Since the first of the year I’ve made a real effort to clean out drawers and closets. I want to share things we no longer use with others as well as get rid of some of the clutter.
One chest I went through had several things Miss Cindy’s grandmother made in it. Her name was Dollie Elizabeth Sharp Mease. I had forgotten about the items. In the little collection there are some doilies, little decorative pieces, and an apron that she made.
As I was sorting I thought about the old apron. Miss Cindy kept it for no telling how long and now here I’ve had it for at least 25 years if not longer. I decided I should wear it if it fit.
I’ve found some aprons feel right and others don’t—just like regular clothes. Once I put on Dollie’s apron I knew it was one I would wear often. The top is a little big but other than that it fits just fine.
The old apron is well worn. That’s one reason it feels so good. One of my favorite things about the apron is the patch on one of the pockets. I imagine Dollie carried all sorts of things in her pockets. Chicken eggs and vegetables come to mind. Maybe even rich pine or kindling for starting the cookstove fire.
I haven’t always worn aprons.
When I worked at the college serving during an event I realized how handy the pockets on an apron are, not to mention the way they protect your good clothes.
These days I can’t do anything in the kitchen without tying on an apron. Without one I feel like a carpenter without a hammer.
I’m glad I held on to Dollie’s apron all these years. I guess you could say it’s delayed gratification to enjoy it today in 2025.
Tipper
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Tipper, I was very pleased to see at one of your Christmastime articles an old essay I had written remembering the Santa Train, a story I had forgotten. I left a comment.
Thank you for reminding me of the essay. It brought back one of my fondest memories.
Speaking of aprons! I am new to your blog and YouTube channel and have been thinking about the Blind Pig/Celebrating Appalachia apron you wear in some of your videos. Do you ever offer it for sale? Love you and your family!
Judy-Thank you!! A subscriber made me that apron 🙂
What a lovely gift! Well, new merch idea! I, and I’d bet others, would love it if you’d start selling your own version of it! I’ll take two!
That apron is a pretty pattern and is for sure a treasure, and the doilies and the other things also, for you and her great granddaughters to have. I like her name too!
One of the women that I had taken care of , after she passed , her daughter gave me one of Evelyn’s aprons. I like the ones that’s been worn. Their so soft and not stiff. Im like you Tipper, I can cook without get something on me.
how can I order a cookbook from you, please reply
Richard-you can purchase one online here: https://blindpigandtheacorn.etsy.com/listing/1467868257/celebrating-southern-appalachian-food or you can email me at blindpigandtheacorn@gmail.com if you prefer to order by mail. Thank you!
Beautiful !!!
I’ve seen my late grandmother’s wear very similar aprons. I’m sure they made them. At least my Grandma Jones sewed. I can’t remember if Grandma Cooper did. Thanks for another charming memory Miss Tipper. Enjoy your new (old) apron. That’s what it was made for. Love, prayers and blessings to all. Today tomorrow and always. J
Tipper, one of the most precious items I have from my Mom are her beautiful aprons. Some are quite worn out proving that she provided numerous delicious meals for her family wearing these aprons. I also inherited her only jewelry she had, a pair of earrings and of course her wedding rings. I tresure them always. God bless you and your family. Warm regards to Granny Wilson.God bless her.
Good morning everyone, hi Tipper! My mom’s mom was a tiny woman, and she always wore aprons. Like you said, I watched her gather eggs for one pocket and she had her small can of snuff along with a hankerchief in the other pocket. I still have that little can, and it has snuff still in it. Visiting Mammaw and Pappaw in the Arkansas mountains way way up there in the hills I got to spend summers with them. One of my all time memories of her was sitting in the wagon seat, and her telling me the stories of how she would sit by her father in the covered wagon going to western/panhandle of Texas. When she passed away I was given the wagon seat…I cherished it. Keeping it in the barn out of the weather and sitting in it when it rained….what a beautiful sound. I was fortunate to have this treasure….then in 2000, lost the barn and many treasures in a fire.
One day we will sit together again!!
Please give Granny a hug and kiss for me!!
What a lovely treasure! I’m a classically trained chef (retired), so I’ve worn aprons for years. I no longer wear one as often as I used to, but they sure are handy. I thought the same thing as another of your readers, I can’t wait to see you wear your ‘new’ apron in future videos. Enjoy your new treasure! ☮️
I love this story, Tipper. Thank you for sharing. Both my grandmothers died before my parents were married so I never knew them, but I’m sure they both wore aprons. My mother wore aprons and I have one that belonged to her. I do love an “apron story”.
