1875, Annie grew up in London and worked as a maid for the Harris family (Canadian manufacturer of agricultural machinery and co-founder of the Massey Harris Company, later Massey Ferguson). She moved to Paris to follow the Harris family and there met and married Jean Brass (valet de chambre for the Harris family). Annie and Jean followed their employers when they returned to Canada. The couple stayed in Canada for two years and decided to come back to France because the winters were too cold.

In 1924, Annie and Jean bought a house in a small village, Millery, located in Lorraine (northeastern France). They lived there with their only son, Francis Brass, their daughter-in-law, Adèle Brass, and grand-daughter, Jacqueline Brass (Mamie Jacqueline).

Annie Collins (1875 – 1943)

Le “tablier fleuri” (the flower apron)

Annie bought the fabric in 1937 from a store in Pont-à-Mousson, Lorraine. She made the apron herself and gave it to her only grand-daughter, Jacqueline Brass (Mamie Jacqueline), for her 12^th birthday. Jacqueline was very pleased with this gift because it was a brand new apron (most aprons were made out of used cotton dresses). The pockets are a very important feature (where she would tuck a handkerchief).

At this time, girls and women would wear aprons not only to cook but also to read, sew, play cards, or go to the flea market. The most “fancy” aprons were worn to protect the “Sunday” clothes. Girls and boys would wear black or dark-colored long-sleeved aprons for school. Once used, these aprons were worn at home to do the chores.

Le “tablier à bavette” (the bib apron)

Annie bought the blue pin stripe bib apron in 1940 from a peddler (or itinerant merchant) for 10 Francs. It is the kind of solid 100% cotton apron that was used daily for cooking or housecleaning. This apron still has its tag and has never been worn…except for this picture!!

Mamie Jacqueline (86 years old) in her kitchen with her grand-daughter, Patricia.

Patricia visits her family in France several times a year, and on her last trip, she interviewed Mamie Jacqueline about the history of the two aprons.

To know the provenance of an apron is truly special. Imagine knowing when the fabric was selected, as with le “tablier fleuri,” and to hear your grandmother's telling of receiving it as a birthday gift at the age of 12...almost 75 years ago!

Aprons truly do not hold us back...they take us back.

xxea

Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Fair Daze Finale

2011-08-25T10:41:00.016-06:00

The last time I sold my handmade wares was in the early 1970s on the beaches of Hawaii. The memories of those exhausting set-up/tear-down days remained vivid enough that I never imagined a return to the carney circuit.

But with the first advertisement of Denver's inaugural county fair, good sense and bad memories left me, and I immediately signed up for a booth to showcase and sell portions of my

out-of-control vintage collections. With over 600 aprons alone, I finally concluded I will never live so long as to tie them all on. It's past time due for new owners to enjoy their vintage beauty.

Here I am on opening night, fresh as a daisy and giddy with anticipation of a successful carney run. But the long fair days (10 a.m. - 10 p.m.) ultimately put me into a Fair Daze, which reminded me of my original promise to never enter the carney circuit again. Fun as it was - especially the meeting of so many wonderful people and making new friends, this fair is it for me. And should I ever be forgetful of this promise in the future, my family will heartily remind me!

To experience the Apron Memories Fair Daze Finale through pictures, I've posted a photo album on the Apron Memories facebook page. A cheery interview with NPR's Jacki Lyden about my fair experience and Supper Hollerin' Contest can be heard here. It's an hour segment, but fascinating. Who knew there were so many books or experts on fairs?

Tho' my days on the carney circuit are done for, I am a huge supporter of our county and state fairs because of the opportunities at both for 4-H participants.

While many youth activities have eliminated ribbons in favor of the everyone-is-a winner ideology, 4-H rewards a young person's commitment and excellence within a structured and highly competitive arena with ribbons, money, and media recognition.

4-H provides learning and competitive opportunities for activities other than raising stock. For Leslie Dodge, a member of the Coastal Quilt Guild of Santa Barbara, CA, 4-H was the gateway to a life-long interest in sewing.

As a ten-year-old in 1963, Leslie's world tilted. While her parents worked to put things right, Leslie was enrolled in a 4-H summer program. Those months, which she recalls as the best in her life, provided her the sewing skills to hand piece an apron (for which she won a red/second place ribbon) and the confidence to model it (for which she took home the blue/first place ribbon).

Here's a close-up of the pocket, complemented with a bright yellow button. Leslie's stitches around the pocket are all but invisible - amazing work from such a young girl.

In this photo, Leslie models her winning apron, kept all these years wrapped away and stored in a drawer. No longer! Leslie will be framing the apron, ribbons and her handwritten story to inspire future generations to strive for excellence, one stitch at a time.

As the featured guest at the Quilt Guild's gathering, I hosted several workshops, including one devoted to writing your apron memory. A three-hour writing experience honed Leslie's story into a one-page reading, which she shares below

The recording is a bit jerky, and Leslie's nervousness is on display, but her determination to overcome those nerves in front of a large crowd and read her story deserves the blue ribbon.

xxea
Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Aprons at the Fair

2011-08-02T08:45:00.002-06:00

How fortuitous - my friend Jacki Lyden is hosting On Point today and her show is about State fairs...on which, I'm not an expert; however my devotee status has landed me as a call-in guest! I'll be on between 11-noon EST, chatting about aprons as an organic tie to the heart of a fair.

Heavenly Hostess Winners

2011-07-09T21:28:00.006-06:00

A day late announcing the two winners of the Haute Heavenly Hostess Giveaway - I'm so sorry for this delay, which was due to my having a bit of difficulty reaching one winner. But both have now responded to their selection, and they are:

Garden Apron Winner
#14 Louise

Fiesta Apron Winner
#42 Mary Lea

Cynthia's Heavenly Hostess line is so unique of fit and design, Mary Lea and Louise have extra good reason to be excited of their wins.

xxea
Tie One On...an apron, of course!

a Haute Heavenly Hostess Giveaway!

2011-06-29T16:32:00.004-06:00

Heavenly Hostess Cynthia Wadell is an apron entrepreneur with gorgeous taste in fabric and an eye for elegant, flattering designs.

Cynthia and I were featured in an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times last year, but only recently connected. When we’re not talking about our individual paths of apron love, we’re chit chatting about the apron as a canvas of expression and the inspiration to an apron’s design.

Cynthia’s sizzling summertime designs include this Fiesta Cocktail Apron

and this Garden Party halter style in lime.

To celebrate summer in style, Cynthia is sponsoring this Haute Heavenly Hostess Giveaway. Two gorgeous aprons, two lucky winners!

Entry is oh-so-easy – just leave a comment – Cynthia would love to hear which apron is your favorite - and include your email so should you win, I can let you know the good news!

This giveaway ends late evening of July 6th, with the winners selected by Random Human and posted July 7th.

Two winners!

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

A Slice of Life

2011-06-26T20:40:00.003-06:00

The old cookbooks, like this one from 1941, were close to 900 pages, with chapters covering a range of domestic concerns, like Menu Making, Table Setting, Carving, Spices and Useful Facts about Food.

The heft was also attributable to the photographic illustrations. In this cookbook, a List of Illustrations three pages in length is provided at the front. It was while flipping through the illustrations that I came upon this display

A Kitchen Collection to Gladden the Heart of the Most Ardent Gadgeteer

Gadgeteer! How fabulously descriptive. Most of the gadgets were familiar; of some, I’m clueless.

I do not lack for gadgets. I’m especially attracted to those with colored handles.

These pie crust rollers are among my favorite utilities.

On the backside of the green handled one, you can see the company, Vaughn’s, and the descriptive name: Pie Trimmer and Sealer, circa 1930s-40s.

Looking at the pie tools led me to think about pies, and the purity of the recipes of 1941. A pie was made from scratch, and that included the sifting of flour.

