storytelling | Apron Memories

The Apron Book And Their Stories

On December 20, 2017 By EllynAnne In Blog

I am so fortunate to have a space in our home dedicated to just my apron world. With southern and western window exposure, the room light filled year around. Seven years ago I painted it a perfect deep yellow, and even on the chilliest days, with the sun and yellow walls, it feels warm and cozy.

But for sporadic attempts to keep the space tidy, it represents my habit of not putting anything away. Peruse a magazine source, find inspiration, and set it down; years of such a practice, and not to wonder the result.

The habitual habit of never putting things back in their place

What finally motivated an epic tidying was not my conscience nor Prince Charming’s eye rolling, but that all the pieces had fallen into place for promotional activity in conjunction with The Apron Book. With the support of the publisher, Andrews McMeel, Beth flew from her home to mine, where we were joined by Tracy Wahl, the producer of my 2006 NPR All Things Considered segment.

I had but days to “make it work.” Without an idea of how to begin, I just did. Loathe to hide away the collections I so love being surrounded by, I chose a selection to display. The remainder went into cupboards and bins and suitcases, hidden by the quilt and oil cloth covering tables. So I’d know at a glance what was in each storage point, I hung clues on the doors: a child’s apron designated children’s books and games; an apron with a tea towel embroidered with a lady reading a cookbook = cupboard of cookbooks; a vintage sewing manual….and so on. A selection of sewing patterns is lined up in a child’s valise, a picnic basket holds vintage black and white snapshots, pamphlets on food, etiquette and household tips peek out of perfectly sized make up cases. I was on a roll! And the end result is amazing and wonderful and joyous.

Organizing the collections seemed impossible, until the tactic began to make visual sense

Using pieces of my collections to hold like collectibles brought order to the room

The computer screen is tucked beneath the table until its needed

The filming of Beth and me chatting aprons was the gift of Dustin Hodges, a professional in the field and a best friend.

A happy hug after chatting for an hour about our apron journeys in cute aprons and fabulous heels

The next morning, Beth, Tracy and I discussed The Apron Book and why the apron remains relevant in the modern landscape of women’s choices. That discussion is a podcast, which you can listen to HERE:

Contribute your written apron story and pictures at apronmemories.com/stories
Share your apron story recordings and videos at facebook.com/apronmemories
#theapronbook on Instagram & Twitter

This collage is a pictorial summary of our gathering. So many smiles, hugs, tears and love, as the best journeys are.

A summary collage shares the smiles, hugs, tears and love

Find us throughout social media! And join the movement of apron love by tying one on…an apron, of course!

Gratefully, EllynAnne

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #6 – Cristie Coffman

On October 22, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #6
Cristie Coffman is a professional caterer, a career that requires apron coverage. But the apron she holds most dear is from her childhood – bright yellow gingham with a flower pot shaped pocket, sewn for her by her doting Grandma Lily.

Everyone knows what an apron is and everyone has a story to share!

Listen:

» Right-click and download here (9.6MB / 3mins 50secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #5 – Ray Moore

On October 18, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #5
Ray Moore has loving memories of his grandmother. Always wearing her gingham apron, she showed him how to safely gather eggs from pecking chickens, then set the eggs gently into the lap of her apron. Focusing on her kind demeanor, Ray recalls the difficulty of her life and his last visit with her.

Everyone knows what an apron is and everyone has a story to share!

Listen:

» Right-click and download here (11.3MB / 5mins 40secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #2 – Judith Olson Gregory

On October 7, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #2 – Installation artist Judith Olson Gregory was seeking an object through which to explore the word ‘Grace’, when she received an apron that ultimately inspired an exhibit.

Contribute your written apron story and pictures at www.apronmemories.com/stories
Share your apron story recordings and videos at https://www.facebook.com/apronmemories/
#theapronbook on Instagram & Twitter

Listen:

» Right-click and download here (9.92MB / 4mins 9secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

THE APRON BOOK: Podcast #1 – Apron Memories

On September 27, 2017 By EllynAnne In Podcast

New: THE APRON BOOK : Podcast #1 – Author EllynAnne Geisel, foreword contributor Beth Livesay and producer/interviewer Tracy Wahl, formerly of npr, chat about their connection to aprons, the continuing relevance of aprons in today’s world, and connecting to the past while moving forward.

Enjoy listening to the podcast!

» Right-click and download here (31.3MB / 27mins 47secs)

About The Apron Book:

Warm and inviting, but (like an apron) quite practical, The Apron Book is a celebration of a great American icon. Apron enthusiast Ellynanne Geisel, who curated the traveling exhibit, Apron Chronicles, returns us to hearth and home in this updated edition of the award-winning book. In this paperback edition, EllynAnne reflects on the grassroots movement of apron love in a new introduction, and a new foreword by the former editor of Apronology magazine expounds on EllynAnne’s mantra that aprons don’t hold us back; they take us back because the connection to the past is a strong one.

The Apron Book showcases full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from Geisel’s vast collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the history and heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, or for a special occasion.