I love to wear an apron. We just learned this week that they used to call it “a napron”. Nape is the Latin word for cloth and is where we get the word napkin as well. Over time it moved from “a napron” to “an apron”. Isn’t that so interesting? As a homeschooling mama, gardener, and chicken keeper I’m sure you can imagine all the tidbits I pull out of my apron pockets at end of day
What a pretty apron that is! I like the color. How special it must be for you to still have it after all these years.
My maternal grandmother wore an apron every day all day. One of the last times I ever saw her was in the middle of July. She was out working in her garden in pants, rubber boots, a dress, an apron, a long sleeved flannel shirt and a wide brimmed straw hat. When I asked her if she wasn’t burning up in all that getup, she said “Well it keeps the sun off of me!”
In my youth (1940s and 50s 0 most all the community ladies wore aprons made from sturdy material ‘ some from flour sacks. My Maw Seward wore one every day, used for many purposes. First to keep her clothes from being splattered from grease while cooking. The apron served other purposes also to wipe her hands after mixing biscuits or cakes, a hot pad for lifting items from the stove, as a dish towel, or to fan smoke from the kitchen when food burned. The apron could be used to; gather eggs or vegetables, clothes pins. You could carry corn to feed the chickens or transport baby chickens or kittens. She would get several days use before washing the apron and on close observation it might reveal what some of the meals were.
There is an apron museum in Iuka, Ms that has several hundred aprons on display but I have never been able to be there when it is open. They have information on the web and have a face book page. I talked to the lady today and she said it is best to call before going for they do not have a regular schedule but do live close by and will open the museum for visitors.
Thanks for your endeavors.
That I so lovely. I love aprons. I’m so messy I’d ruin all my clothes if I didn’t wear one. I like to wear one gardening too.
That apron is precious and I love the fabric.
It took me a while to see the two rings of hand stitches in that neat patch. My mom almost always wore aprons like yours that she had made. I still have her treadle sewing machine. She made shirts for us boys, too, and hand-stitched many a denim patch for our jeans and overalls. Then came handy iron-on patches. I wonder if they still sell them?
What a wonderful story! I remember all of the aprons my mama, grandmama and aunts wore. One of the most special memories I have was when I was a young girl, a sweet lady in our church made matching aprons for mama and me. The pockets were heart shaped. Mama said they were so fancy we had to save them for special occasions. I have a couple of favorite ones that I wear now, especially when I am frying something. I think it’s so special that you are wearing your great-grandmother’s apron. I love the color and the patched pocket. That’s so sweet!!
I love aprons!!!!! How I wish I had kept an apron that had belonged to both of my grandmothers!!!!! Both of my grandmothers sewed most of their own aprons. Many of them had been made from flour sacks.
Now that’s special! I know we aren’t spose to keep treasures but if you were gonna, that would be one. I have ever so many linens from my old family. Dishes from my Grandma. I use my mommas silverware. It’s the real old silver. Most of it has worn off the spoon & fork parts but the handles are still nice. I don’t know, it keeps me connected to my old family
The apron is beautiful! What a wonderful treasure for Woody and Ira to grow up seeing you wear their Great-Great-Great Grandmother’s apron.
What a great memory which brought up precious memories of learning to cook with my grandmother with whom I lived for the first five years of my life in Northern New York State. She always wore an apron as I sat on a stool beside her watching how to make pies, chocolate chip cookies and strawberry jam. That was over 75 years ago and I still bake and cook for my grateful husband of nearly 59 years. Hope to pass on the cooking and caring gene to my grands. Best wishes and blessings to you and yours.
Aahhh…the memories an apron brings – my grandmothers always wore an apron – in the kitchen or in the garden – whatever chore needed doing inside the home or out, those pockets came in handy for so much ‘stuff’ – like an extra pair of hands. Although I have always love aprons, I did not pick up the habit for many years but now I also wear an apron. These days I especially love the ‘hug’ I feel when I wear one of my husbands aprons that he always used – he loved to cook & bake. (a professional chef). What a treasure you found again Tipper in this apron. 🙂 Thank you for sharing it with us.
There’s nothing like apron pockets. The gems that can be found in them! I had all the aprons my grandmother made and lost them in a move several years ago—such a loss. Aprons and hankies were things I always associated with my grandmother. I still have the hankies and they range from plain to printed to handmade beauties with embroidery. I still wear aprons and love them more if they have a pocket. Hankies have been replaced with tissue packs.