These Sifting Sisters from the Fifties have a tiered interior, which sent the flour through a series of three screens and produced ultra fine flour. Sifting seems more fun with a gadget so well designed and adorably adorned.

Baking a pie is a messy production, and domestic armor is a must. My new friend knows this. Meet Beth Howard of The World Needs More Pie.

This photo was taken in Beth’s kitchen – can’t you just hear that screen door slamming as Beth shuttles pies down to her roadside stand. Beth lives in Iowa in the American Gothic home. Her journey from LA to this new life through the conduit of pie is chronicled in a book that publishes next spring. Meantime, do visit her website and welcome her to the Apron-Hood.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Zen and the Perfect Bubble

2011-06-18T22:29:00.005-06:00

It’s getting late and still so hot, it will be the wee hours before any cooling air whatsoever. I’m trying to decide whether to turn on the air conditioning or just wait it out for that middle-of-the-night breeze. The way I’m carry on about the heat, it’s a mystery how I grew up in the South without air conditioning.

Actually, I recall the sweltering summers of childhood as one big, outdoor party. Without the schedule that school imposed, there was time to play endless games of jacks, jump rope, swim, climb trees, ride bicycles, swing, hop scotch, read and blow bubbles.

Unlike activities that divided the girls from the boys, or games the youngest children weren’t allowed to join, bubble blowing was fun for everyone.

Learning to blow a great bubble took lots of practice. And by great, I mean a bubble that didn’t pop right away, that was perfectly round and shiny with color.

The very qualities of a soap bubble that mesmerize make it among the most fascinating forms in Nature. This website is devoted to the soap bubble, its history, science, art and magic!

A homemade bubble blowing brew is a simple combination of 2 1/2 quarts water, 1 cup Dawn or Joy dish detergent and 1/2 cup light corn syrup (find it in the baking aisle) or glycerin (purchase at a drugstore). Mix ingredients in a plastic dish pan. Store leftover bubble mixture in a clean jar with a lid. Blowers can be made out of pipe cleaners.

Blowing bubbles is such joy, I figured there must be enough bubble poetry to comprise an entire book. Surprisingly, there are few bubble poems, and what there is, is directed to children.

But for one:

Bubbles by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves.

They flickered out saying:

"It was worth being a bubble just to have held that

rainbow thirty seconds."

Reading this poem has me forgetting how g-dawful this heat is and instead, remembering an innocence, when blowing a perfect bubble was the order of the day.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Chop Chop

2011-06-11T18:04:00.004-06:00

A garage sale that includes vintage kitchen utilities is a serious weakness for me. I’m especially vulnerable to kitchen helpers with colored wooden handles. So when I spotted this red-handle chopper, there was no question but that it was going home with me.

The chopper is a Foley Stainless 3-Blade. It’s been setting out on the counter for two weeks, just awaiting a debut demonstration on a dish with ingredients that needed a good chopping.

Finally, an invitation to dine with neighbors, and my offer to bring potato salad was accepted. Not that my potato salad is earth shattering or anything; rather, I would get to use my Foley!

I wasn’t sure if the blades were even sharp – this Foley is from the 1930s, and how long it had been in disuse who knows. Within the first push, the blades sliced through the eggs with such precision, not even a bitty of yolk crumbled loose. Within seconds, the eggs were a done deal, and with nothing else to chop, my Foley’s debut was over.

As I stood there admiring the nicely chopped eggs, I realized that for the first time, chopping was an experience, not a job within a recipe. All those years of slicing through hard boiled eggs with two dueling knives…now replaced with a vintage utility that perfectly chopped egg salad for another family a long, long time ago.

Potato Salad Fact: the spoilage danger has nothing to do with the mayonnaise – it’s the raw onion and potatoes that are bacteria’s playground.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Happy National Doughnut Day!

2011-06-02T08:25:00.003-06:00

Friday is National Doughnut Day and as a doughnut devotee, I am in celebration mode.

I'm not alone in my love of doughnuts. According to one of my favorite little pamphlets, published in 1945 by the

Doughnut Corp. of America, the donut is a symbol of fellowship, friendliness and a good time.

Thirty-one pages in length, this pamphlet is filled with party games

that feature doughnuts. There’s the Donut Archery Contest, Donut Nose-Pushing Race, Donut Horse Racing, Donut Balancing Race, Donut Treasure Hunt, and what must have been the most popular game of all: the Donut String Kiss Stunt, where “…it will be a minor

miracle if this little divertissement (that’s French for amusement) does not end in a kiss…which is an appealing idea to young couples who are just looking for a good excuse anyhow.”

And if a planned event wasn't enough reason to bring on the doughnuts, there was this announcement:

Page after page of creative ways to serve doughnuts. As a substitute for cereal, “Cut 2 donuts into bite-size pieces and serve in a bowl with fresh fruit and milk or cream. No sugar needed unless the fruit is very tart.” Or in lieu of bread, there was the Donut Sandwich with filling suggestions galore: Pimento cheese, cottage cheese and jam, peanut butter and steamed raisins, and a triple delight of cream cheese, pickle relish and chopped stuffed olives.

Doughnuts were first provided to American soldiers stationed in France during World War I by the “doughnut lassies,” the Salvation Army’s volunteer corps of women.

National Doughnut Day was later established in 1938 by the Salvation Army to commemorate the service of the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during war times, as well as to help the needy during the Great Depression. Celebrated annually on the first Friday in June each year, National Doughnut Day is a reminder of the services that The Salvation Army provides.

“The Salvation Army serves nearly 70 million meals to those in need each year so there’s no better way to highlight our work than by celebrating a great American food,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. “So, while everyone enjoys a doughnut on Friday, we hope they’ll also think about giving back to those less fortunate.”

In honor of the 73rd National Doughnut Day, Ron Rupocinski, corporate chef of Krispy Kreme is “…inviting doughnut fans to stop by a local Krispy Kreme shop for a complimentary doughnut." The free doughnut offer is good for one doughnut of any variety per customer at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme retail shops.

A doughnut is a happy food, that satisfies the spirit as well as the appetite. Not many foodstuffs can measure up to that. Or not in my tummy, anyway.

xxea

Tie One On...an apron, of course!

Cheap Advice Still Worth Borrowing

2011-05-31T18:41:00.003-06:00

Magazines have always provided tidbits that strike such a chord, we are moved to clip that bit of info or recipe or advice (both personal and financial) or fashion suggestion or helpful hint and paste it to the empty pages of a book purchased for just that purpose.

From the pages of this vintage scrap book is one with a hodgepodge of clippings that include the latest in laundry room layout, a tip on sewing weighted tape to the hem of curtains to hold the folds, and repurposing defective jar rings by applying them to the bottom of a scatter rug to keep it from sliding about. All good information and worth saving.

Another page’s pastings included home decorating advice concerning the importance of choosing room colors based on the room’s light exposure, the definition and symptoms of thyroid disease to statistics regarding a submarine.

The diversity of the owner’s interests and curiosities filled page after page.

On these facing pages, the clips are all Streamliner household hints, which appeared in newspapers in the late 1950s. One clipping caught my attention

because the blooms of an arrangement were fading and those still alive were a bit droopy. I took Mrs. Moskowitz’s suggestion to practice and voila! the remaining flowers stood tall and sturdy within their individual, tape cells.

So clever was this idea, that it’s stayed with me. So when I was flipping through an old Martha Stewart magazine and saw this photo of a vase with squares of cellophane tape, I knew before reading

Tray Chic the tape’s purpose.

Shocking! I thought, that Martha staff came across Mrs. Moskowitz’s tip in another homemaker’s vintage scrap book and appropriated it as an original idea. But on second thought, much more likely is the grid of tape isn’t original to anyone, including Mrs. Moskowitz.

