Making a real McCoy: an authentic vintage sewing apron

No longer in eclipse, they’re the craze in sewing circles and clubs.
Everyone wants one; an authentic vintage apron.

Aprons, a symbol of the home, leisure and relaxation after other “wifery” activities were complete, are a tie to our past; a badge of pride.

Worn to protect clothing, but also to add daintiness to the costume or to mark the state of the lady of the house. An apron was an important piece of clothing. No lady’s wardrobe was complete without a useful supply.

Worn by Queen Anne (and her subjects) and in the days of Louis XIII, every fair chatelaine wore a dainty delight, during music lessons and tea parties, not as a symbol of servitude, but of usefulness, self-sufficiency, artistry and yes, status.

The amount of money and skill that went into their construction was surprising.

Aprons were so popular an attempt even by a scholar to categorize them would prove daunting, if not possible, and as difficult as compiling a dictionary.

Apron popularity began waning in the 1960s. In recent years, their popularity is resurfacing.

When discussing authentic vintage aprons the words: vintage, reproduction and authentic are used interchangeably to refer to a “real McCoy” apron which has survived the rigors of time. Or an apron made to replicate a real McCoy as near as possible to an original.

How do you go about making your own version of the real McCoy?

Old sewing books

First rule, to make or adequately purchase an “authentic” apron, research is required.
No apron is authentic, without knowledge of what a particular apron was or wasn’t during a particular point in time.

A good starting point is visiting your local library and browsing newspaper and magazine archives from sources such as the San Francisco Call, the Examiner, the San Francisco Herald, Omaha Bee, Delineator, Home Journal and Pictorial Review.

Old sewing books, as a must, are primary sources of information due to aprons favored status as a must-do projects in wifery and home economic classes.

Lastly, go to the internet. Focus on sites providing solid information related to the history and making of aprons. Not all web content is creditable. Pick sources carely.

Step 2
How do you actually make an authentic version of this symbol of the home? Use an apron pattern of an authentic vintage apron, a vintage apron as a template or instructions from an old newspaper or book.

If you’re using a vintage sewing pattern, printed or unprinted, be prepared to tweak the pattern and make adjustments.
Not all old apron patterns are user-friendly and as well-written as those of today. Most will not work without ingenuity.

Why?

Graded patterns weren’t sold until 1863, after Ebenezer Butterick and his wife invented them in their home and began selling the patterns door-to-door. Even then, patterns were made of crude cardboard and made solely for men.

During this time most women and a great many men had more than basic knowledge of sewing because sewing was such a vital part of society. Especially for woman who didn’t have many opportunities outside of the home in terms of employment.

Ebenezer’s patterns weren’t meant to eliminate the need for seamstress and tailoring skills. One needed more than general knowledge of sewing to work effectively with the patterns. Armed with that knowledge and Ebenezer’s “professional” template, home sewing became simpler, more stylish and less inconvenient.


With advance skills, one can use an actual apron as a template or follow print instructions from an old newspaper or book.

Stuffs, notions and other useful things


Step 3
Good seamstresses work with a muslin prior to starting garment projects. The same rule applies when making intricate aprons.

Admittedly, muslins aren’t necessary when making simple plain half aprons without bells and whistles. A scrap piece of fabric, needle and thread suffices.

In making full-size kitchen, work and garden aprons, such simplicity and unattractiveness would not do. Nor was it recommended when making fancy work half aprons: tea, chafing and sewing aprons.

Women took pride in making even purchased aprons their own. Often adding fancy work, embroidery and appliqué to enhance the apron’s beauty; regardless of its practical usefulness, which was as important as beauty and daintiness.

Because of these facts, muslins save considerable time, money and effort.

Step 4
Invest in vintage fabric, vintage fabric reproductions or fabrics true to the period of your chosen apron.
Doing so greatly improves authenticity of your apron.

Leaf through old sewing books, magazines and newspapers, in addition to quality on-line sources to get a solid foundation on what materials and prints were available and used during your apron’s period of creation.

The most popular apron materials were gingham and muslin. Percale, dimity, dotted swiss, linen, organdies, batiste, calico, denim, flowered lawn; crepe de chine and even silk were also popular.

Step 5
At the early turn of the century and prior, while aprons could be purchased from mercantile, general and stuffs stores, no one apron was alike.

Even so, the preference was to make your own.

No authentic vintage apron is true to form without elements of hand sewing: hemming, embroidering and appliquéing.
Fancy stitching such as old-time shadow embroidery and hemstitching or lines of embroidery (perhaps initials worked in one corner of a linen apron) add to the artistry of your apron and aura of self-sufficiency.

The beauty, for a beginning seamstress, lies in knowing those crooked stitches and minor imperfections add to the charm.

Step 6
Embroidery and appliqué designs are quite common on old aprons. Search old pattern books and visit online store and auction sites which specialize in transfer and appliqué patterns.

Step 7
When it’s all said and done, authenticity lies in the details. Search thrift, yard and estate sales for leftover buttons, thread, snaps, ric rac, binding, braid, lace and ribbon.

These special touches and improvisation to individual liking make your apron your own; whilst remaining true to the authenticity of the past.
Photos: Calandra Ferguson

For more info: Visit Sew Craftful: a blog of a vintagely insprired seamstress.
17/07/2009