Available To Pre-Order:

Order at Amazon.com

Order at Barnes & Noble

Order at Indiebound

Order at Booksamillion.com

Order at Andrews McMeel

Listening with Pleasure

On February 5, 2014 By EllynAnne In Blog

In the 15 years since I took that first step on my apron journey, I’ve received many aprons in the mail. Always, the aprons are lovingly packaged, as if to make the best first impression upon arrival.

When I spy a large envelope in the mail delivery, my heart beats a tad faster because I anticipate it holds a piece of someone’s history. Such a package arrived this week.

The apron was double wrapped, first in yellow tissue with the sender’s information handwritten on a piece of kitty stationery, and secondly in pink.

The apron is of a dressy nature, perhaps worn over a Sunday Best dress, to serve dinner after church. It was a kit, purchased or received as a gift, and sewn entirely by hand. A stain from a kitchen mishap or storage in a leaky trunk is the only blemish, which is amazing, considering its from the 1920s.

Not only did the sender provide her address, but a phone number. Upon my ringing her up, E.S. shared that she lives in Iowa and the apron belonged to her grandmother, Carrie Cameron Lathrop. Carrie was a farmer’s wife, known throughout the area as a great storyteller. E.S. loved visiting the farm and spending time with her grandmother. She always wore an apron, but when she passed, I took just this one as a remembrance.

The apron is in my care now because E.S. is herself “getting on in years,” and she’s divesting of her treasures as she wishes, while she is still able.

E.S. inherited Grandma Carrie’s storytelling talent, and I was a willing audience to her recollections, especially her telling of hitchhiking to Colorado in 1952!

E.S. was twenty-two years old when she and two girlfriends hitched rides from Iowa to Denver. Their adventure lasted a year, ending when her friends up and married. Alone and lonely for family, E.S. borrowed the money for bus fare and returned home. But oh, her memories of Aspen, Boulder, and being a “single gal” in a city filled with rugged, western males. I adored hearing her voice lighten as she remembered that time and the adventure of her life.

One of the many lessons I’ve learned over the years of this apron journey is the value of practicing the old fashioned virtue of patience, zipping my lips and letting the apron direct the memory of the storyteller. A story unfolding on its own time frame eventually revealed something new about the human experience. Patience taught me that and I am the grateful recipient of the lesson.

E.S. will be 86 in March. While I’ll send a card and a little wrapped something, I know the gift she would appreciate most is a phone call and a patient ear. If I make it to her age, and in decent form, I so hope there will be a kind somebody with a willingness to hear an old lady tell a story.

xx EA

Fair Daze Finale

On August 25, 2011 By EllynAnne In Blog

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!

Memories of a Button

On February 7, 2010 By EllynAnne In Blog

I’ve often been asked, if there is a domestic icon other than the apron that serves as a memory trigger. Although I’ve given it lots of thought, I could not come up with one.

The button box posting, however, turned out to be a surprising trigger for many. Given the ten+ years I’ve collected recollections prompted by the apron, I should have anticipated there’d be a response to the button box. After all, both are within our domestic history, and had I thought about it, I would have figured the button box also connects us to earlier generations.

One story I received is so precious, I had to share it with y’all. Tracy Fullington of Georgetown, Kentucky writes:

“You’ve just inspired me to collect my buttons and sift through them like stones. Reading your blog and seeing this bountiful button box makes me so nostalgic…

I remember being just six years old and finding a pearly white two-holed button on the playground one day. She shone with grandeur in my eyes and I pocketed the small treasure. I wondered what stories she would tell me if only I could listen close enough… How did she fall to the lonely ground? Had she popped off a fairy princess’ gown? Oh, the stories Miss Button might hold… Try as I might, my incessant chattering to Miss Button and my classmates unveiled no magical stories. Instead, my chatter landed me, my desk and Miss Button in front of the class and next to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Rich. Instructed to stop talking to my classmates, my only concern was whether I could continue to talk to Miss Button. To my delight, I was allowed to chatter on to Miss Button, who never did reveal her secrets. Oh, to be childlike and innocent enough to lose yourself imagining life through the eyes of a button…”

I asked Tracy if her mother recalled Miss Button, which prompted further recollection:

“I remember the first grade button–you had a little box you kept all the ones you found in. I know I got in trouble with you when I washed your jeans and you thought button was gone. Luckily,it turned up in bottom of washer!! I sure remember you were always intrigued with unusual buttons. Grammy kept her button collection in a canister–you always wanted to dump them out and play with them. That’s how I taught you to count–add and subtract. You always wanted to take the canister to school, but I knew better for you–so it stayed home. Still have the canister of buttons of Grammy’s–now and then I need one to replace one. I also remember where lots she saved came from–my childhood.”

On its own, Tracy’s story is perfect. However, it’s the addition of her mother’s memory of the same incident that creates a collective, generational keepsake. And the school photo of Tracy was scanned by her dad…a true family collaboration.

Storytelling is made all the better when different perspectives can be interwoven. If the women and men of your life are still here, ask the simplest question – Do you remember that time…and prepare to be delighted with the response.

Aprons. Button Boxes. Just ask the question.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!

P.S. Five days left to enter the Sweetie-Pie Giveaway! Click here for details.