Within the pages of stacks of old magazines, I’ve come across a vintage domestic version of many ideas that are touted as today’s newest and greatest, which points, I think, to how difficult it is to be truly original.

The Chicago Sun-Times paid Mrs. Moskowitz $2.00 for her stand-up flower tip. Fifty-plus years later, it’s still worth borrowing.

globalapron PERU!

2011-05-26T12:23:00.006-06:00

Meet Allison Suarez, an architect and Peruvian apron-wearer. We met in San Diego at a Bat Mitzvah party (!). Her smile was like an invitation to chat it up and one which I immediately warmed to.

After living almost five years in Australia, Allison was on her way home to Peru. She was making stops along the way to spend time with friends and family, which is how our paths crossed at the Bat Mitzvah - Allison was in attendance as a friend of the solo guitarist.

I’ve always had Peru in mind as a destination to visit, my curiosity of the region piqued by an apron I’d been given. When I asked Allison about Peruvian aprons and the special pocket design, she immediately began telling me her apron story.

“The smell of purple corn pudding transports me to my grandma’s kitchen when I was four. She was the number one fan of Peruvian cuisine, so visiting her was always a good excuse to get spoiled. I loved helping her as she cooked. Stirring the pudding with a wooden spoon was always my job. “Be always careful with the pan,” I remembered her saying. While we cooked, I wore my favourite apron, a woven apron with zip pockets. I used to keep the cinnamon powder container in one of the pockets, that way I wouldn’t forget to put it on top of the pudding when serving. What a pleasure to spend time with my grandmother!”

The zippered pocket is a design element I’ve never before seen on an apron, other than the one I was given by someone who traveled through South America. The traveler told me that in Peru and other SA countries, women walk around wearing their aprons – the zippered pockets holding money and other items that needed to be kept safe from pickpockets. A true apron-as-purse.

My apron is almost like a skirt, it wraps so far behind. There are two side zipper pockets and a very deep front pocket that is divided into three separate pockets.

Tying on my apron so PC could take a snap of me wearing it, I had my hands in the front pockets, when I looked down and noticed the middle pocket sported a zipper! This is about the cleverest apron design I’ve ever seen. I’ve had this apron for years and never noticed the center zippered pocket. Wonders in apron-land just do not cease!

Allison now lives in Lima, where she is a landscape architect. She loves to travel and “…meet people on my way.” A Peruvian apronista on her own lovely journey.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

I MADE IT MYSELF! Giveaway WINNER

2011-05-08T22:46:00.003-06:00

Thank you, Lark Crafts, for this giveaway, which contributed to a very happy Mother’s Day for the lucky winner, who was selected

by Random Human, Leigh Anne. Entry #13 = Kristin Ellis !

I have just returned from the Apron Extravaganza in Tennessee, which is where Leigh Anne and I met. I’ll spend tomorrow downloading pictures and putting together a blog on this incredible event!

2011

The day is always special when Noah and Gideon visit, so this Mother’s Day was extra special.

The comments for the I Made It Myself! Giveaway and the Apron Extravaganza are suggestive that we are rekindling the “ways” of the women of earlier generations, letting go of perfection and embracing the attitude that when it comes to making it ourselves, good enough is more than satisfactory. I think such a mind-set is the best present to give oneself this Mother’s Day!

Thank you to everyone who enters my giveaways. It’s always disappointing when your entry # isn’t selected. Please continue to enter, even if “…I never win anything!”…which is each winner’s response.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Handmade by Me! Giveaway

2011-04-30T17:48:00.004-06:00

For the past year, I have been working on a project which explores the American homemaker and her domestic arts. At the core of the project is the needle and thread and a woman’s employment of both to express herself through hand stitchery.

To create something stitch by stitch has never required any special talent nor machinery. In fact, all that’s really necessary is a fair amount of patience and a thimble.

Sewing by hand is relaxing, as well as an immensely satisfying pursuit because you have something material to show for your effort. A woman who sews experiences the glow of pleasure and pride of accomplishment when she can say, “Oh, this? I made it myself.” However, for many of us, the largest issue to expressing ourselves through hand sewing is knowing what to do with that needle and thread. Enter Susan Wasinger, the author of Sewn by Hand.

In this, her third book for Lark Crafts, Susan created two dozen projects that test the definition of “unique.” That’s how good her stuff is. And easy, or at least very, very do-able for most of us.

When you flip through Sewn by Hand, like I’ve been doing since it arrived yesterday, it’s really hard to settle on a first project. Should it be the Pretty Potholder with Vintage Smocking? Buttoned-Up Tote with Handmade Buttons? Button-Down Apron made from Recycled Shirts? Or the Personalized Bibs?

To aid the selection process and get one lucky winner threading her needle, Lark Crafts is providing a copy of Sewn by Hand and all the goods necessary to make Susan’s Sewing Kit for On the Move Stitchers!

To enter this Handmade by Me! Giveaway, leave a comment here. Deadline for comments is late Friday evening, May 6th. One winner selected by Random Human and posted Sunday, May 8th.

Sewn by Hand is the result of the author’s challenge to herself to see what she could create with nothing but a needle and thread. To create 24 projects, Susan drew on her history of “tender teachings” at the hands of her grandmother, mother and their mothers before them.

History in stitchery is also what I’m anticipating at this week’s Apron Extravaganza. Gallatin is right outside Nashville – if you’re in the neighborhood, do try to attend!

“Not everyone can hold an audience spellbound with music, and not many can paint pictures creditably, but anyone can earn praise for needlework efforts.” Book of Needle Arts, 1943

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

No Royal Apron Strings

2011-04-26T17:29:00.005-06:00

Just in time for the royal wedding is this globalapron sharing from Michael Joy of London.

“My mum wore an apron each and every day. It was like her uniform as a housewife. Her aprons were kept in a drawer in the kitchen. She had what appeared to be hundreds, so many colours, that it seemed she never wore the same one twice. During the day, she wore a large half apron to clean the house, do the washing, ironing etc,. She even went to the shop in her apron under her coat.

At about 5.30 pm, half an hour before my father returned home, she would take her apron off and go upstairs, She would change into a dress, re-do her hair and make-up and come back downstairs. She would then go to another drawer in the kitchen that contained her 'special ' aprons. These were smaller and fancier. It was dressed like this that she would open the door to my father and present his drink and evening meal. This was an evening ritual that might seem strange but she appeared so happy to do it. After the meal was finished my dad would then collect the plates and ask me to join him in the kitchen, where he would wash the dishes whilst I dried. For this he would put my mum’s apron on and tie one around my waist. This seems so unreal today, but at the time just seemed normal and reassuring.

Pancake Day…Not sure if you have this in the USA. but Mum always participated. (!!!???!!!???)

Aprons are just a piece of cloth, but mean so much to me and my family. To see my wife and daughter wear aprons that Mum used to wear continues her memory and brings to our home the warmth of family and togetherness.”

!!!???!!!???

Michael’s Mum’s Pancake Day Story

The second I read the Pancake Day paragraph, I just knew this was a hidden gem within Michael’s sweet reminisce. Writing for the details, he responded with this follow-up:

“On Shrove Tuesday each year people here make pancakes. (Shrove Tuesday? An internet search turned up this explanation)

Part of the tradition is to meet in the street and have a race, flipping your pancake as you run. All the mums took part in this race and each mum appeared in her favourite apron…there were so many colours, which made for such a spectacle as they ran through the neighborhood.”

When asked, Michael didn’t recall a photo of his mum as she raced along; however, here is a snapshot that captures the absolute fun of this unique tradition.