Seeing you in this apron brings memories of my Mother. She always wore an apron , and they were made by her own hands. Daddy would go to the nearby town to buy feed for the hogs–I always heard it referred to as red-dog, a mix with the left over scraps, etc. The sacks were in all manner of prints, Mom would tell him to “pick out some pretty ones”, she would make aprons from them. I still have a couple of those, in my box of memories.
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I have my Grandmas aprons. They were definitely a utility item.
That’s a lovely color. I’m sure Dollie would be downright tickled if she knew her apron would be worn and enjoyed by a large audience in 2025. Thank you for sharing with us, Tipper! I am blessed to own my grandma’s apron. It’s also very well worn and tells many stories. I love it.
Oh Tipper, what a wonderful treasure you have of Grandma Dollie !
I too remember my Mother and Grandma Prince always wearing aprons to keep their
clothes clean and so very handy to put things in the pockets. I can just see my Mother in the kitchen making supper with one on. When I was little she made me an apron that matched one of hers and we would wear them together to go to the garden. I thought that was the BEST thing cause it was just like hers. What a wonderful memory today !
Most of the older women in my family wore aprons and even kept them on for picture-taking. They handmade their aprons and often added lace, eyelet trim, or buttons. Mom and both grannies wore the apron style that tied around the waist, not the bib style. Mom had aprons with a pocket sewn across the entire width of the fabric, a handy addition for carrying eggs and vegetable seeds.
The simple things sometimes mean the most. I have a wood plane my granddaddy bought in the nineteen teens, a simple tool but priceless to me,
In home economics class what’s the first thing you make?? An apron! They were short and certainly not as pretty as the one you’re wearing.
I love aprons. My Mom used to make gingham aprons with pockets and white ric-rac as the trim. I always regret it when I neglect to put an apron on.
I never got into the habit of wearing aprons but wish I had because I love them. Dolly’s apron is so special in so many ways. The fabric appears to be a feed sack, the color is so cheerful, the special stitching to repair a hole in the pocket shows she really loved that apron (enough to repair it & keep wearing it). I’m so glad you have it. It will bring loving memories for you every day.
I love the apron! My sister made a holiday apron for me. It is reversible. One one side is a fall leaf pattern for Thanksgiving and on the other snowmen for Christmas. She also made a reversible apron with beach umbrellas on one side (I live in Florida) and on the other a plain blue! I just love them!
Denise, like you I always remember my grandmother wearing an apron and have no idea what happened to them. She wore a dress everyday, never wore pants, and always put on lipstick and her clip on pearl earrings.
That looks like the kind of apron my great-grandmother used to wear; unfortunately, I don’t have any of hers. After my grandmother died, we found a whole dresser full of material she had set aside to do something with, including some old feed or flour sack material. I took that and got a friend to sew some aprons out of it for me. My favorite is the feed sack one that says “Calf Grower” on it, lol!
Out of all the things you write and share, I love it most of all when you reach into the “attic of life” and pull out TREASURES like the well worn apron that fits you quite well of Miss Dollie’s! I love the patch, the story behind the old apron, the imagined items in her pocket, the color, and even the little mended patch. I like thinking about used and mended things-it reminds me of my heart and life experiences-worn down with the cares of this life. But I tell you this with a promise-there will be nothing but the finest linen, embroidery, health, perfection, happiness across all faces and if looking 30 in peak shape ( even if in this life you were not) does anything for you, then heaven will be a literal thrill for you concerning what lieth ahead. I’m sure Miss Dollie and Miss Cindy look down upon you and are there with you sometimes and don’t you know seeing that apron makes them smile? God bless us all this day as we draw closer to spring and hopes for better things ahead!
I began wearing aprons about two years ago after my daughter and daughter-in-law bought me some for Christmas. I still forget to wear them, but they have saved my clothes from getting flour, dough and other foods on them when I cook/bake. My mother never wore aprons. She always managed to keep pretty clean while cooking. My mother-in-law, who was northern always wore aprons. I don’t remember seeing my only grandmother, Mamaw, wear any either. I enjoy seeing you wear something handed down from your family. It’s one of those ‘… ties that bind’.
