The Merry Maid's Apron

I have long admired clothing of the past. Shawls from the Colonial period. Modest, graceful dresses from the Victorian days (no style of dress, I believe, could possibly be more feminine and lovely). Especially tidy-looking aprons from the Edwardian era. One day, watching The Masterpiece Theatre's absolutely perfect rendition of Pollyanna, I adamantly promised myself that I would one day find a pattern for and sew an apron from Edwardian era. Soon thereafter, when blissfully perusing Sense and Sensibility Patterns, I found it! And, a few weeks after I received my pattern in the mail, I created my very own Edwardian apron.

The sewing process was a delightful undertaking. It went together so quickly. And, oh -- it is the most comfortable apron I have ever donned! I despise aprons that tie around the neck. Whenever I wear such aprons I feel as though I'm in a perpetual tug of war. (chuckle) The Edwardian apron feels so natural, you wonder it's there. I have but one qualm regarding my particular apron, however. When I selected the material, it was in haste, and so I did not realize until later that it was a very lightweight cotton. Therefore, when I wear my apron over dark clothing (as in the photos below), it is very... obvious, shall we say. =) Ah, well. We do learn from our mistakes. (Such mistakes tend to drive perfectionists mad, however. =D) Nevertheless, I can say one thing I can say to the material's credit: wearing a long, full apron in the hot summer heat will be less oppressive.

Some comments I read regarding the apron pattern mentioned that the shoulder straps tend to fall easily. I could foresee the frustration of that, so before I sewed the bias binding around the neck, I made a few small tucks at the top edge of the bodice. I put the apron on and gathered until it felt tight enough so they would not slip.

I expectantly plan to stock up on material this summer so that I can create aprons to sell on an Etsy shop which I intend to open eventually. Time has not yet permitted it, but hopefully my ideas will come to fruition before the year is ended.

Do enjoy the photos! I was preparing bread for the bread machine as they were being taken. (As you can see, my precious kitty Duchess was keeping me company. =) May you be inspired to sew your own apron!  The pattern is available for purchase here.