Shrove Tuesday 2011 was historic for those who happened to be in the UK neighborhood where England’s royal princess-to-be flipped her pancake, sans the requisite apron. Her apron-less-ness led me to wonder whether she might have brought an apron with her, had she been forewarned of her participation in the Shrove Tuesday tradition. Or why the organizer or someone in the crowd didn’t volunteer a wedding souvenir apron for the bride-to-be to tie on.

Or why no one in the crowd appears to be wearing their royal souvenir apron. Michael set about to find out.

His search revealed there are souvenirs galore: timepieces, china settings, key chains, pillow coverings, ashtrays and candy dispensers, steak and pizza to whiskey and beer,

but by decree of Lord Chamberlain's office, which issued guidelines for souvenirs of the royal wedding, tea towels, t-shirts and aprons were deemed not appropriate commemorative items. No aprons? No tea towels? No tea cozies?

Many readers of The Telegraph expressed dismay at the shunning of souvenir symbols of domesticity, especially as, “No royal occasion in memory has occurred without being commemorated on tea towels!”

How the newlyweds will run a home without cloth goods such as tea towels and aprons is not really a question. Perhaps their rental comes complete with furnishings, including a kitchen drawer like Michael's mum's stuffed with aprons.

Lord Chamberlain’s thumbs down to domestic goods and and thumbs up to alcohol may be a nod to the royal couple’s modernity. However they intend to tie one on, the world wishes them well. May the garden of their love always be in bloom.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

a Passover Rescue by Country Living Magazine

2011-04-21T19:02:00.005-06:00

Raised in a southern Reform Jewish home, I’m a tad wanting when it comes to the exactness of the culinary requirements for the strictly traditional Passover meal. Knowing this about myself, our seder guest list always includes someone who grew up in a more traditional Jewish home and therefore, knows how to make matzo ball soup, without which a Passover seder simply cannot occur.

Alas, my most honored and eldest invitee for this honor passed away last year, and with her, the best matzo ball soup ever, according to Gideon, my youngest. So this year’s matzo ball soup fell to me. I, who do not eat grits because of the texture, haven’t actually eaten a matzo ball either…again, a texture thing.

So I turned to the internet, where I discovered the shiska and her recipe for matzo ball soup success: the boxed soup mix by Manischewitz; then, on to my trusty issues of Cooks Illustrated and the Test Kitchen results for the best boxed chicken broth: Swanson’s Certified Organic. Following the directions for both, I placed a brimming pot of mb soup in the refrigerator and shut the door.

The Seder meal takes days to prepare. The pot of soup joined the already-refrigerated dessert, a compote marinating in champagne (actually, the fruit was resting in a prosecco bath, because I had a bottle on hand and was loathe to pop a Moet and Chandon for peaches).

A day to my seder, and the mail delivered the May issue of Country Living. With tons still to do, I nonetheless plopped down and immediately began flipping through one of my favorite magazines.

And on page 119 was a photo of a Chocolate-Almond Torte…a flourless dessert, and therefore, perfect for Passover! Because I knew my compote was a bit lackluster, this Torte was the answer. And at only 5 ingredients!!

The instructions call for melting butter and chocolate in “a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.” And I would have followed this to the letter, except that I have an ancient double boiler inherited from a premiere baker, Else Geisel, my mother-in-law:

While the mixture melted and melded, I moved on to the next step, “…whisking egg yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy.” Rather than using a modern whisk, I instead chose to incorporate the mixture using an initialed, sterling fork that had belonged to another superb baker, my grandmother Birdye.

Using the utilities of these women, I felt their guidance and a sense of happiness, as if they were with me on this torte journey.

The CL recipe notes a working time of only twenty minutes. The mess I created took a lot longer to clean up.

With the torte in the oven, I went outside to cut some lilac blooms, and there she was – a bright yellow butterfly. Racing back into the house for a camera, I knew, just knew, she would be gone upon my return. But, no! I promise, this is not photo-shopped.

I took the butterfly as a sign, that despite my insecurity and lack of actual know-how, I was going to pull this seder together, especially with dessert.

My Prince Charming, who’s eaten a life-time of mb soup, proclaimed my version THE BEST HE’S EVER SLURPED and the CL Chocolate Almond Torte delicious beyond yummy.

Holidays like Passover and Easter are so very rich in tradition and the foods served are as much a part of that as any ceremonial recitation.

Whether matzo ball soup or a baked ham, what’s important is we celebrate our heritage with not an empty seat at our table.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

a Taxing Spring Cleaning

2011-04-14T14:40:00.002-06:00

The idea starts out with the best of intention: to toss mail and receipts and articles of interest and notes-to-self into a box, which I will go through and organize at a later date. But the box multiples into boxes, which become a part of the architectural landscape of my creative space, and thusly, become invisible.

This Landscape Filing System is ridiculous, and I know it, and yearly I strive to do better, especially at tax time, when the boxes need to be sorted through.

I always get the job done, but in the “getting there,” I need a creative diversion to balance the intensity of left-brain focus.

This year’s diversionary project began with this table. Purchased about ten+ years ago for $5.00, I’d envisioned its transformation many times, but never followed through. Until……………………………

I paired a vintage block of cowboy material with a serape-stripe remnant, which led to a quick trip to the paint store to match the turquoise saddle and the red blanket, with a stop at the glass store for a quarter-inch topper. Three days later……………………………………

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness is this table. Were you to see it up close, it’s not perfect, but it’s steps above my usual bar of “Good Enough!” If only my taxes and the computations required could answer to the same conclusion.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Mary Can Sew Giveaway Winner!

2011-04-07T08:36:00.004-06:00

Poor Bob. He ran a good race, but as with any contest, there is only one winner.

Thanks to Random Human neighbor for dropping by last night and choosing #47 as the winner of Mary Can Sew and Sew Can You Giveaway.

Congratulations, Linda! Please provide your mailing information to me via email, so the sponsors and I might send out your prizes.

Caleb, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Judi and I so appreciate everyone’s interest in this giveaway. Thank you for entering.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Final Day to enter Mary Can Sew Giveaway!

2011-04-06T11:33:00.003-06:00

Countdown! Today is it – the final day to enter this Giveaway!

Caleb wrote up the Giveaway and posted it on his site:

To celebrate Spring, Apron Diva EllynAnne Geisel is featuring a loaded giveaway on her blog Apron Memories. One lucky winner will win yardage from my Confections and Suburbia fabric collections courtesy of Robert Kaufman.

Also included in the giveaway is a personalized copy of Judi Ketteler’s new publication Sew Retro

and two personalized copies of EllynAnne’s own book Apronisms.

To enter, leave a comment on the Apron Memories blog by today, April 6th. So hurry, and good luck!

Winner of this Giveaway announced tomorrow.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Mary Can Sew and Sew Can You Giveaway!

2011-03-31T18:21:00.006-06:00

With spring’s arrival, it’s the perfect time to plant seeds of inspiration with a giveaway that will provide one very lucky winner with yardage for aprons designed by graphic artist Caleb Gray

and courtesy of

Robert Kaufman Fabrics

3 yards of “Cocoa” from Confections and

3 yards of “Vintage” from Suburbia

a personalized copy of Judi Ketteler’s fabulous new publication

2 personalized copies of

my very adorable little book, which will slip perfectly into the pockets of your new aprons!

To enter, leave a comment here, on this blog posting. Deadline for comments is late Wednesday evening. One winner selected by Random Human and posted Thursday, April 7th.

***bonus entry – “like” Apron Memories on Facebook & leave an additional comment that you’ve done so.

Just so y’all know – I never receive compensation from a company, designer or author for lauding a particular product or book.

This giveaway is the result of an email from Caleb. He’d written that upon visiting my website, he thought his fabrics to be perfectly suited to the vintage spirit of my line of aprons. I decided to check up on Caleb’s genuineness and see if he was really familiar with my aprons or what. So I called him.

