globalapron | Apron Memories

globalapron Sweden

On January 9, 2012 By EllynAnne In Blog

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.

globalapron PERU!

On May 26, 2011 By EllynAnne In Blog

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!

Global Apron Love

On February 10, 2011 By EllynAnne In Blog

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.

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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!