Judi’s book is just wonderful. How she managed the research, writing and project design while pregnant and mommy to a toddler is beyond me. I’ve been working a year now on a project that has much cross-over with her book’s contents, and I wanted her to know I hadn’t swiped from her hard work. So I called her.

Both Caleb and Judi are the nicest and most agreeable creative types one could wish to meet. I thought to combine their offerings because of their complementary nature.

I hope you’ll take the time to visit their sites and learn of their endeavors. Creating can be lonely work, and I know they will appreciate your visit.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

SEW IT ALL and Awesome Aprons in April!

2011-03-30T16:49:00.006-06:00

Sew It All is beginning to air and my segment, Awesome Aprons,

is scheduled as the premiering show on PBS Dallas, Minneapolis, Wichita Falls, Las Vegas, Seattle and more! Click here for the show’s April schedule.

This promotional video was produced by Iowa Public Radio, which filmed Sew It All and the individual segments.

I'd not worked with PBS before and as a first experience, I found IPR to be very patient and wonderfully kind in pursuit of its goal - to produce a winning show. I haven’t yet seen Awesome Aprons! but in the hands of the producer, I’m sure she presented me at my most…awesome.

Please continue to bug your PBS station to carry Sew It All at http://www.pbs.org/.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Behind the Apron Strings

2011-03-26T21:08:00.008-06:00

I’ve been looking forward to receiving my courtesy copy of the March/April issue of Texas Live magazine, which includes an article on my exhibit, Apron Chronicles, and its showing at the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth. What I hadn’t anticipated was the spread would be so extensive (4 full color pages!) and introduce

readers to the exhibit through the stories and images of Miss Ada Florence Ashford, Jean Latka and Emily Prager, three of the storytellers. I always tell people that if they can’t see the exhibit in person, the next best “viewing” is via the exhibit’s catalogue.

Texas Live magazine has done such a superb job, I can now add a second source.

A month ago, I posted the article I’d written about my apron journey that was published in this magazine:

With every article, whether I am the writer or not, I supply a selection of photographs and stories to accompany the piece. I never know which pictures and stories will be selected, most often, not until the article is actually published.

I loved the three storytellers chosen for The American Interest piece. Due to editorial decisions and space, the snapshots I provided for two of the storytellers weren’t published. I’m sharing those with y’all so their voices might also resonate visually.

Mrs. Martha Marie B. Pugh had written a letter to me in the most gorgeous cursive. When I mentioned her exquisite handwriting to Drucilla, Mrs. Pugh’s daughter-in-law, she said such grace was extraordinary, given the tremendous starkness of her mother-in-law’s young life in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

Martha Marie Barnes Pugh and her mother, Lucetta Barnes 1934-35

“I was born in 1931, during the Great Depression. Santa did not show up at our house with a big bag of gifts; my parents, however, did see that we got at least one gift.

The Christmas when I was 4 years old, my gift was a little pink apron trimmed in white rickrack. I loved it and showed it to everyone. It meant so much to me, I wore it until it was falling apart.

That little apron was such a sacrifice for my parents. I can’t imagine what they did without so I might not be disappointed on Christmas morning.

It was my best Christmas present ever.”

From such a hardscrabble world, Martha Marie Barnes would later travel the world, visit England and be presented to the Queen.

Bennie Carrico Swanson was one of the first 46 people to come upon me and my basket of aprons as I traveled on my apron journey. Our paths crossed in 2002, the year her mother, Neva Carrico, died. Bennie’s sadness was still fresh, and through tears, she told me that she and her mom, “…will always be connected by loving apron strings.

Bennie’s story about her mother is so touching and inspirational, that I’m including the entire version, as it is represented in Apron Chronicles, the exhibit.

Neva Carrico and her four young daughters, 1951.

“My mom was a smart and resourceful woman who handled difficulties with style and grace. Twice in her life, she pulled herself together and faced her future bravely. When my own life gets bumpy, I think of Mother for inspiration.

When Dad died of cancer at thirty-eight, Mother had to raise four young daughters by herself. A beautiful woman (she once won a beauty contest), Mom kept our little family going by working in a bakery. After a long day scrubbing floors and cases, she still had the energy to run a house, sew our clothes and sing. She knew the words to a million songs, and Sunny Side of the Street was a favorite: Grab your coat and get your hat, Leave your worries on the doorstep, Gold dust at my feet, On the sunny side of the street. If she had fears, we never knew them, because she always had a song to brighten a cloudy day.

In 1980, Mom again faced her future bravely. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she had to retire from her job as a grocery checker, a position she loved and where her personality shone. With changes made to accommodate her home to her disability, she lived on her own for many years. When the disease worsened and she admitted to needing daily assistance to live her life, I began helping her more and more. Despite losing her independence, Mom kept looking at the bright side of things, and when asked how she was feeling, she almost always replied with a big smile, “I can’t complain.”

My mother and I were very comfortable together, whether we were on an outing to the doctor, doing her housework or eating lunch. It was at one of those meals that I reached into a kitchen drawer and spotted the familiar fabric of the apron I’d made in my seventh grade sewing class. As I slowly tugged it out, I was instantly taken back to 1959 and Mrs. Kelly’s home economics class. Tender feelings overwhelmed me as I realized Mother had kept the apron all those years.

Such wonderful memories are woven into the lavender checked cloth…going to Duckwall’s together to purchase the fabric for the big project, my excitement at learning to sew, the thrill of presenting the apron to her when it was completed, and how special I felt when she wore it to fix dinner.

Mothers and daughters are tied together in many ways, some complicated and some simple. These apron strings remind me of my mother’s pride in me, her unconditional love and how her face lit up when I walked into the room. I miss my mom.”

LeVeta Terzise, the third storyteller selected for TAI article, sent me a postcard seven years ago with the most endearing story typed on one side. It remains one of my favorites, for the precious innocence of a child at the turn of the century.

“In 1899 my father was six years old, and his mother was pregnant with her sixth child.

My grandmother went into labor at home on their farm. The five children were sent across the field to stay at the neighbor’s. As they crossed the field, the neighbor lady was coming to their house to be the midwife for their pregnant mother. As she walked past the children, she had her arms wrapped in her kitchen apron.

When the six-year-old, my father, returned home later in the day, he had a brand new baby sister. And he was forever convinced that the baby was brought to their home in the apron of the neighbor lady.”

When The American Interest asked if I could locate a photograph to accompany La Veta’s story, I didn’t imagine it was possible to even find her after so many years had gone by. A few quick clicks on the internet turned up a phone number for someone identically named. But doing the math, I figured the La Veta I was dialing had to be a relative, not the actual storyteller La Veta. Was I ever mistaken!

La Veta is in her nineties and doing just fine, thank you very much! I felt like I was the millionaire delivering a check when I gave her the news her story would be published. She was so excited to have her father’s favorite story on himself shared with a national readership – and she assured me she would find a photo.

And did she ever! This snapshot was taken in 1904 and the little girl wearing white…is the apron baby.

I’m always appreciative when the opportunity arises to introduce readers to the storytellers and their apron memories, for without their trust, I’d just be an apron collector, instead of the very fortunate apron archaeologist I have come to be.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Tennessee to Tie One On...

2011-03-15T18:50:00.004-06:00

A year in the planning, Tennessee’s very first Apron Extravaganza promises to be an event to remember! Theresa Allan of the University of Tennessee’s Extension Offices and Sumner County’s fce ladies have put together a unique, two-day apron-love fest, and I’m going to be there!

I’m always excited to see the aprons of a particular region and extra so here because the area’s apronistas and apronistos (a/k/a men who tie one on…an apron, of course!) will be displaying their domestic heirlooms and new creations in an

Here are the entry categories – I’ll need several camera batteries and a few memory chips to take photos of what I know will be an extraordinary display.

A ticket for this amazing event must be pre-purchased, so Chef Christopher knows just how many to cater to.

To purchase tickets and for further info, contact:

(615) 452-1423 or email: tallan@utk.edu

There’s also an Apron Mall (!) where vendors will be set up and selling apron-theme goods.

Galatin is just miles outside of Nashville. If you’re anywhere close by or feeling like flying into Nashville and experiencing two days of apron love, I’d love to experience this incredible Apron Extravaganza with you

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Oven Cleanser a New Best Friend

2011-03-09T16:04:00.003-07:00

As I prepared last night’s dinner, smoke wafted from the oven and created a cloud that literally filled the kitchen. Opening all the windows and the door helped dissipate it in time to prevent the smoke alarm from going off. But the signal was clear – it was time to clean the oven.

The task of cleaning a self-cleaning oven isn’t much of one. Still, I thought it best to read the oven’s manual to be certain of the steps. Before pressing the button CLEAN, there was some cleaning up to do that included scrubbing at the burnt on stuff from the oven’s floor with a non-abrasive product, such as Bon Ami.

Bon Ami? I had no idea it was still available. From my stash of vintage magazines, I discovered this 1933 advertisement

She’s set the Bon Ami can on the fabric covered stool, within easy reach as she confidently cleans the sink without wearing rubber gloves….because Bon Ami “cleans thoroughly, quickly and well---without any injury to the lustrous surface---without any harm to your hands and fingernails!”

More interesting Facts: Bon Ami is French for “Good Friend.” The first Bon Ami soap was manufactured in 1886. It’s sold by the Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company of Kansas City, MO. The product's slogan is "Hasn't scratched yet" and refers to the fact that it does not scratch surfaces. The Bon Ami mascot, a

chick emerging from an egg is a play on the slogan (the newly-hatched chick hasn't scratched the ground for worms and insects). Fascinating, yes?

If I’d been smart, I’d have heeded the 73-year-old advertisement and made a new Best Friend with Bon Ami. Instead, I scraped at burnt gook –gloveless – with a pad and cleanser that left both my hands and the oven’s floor looking like I’ve been scratching the ground for ….

Ah, well, the oven is clean and it’s been ages since I’ve had a manicure.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Global Apron Love: Australia

2011-03-08T10:52:00.003-07:00

Over the past twelve years, I have received many, many versions of the prose “Grandmother’s Apron.” Annie Payne’s delightful rendition is from another continent, a first in my collection! Her lovely recollection of her grandmother’s apron is a wonderful example of the humble icon’s universality.

An Australian Grandmother’s Apron by Annie Payne

As a wee girl growing up in rural Queensland, my beloved Nan donned an apron almost every morning of her life. Her fresh clean apron usually hung on a wooden peg behind the kitchen door and was made from odds and ends left from other sewing projects, which Nan cut out from her brown paper pattern.

During the 1950’s, every Australian woman wore an apron during the day as she went about the business of running a home. Underneath her apron, Nan wore a ‘presentable’ house dress, pinned at the neckline with a brooch (her favourite being her mother’s cameo), as she seemed to have many visitors popping in to see her.

Annie wearing her Nan’s embroidered handiworked apron

In her infrequent spare moments, Nan liked to ‘run up’ small items on her Singer treadle sewing machine, such as aprons and pot holders for hot saucepans on the Aga stove, as she detested waste of any kind. At the end of her busy day, she tossed her apron into the wicker wash hamper and hung a new clean apron, ready for the next day’s work.

Nan, being a practical woman, used the hem of her apron as a pot holder to move hot pans in the oven or to remove hot cakes from cake tins to place on the window sill to cool. The edge of her much washed apron was wonderful for drying children’s tears and, on occasion, when dabbed with a lick of spit, to wipe a grubby child’s mouth.

From the chook yard, she carefully carried the day’s freshly laid eggs or half hatched chicks in her apron to the kitchen to place on the warm hearth. When unexpected visitors arrived at the back door, Nan’s apron was the perfect place for shy kids to hide behind, slowly peeping out from behind the safety of her generous skirt. She often used her apron to staunch the flow of blood from a nosebleed or accident, or to wrap iceblocks for a sprained wrist or ankle.

Whenever visitors drove along the corrugated sandy track from the main road, they were always greeted with morning or afternoon tea. The signal to sit down to enjoy the mouth-watering spread of scones, date rolls, Anzac biscuits, cream filled sponge cake and a pot of strong tea, was when Nan removed her apron, inviting everyone to pass plates to each other while she poured the tea.

Around 6.30pm, before serving dinner each night at 7, Nan removed her apron, tidied the wisps of hair that had escaped from the tightly twisted bun at the nape of her neck, and applied a slick of lipstick and a dab of perfume behind each ear. At 6.45 each evening, she walked out to the back veranda and rang the old ship’s bell and waved her apron, letting the men know that it was time to finish their chores, wash up and to change into a clean shirt for dinner in 15 minute’s time.

While not a ‘formal’ dinner in the usual sense of the word, Nan usually presided over a table set for 24 adults, with the odd small child or two perched on stools squeezed in between adults and polite table manners were expected from everyone. The food was almost entirely produced on our own property and serves were ample for the active lives led by everyone at the table.

I can’t imagine anyone inventing something to replace Nan’s indispensible apron, with its myriad of practical uses. No-one ever caught anything from her apron .......but LOVE!

Springing into spring

2011-03-07T17:14:00.003-07:00

According to those days of the week towels, today should be wash day. Should be but it’s not. Because I was so in the mood to hang the laundry outside to dry in a sunny, pre-spring breeze, and but for the snowstorm that arrived earlier in the day, so I would have.

Instead, I have brought my laundry basket upstairs to my writing

room and turned it on its side. Despite the gloom and chill outside, the view I have instead is this!

With the first hint of the season’s change, I always add a touch of spring to my daily wear. This year’s “hint of color” is a new satchel, pictured here amidst the snow that shows no sign of letting up.

I have a reputation for springing into spring a tad early, and so the tradition continues. Happy Monday, happiest one day closer to spring.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

an Unplugged Vaca

2011-02-26T07:33:00.002-07:00

For the past eight days, I've been on a vacation from electronics and the like, replaced with lots and lots of yakkity yak as my youngest sister and I took a road trip through the South. The purpose was to catch up with each other and friends and family along the way. Eight days of no emailing turned out to be the best vacation of all.

xxea
Tie one on...an apron, of course!

a Sew-Lovely Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-14T19:07:00.002-07:00

I bought this little plastic cupid cupcake “twizzle” a day-and-ever-so-ago and have waited since to use it on Valentine’s Day. The cherry on top was a last-minute decision & is impossibly adorable- so much so, I’ve decided it will become a tradition…as will pound cake for Valentine’s Day breakfast. A great start to any day, but with Cupid atop, a perfect start.

A busy day today and only toward late afternoon was I able to corral a Random Human to select the winner of today’s Sew Lovely Giveaway. Courtesy of a most agreeable bank teller, #63

will receive Steffani’s book and Ellen’s magazine. Congratulations, lois48!

When I was a girl, I used to practice writing my married name: Mrs. Elvis Presley. As things turned out, the time spent might have been put to better use.

Here’s to a Hunk o’ Burnin’ Love Valentine’s Day!

xxea

Tie One One…an apron, of course!

Global Apron Love

2011-02-10T09:49:00.005-07:00

For a while I’ve been thinking about the universality of aprons, and how in every major language, there is a word for apron

tablier - French

schutzblech - German

grembiule - Italian

エプロン - Japanese

앞치마 - Korean

avental - Portuguese

фартук - Russian

delantal - Spanish

停機坪 – Chinese

and that everyone, everyone (!) knows what an apron is and everyone has a story to tell.

Such musing has finally become a new apron initiative, where I will share aprons and stories collected from around the world. I’m very excited to debut…

by Marianne Katte

I was born into a family nuts about boat races. Both my parents were quite into water sports (Father rowed in an 8-man boat and Mother was a member of the Otter swim club), and my grandparents had a villa on the Dahme where regattas were held.

In 1936, the family had the chance to attend the Berlin Olympics. Everyone went, except for my mother, who was pregnant with me. In those days, pregnant women did not go out, so mother was pretty much housebound. Had it been winter, she could have worn a large coat, but there was no such camouflage in the summer. So she stayed home, and never really forgave me for it.

Mother (Eva Erika Ilse Katte, nee Lehrmann, at age 21) worked very hard to be the perfect housewife; she even ironed my diapers. In this photo, she is wearing a kittelschuerze – a full apron - to protect her clothing while bathing me. Berlin, 1937

My cousin Sigrid and me, dressed in dirndls and aprons. Berlin, 1938. I was so blond that I had practically no hair showing, and it was a trial for me because I also wanted to have such a wonderful bow in my hair.

_________________________________________________________

globalapron™ stories and pictures are welcome & may be submitted via my website. The direct link is here. I'll contact you when your story will be posted.

I'm always seeking to connect through the humble icon. I hope you will enjoy this new segment of my apron journey.

xxea

P.S. I must note that the globalapron™ logo is the design of graphic artist Mackenzie Miller. She is also responsible for my adorable Tie One On button. I’m such a visual person and Mackenzie deserves this shout out.

Oh! And there is time left to enter to win the Sew-Lovely Giveaway and the $25 amazon certificate courtesy of Kate Kelly. Entry for both giveaways here.

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

a Sew-Lovely Giveaway!

2011-02-07T18:04:00.008-07:00

a Sew-Lovely Giveaway!!

When I was invited to be a guest on Ellen March’s new PBS show, SewItAll!, there were multiple tapings scheduled for the day. My segment, Awesome Aprons!, began the marathon. Following set-up, run-through and make-up, there was lunch, and the opportunity

to visit with the next-up guest, Steffani Lincecum, whose segment is titled Knockout Knockoffs, where she teaches how to duplicate a favorite skirt using a paper rub-off technique.

Steffani knows her stuff. Just visit her website to learn of her background as a wardrobe designer in movies, television and for celebrities (Madonna!). Despite my love of all things Hollywood, it was her technique for creating a pattern of a beloved skirt (and who doesn’t have one) to be sewn over and over that really caught my interest.

Steffani has a gorgeous book just out that outlines exactly how to apply the rub-off technique to more than just a skirt, including an adorable purse, which I am bent on making.

Happy news here: Steffani has provided a copy of her book for me to give away. But that’s not all…

Ellen March is also offering a copy of the latest issue of SEWiTAll

So, to one lucky winner, Steffani’s book and Ellen’s magazine!

To enter, just leave a comment on this blog entry. Deadline for comments is late Sunday evening. Winner selected by Random Human and posted Monday, February 14th.

If you haven’t already contacted your local PBS station about carrying Ellen’s show, please do.

ONE MORE HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT

Storytelling is a major component of my apron journey. I never tire of listening to an apron recollection nor the process of translating the story into a unique voice. My friend, Kate Kelly, also uses storytelling within her niche project America Comes Alive! Kate has a way of making sense of today’s events through stories from America’s past. She is an accomplished author and writes about very interesting topics, like today’s magicians and Houdini, the American vacation, and air travel, when the skies were friendly.

Kate has a Valentine’s Day Giveaway going on. For a chance to win a $25.00 gift card to amazon, simply email Kate your favorite Valentine memory (kate@americacomesalive.com). The winner will be chosen on February 13.

I wouldn’t recommend Kate’s site if I didn’t enjoy it! Nor would I promote books or other such media if I didn’t believe there was value and entertainment in the selections. I feel very lucky to meet such talented women, who are also so sweet and generous.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Kitchen Utility Kitsch or Art

2011-02-05T18:01:00.004-07:00

Jack Frost and his date, Winter Wonderland, are back. Their return is depressing – I’m just not a snow person. On the upside, the farmlands around here will be in the green come spring, and that’s reason to celebrate. So, I baked a cake.

Sifting the flour is key to a cake’s success, and I happen to have the cheeriest vintage Fifties sifter. Just looking at it brings a smile.

None of the modern utilities bring me joy like this sifter. Imagine if today’s coffeemaker was offered with graphic designs by street artists, like Banksy or Keith Haring. How cool would that be?

The weather outside may be frightful, but we’ve got cake.

Wonderful giveaway coming up Monday!!

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

apronology #3 giveaway winner!

2011-01-27T08:57:00.003-07:00

My contributor’s issue of apronology #3 arrived yesterday. From editor Beth Livesay’s very thoughtful and beautifully written musing on the “state of the apron,” this issue is the most gorgeous yet, with the artistry of the apron taken to creative levels I hadn’t imagined possible. I am so honored my apron was selected!

While the northeast is snowed in, out here on the High Plains the day is sunny, warm and perfect for an early morning stroll around our town’s Riverwalk. Thank you, agreeable Random Human, for pausing by the fantasy paddleboats and choosing the winner of the apronology #3 giveaway. Congratulations, katmom!

apronology #4 is accepting submissions – deadline is September 15th. It’s not too soon to begin daydreaming and formulating an apron that reflects your creative self. And while you’re awaiting inspiration, be ready to be awestruck by the apronologists of apronology #3.

xxea

Tie One On..an apron, of course!

Mail Order Nostalgia

2011-01-25T18:12:00.007-07:00

My bedside reading looks like the drop off to a recycle center, with stacks of magazines and catalogs awaiting my attention. I have favorites, like Johnnie Boden, from which I will order baby gifts for two sets of newly arrived twins, and for me, a brightly patterned skirt and a pink sweater, as proof positive and spirit lifter that spring is but a few months away.

New catalogs arrive several times a week, and their delivery elicits genuine excitement. From the way I behave, you’d think the year was 1930, I lived a rural existence, and Montgomery Ward’s “Wish Book” had just arrived.

Back then, millions of Americans shopped “Monkey Ward’s” catalog for items unavailable to them locally. Everything imaginable was offered, from full-sized bungalow-style homes (delivered as individual pieces requiring assembly) to Famous Broadway Records (5 for $1.49). While the larger catalogs showed over 10,000 items on 200 pages, there were smaller, seasonal editions as well, like this one advertising a summer sale

During the 90-day sale, every item was priced at a savings double that of the regular price. With money scarce because of the depression, any savings was a good deal

And if one was in the market to upgrade an appliance, this was the time to buy. $59.95 during the sale, double the amount come September 1.

The 1930 MW catalog is one of many in my collection of vintage publications. I’ve been working on a piece about the old catalogs and had recently looked through this particular edition, which is why this item in the February Country Living really got my attention.

I just knew I’d seen it advertised in the MW catalog, and sure enough. Valued today at $2000.00, the original was featured in the 1930 summer sale catalog for $48.45!

The Windsor of 1930 would have been purchased when women knew how to use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. And what they did own was carefully tended.

The value of this immaculate antique stove in today’s market would flabbergast the original owner. Were she here to see her Windsor featured in CL and appraised at 40 times what she paid in 1930, her reaction would be one of those glorious Antiques Roadshow moments, and absolutely priceless.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Apron Strings at apronology

2011-01-21T15:44:00.006-07:00

I often pinch myself in disbelief that a love of aprons has for twelve years now brought into my life such bounty of storytelling, aprons, friendships and the opportunities to share that journey.

In October, I was the guest of the Santa Barbara area’s quilt guild (another story to share in an upcoming blog). There I met-up with Jini Burkholder and her very agreeable husband/chauffeur Dean. We’d first crossed paths earlier in the year when I was speaking in Farmington, NM. Jini prevailed on Dean to drive from their home in Phoenix to meet me, share her apron collection and a unique piece of sewing history (another blog story!).

I share this preamble because Dean drove Jini and me to Laguna to meet Beth Livesay, editor of apronology. And then he stayed and took all the photos and videos you’re about to see. What a guy!

Here we are in the lobby of Stampington & Company: Beth Livesay, ea and Jini

Extra hugs as Beth and I marvel we’re finally meeting after three years of emailing

The Stampington operation is spread out among several facilities. Following Beth from one building to the next, we walked through a narrowing corridor, which struck me as a Canyon of Creativity:

apron*ology tour_Canon of Creativity

Everywhere you look are stacks, shelves, and racks of inspiration and submissions

Offices line the many corridors. My head spun like that poor girl in the Exorcist! Doorways like this one just enchanted – that’s a dress constructed of paper

With Beth’s encouragement, we walked on into this office and met Amanda Crabtree, editor of Belle Armoire. Amanda’s greeting was of such warmth, which I quickly learned is the “Stampington Way.” I just knew this visit was going to be a special time indeed.

Along the corridor of editors’ offices is this wall sculpture with a timeless quote by Coco Chanel

Each office is like a snowglobe – an environment a-jumble with creative stimuli that’s specific to the creative spirit of the editor. This office belongs to Christen Olivarez, editor-in-chief and director of publishing. To fit the picture to this page, I had to crop the overflowing tables and stacks of inspiration lining the walls. I loved this space

Christen returned to her office as I was still oohing and carrying on about the filtered light from the windows, and in the “Stampington manner,” allowed for a photo so y’all might see just who oversees dozens of art-centric publications

Submissions to various magazines are displayed on tables and racks for editors’ consideration. This jewelry was awaiting a or verdict

Anyone who has sent off a creation of (he)art knows the anxiety of concern and whether they will ever see it again. Submissions to the magazines of Stampington arrive daily and someone with an eye to detail records their intake and caretakes their return. That person of he(art) is Michelle Nolan

Even the wall space surrounding the copy machine is a canvas of expression – wallpapered with the magazines’ covers (note to self – do this with vintage magazine covers!)

On her way to a meeting with Christen, Stampington’s publisher, Kellene Giloff, stopped to introduce herself. Kellene started Stampington as an outlet to share her love of stamping. That single publication has grown to dozens! Kellene is a dedicated, hands-on publisher, and many careers have been nurtured through her example of hard work. Beth spoke of her

admiration of Kellene in this video – which has us multi-tasking (walking and talking) on our way to lunch

Beth shares her joy of her job at Stamington

When you live in the landlocked Southwest, fresh seafood tacos are the BEST!

Our first stop following lunch was to pop into Beth’s office – here’s one bitty corner. It’s a very happy environment - feels like a birthday party is about to take place!

Jini purchased back issues of apronology, which Beth took time to personalize. FYI: you, too, can purchase the past two editions, but hurry – few left of #1 and #2’s inventory is quickly depleting. Contact Stampington for info

Then it was time to primp for our photo session - a surprise from Beth…that I will appear alongside her in issue #3! The apron I’m tying on is one I designed from vintage taffeta – it was my entry into this year’s competition. Yes, I enter like everyone else!

Finding more common ground – we both love vintage cherry anything, the color pink and a funny story. Such is a friendship further forged.

Posing for our picture – the photographer is Johanna Love, who is responsible for the mesmerizing beauty of apronology and Stampington’s other publications. Personally, I think it’s the photography that transforms these magazines into keepsakes. I take very good care of my issues of apronology, following all the good rules of page turning to keep the edges crisp. I can’t wait to see issue #3 – which was still being created when I visited, so I’ll be as surprised and delighted as y’all when it debuts

With Dean keeping an eye to the clock and gently reminding us just who was doing the driving through Los Angeles (def not me - heart palpitations just thinking about it), it was time to say goodbye. One final stop by Beth’s office to pick up our take-home bags of Stampington goodies.

Then this – a wave and a beautiful smile from the editor of our favorite annual magazine!

Stampington is a third-year sponsor if National Tie One On Day, and the 5 winners of NTOOD’s 2010 goodie bag giveaway are receiving their very own issue of apronology #3, which will be available for sale February 1st.

Beth is giving away one copy of #3 through my blog. Do click here to enter.

I hope this long, long entry is one you’ve enjoyed as much as I delighted in sharing my visit with Beth. So it is with aprons – an unexpected bounty of storytelling, aprons and friendship.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

apron*ology Countdown Giveaway!

2011-01-17T17:54:00.017-07:00

Here it is – the cover of issue #3 !!!!

Sticking with tradition, this yearly edition of apron love will publish February 1st, and as in the past, I’ll be giving away a pre-publication copy courtesy of Best Livesay, editor of the only magazine devoted to the art of the apron.

So, how to enter to win this prize of prizes? Just leave a comment on this blog by late evening on Wednesday, January 26th. Winner selected by Random Human and announced Thursday afternoon.

Beginning tomorrow, I’ll be posting about my October visit to Stampington’s headquarters in Laguna, home of apron*ology and dozens of artistic publications. Here’s a peek: After three years of emailing, Beth and I finally meet!

Which brings me to announcing that with the new year is a new way to stay in touch and up to date with what's what in apron land - the new Apron Memories Facebook page !

Now to get going on tomorrow's posting! I'm so excited for y'all to see the world of apron*ology.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

Apron Chronicles at the Cowgirl Museum

2011-01-09T18:11:00.002-07:00

Apron Chronicles is a large exhibit, comprised of 150 vintage aprons, 46 framed photographic portraits and accompanying storyboards. When hung, there isn’t always the space to show the “face” of Apron Chronicles, Miss Ada Florence Ashford. Fortunately, the Cowgirl Museum’s gallery layout allowed for Miss Ada’s portrait to greet guests upon their entrance to the exhibit. I was so thrilled to see Miss Ada in such a position of honor. Diana Vela is the museum’s exhibit’s registrar and curator – here we are at the portal to the gallery

Following months of conversation and preparation for my visit, I finally met Lauren Williams, Cowgirl’s research coordinator and artist “handler.”

This is a photo of the exhibit, to the right of the entrance. From this perspective, everything looks so small, when in reality, the space is quite large and the exhibit fills every inch! What’s unique to this display is the vintage armoire, where aprons are hanging for visitors to try on.

Here’s a close-up. One side is mirrored, which also serves to reflect the exhibit on the back wall. A great idea, which I’ll be certain to pass along to future venues.

Cowgirl also managed to assemble chef-signed aprons for an apron raffle-off, the proceeds to benefit the museum’s educational efforts.

Every museum and art center is unique, and Cowgirl is no exception. In this one photo, I tried to capture the incredibleness of the view from the second floor of the rotunda. The pictures of the women are actually 3-D glass portraits that change to new faces as you change position. I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve not done justice to how awesome it is.

The second floor is devoted to the most imaginative displays, each celebrating the women of the American West.

A new display is from Temple Grandin. She gave the museum her original drawing of the cattle ramp and one of her favorite shirts, which she embroidered herself. Immaculate, teeny stitches. Just beautiful.

Between the docents’ gathering , gallery talks, members pre-opening, the loveliest luncheon and my Apron Memories presentation, I met many of Ft. Worth’s apronistas. I’d hoped my path would cross with one such, Margaret Acton, who had written me earlier that she planned to attend the Friday event. Well, she made it, along with a box of her mother’s exquisite handwork. I’m posting Margaret’s story about her talented mom and more photos on my website’s homepage.

If you have an apron or domestic arts-goods story and photos to share, please do so through my website. I’m so pleased to celebrate the handiwork of the women who helped us to become who we are today.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!