That fabrics looks a whole lot like the sacks that things like cow or chicken feed used to come in. I remember them, even though I was around just before that ended. I’ve posted this before but I was baptized in a blue and white checked shirt my Grandma made me out of feed sacks. I wish I still had it. I still look for one like it but never quite find a match. It’s a mystery to me why aprons faded away. As you mention, they are emblematic of a set of skills that I for one have great respect for. They are kinda like overalls, carpenter jeans or cargo pants for a guy. Once you rediscover how handy they are, you don’t want to be without them.
We’re decluttering in our home, too. Some days, it’s a little like Christmas, when find something you forgot you even had, especially something from loved ones who have gone on before us. Thanks for letting us in these moments, Tipper.
Dolly is probably happy knowing her apron is serving its useful purpose once again. What a lovely connection to the past.
What a wonderful story. Just think how pleased Miss Cindy and Miss Dollie would be that you are wearing it. I love aprons and wear them everyday. I too would feel like I have forgotten something if I don’t have one on. The one I wear most often in the winter is light weight denim with Lolli embroidered on it. That’s what my grandsons call me so it’s special to me. The other one was a gift. It is lightweight and I wear it in the summer. It has my favorite scripture on it. “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
I have an apron that I wear all the time. It’s golden yellow with lace sewed around the top and a big pocket in front. My hubby’s grandmother made it for me when she was in her 90’s. She used to sew all the time. She’s been gone for 20 years and the apron still hangs in my kitchen—ready for me to grab and put on anytime I start cooking. It is a reminder of the special grandma she was. She treated me like a granddaughter from the moment I started dating her grandson. We still miss her. Have a super day everyone!
Your grandmother’s apron is a treasure. Glad you kept it all these years and think about her because that would be a treasure for her too.
I’ll bet she is smiling and that she had no idea someone in the family would have kept the apron and worn it so many years later. I have one of my grandmother’s aprons. I was young when she died. Years ago I collected aprons and had several different designs but I’ve passed them on. Like you, I’ve purged several things. The designs, patches and stains tell so much about the user and are so very interesting. I’ve read several poems about aprons. The old ones can be very special. That green print looks a lot like feed sack fabric and it looks good on you.
Aprons are special and I’ve worn one for years. When mom passed I found many doilies, dresser covers, all hand stitched, my mom was a excellent hand at sewing, the woman could make anything and she sewed for a living as a taylor for her dry cleaners. She certainly made all of my clothes. I miss my mom so much and at my age now I understand things so much better and I appreciate her more. My mother will have been gone for 22 years and my dad for 23, they were good people. Another thing that’s interesting is my aunt (dad’s sister) was Mary Jane Wilson. She was one of the sweetest most decent person I’ve ever known. Have a great day.
Decades ago my aunt gave me a one armed rocker that had been my grandfather’s. One of my first memories is sitting on his lap as he banged his pipe on the arm to clear out the old tobacco before reloading and the calming smell of his smoke. I fashioned a replacement for the missing arm, but the one that still has the crescent moon indentations of his pipe is what makes that rocker one of my most valued possessions. It is still my favorite place to sit and read.
I don’t see women wearing aprons around here anymore. The older ladies I knew when I was a kid did wear them and would also wear bonnets. I have some blacksmith tools that belonged to my great granddaddy. I never knew him, he died sometime during the 1920’s.
What a treasure!! The apron is beautiful! I love the patch too! Thanks for sharing that with us!! ❤️Regina
What a treasure! My Grandma always had an apron on in the kitchen. She always wore a dress too. I can remember her and her sister in the kitchen cooking together. They were always cuttin-up like schoolgirls. My Grandma was always so serious and her sister was a jokester.
Thanks for sharing this and bringing up an old memory for me.
That apron and the color of it looks good on you! I know you will get a lot of use out of it.
My grandma always wore aprons when she was busy in the kitchen and working around the house. She always wore dresses, so the aprons protected her clothes. I wish I had her aprons, I don’t know what happened to them when she passed away, hopefully my aunts or cousins took them. I’ve used them a few times in the past and should make it a habit so that my clothes are better protected.
Love this. I’m not sure why this story touched my heart so. I think it’s the connection across generations through a garment that has been used for all sorts of things all nurturing the family. I imagine everyone looking down and smiling. Thanks for sharing.
Such a gem Tipper, and thanks for sharing…I loved the stitching. Kinda makes ya fell warm and cozy, I know it would me. Praying for Granny and you guys. God’s Blessing on all of you.
Dollie is smiling seeing you wear the apron she loved well enough to mend it when it got a tear.
Hi Tipper, My Mommaw always wore aprons and I wish now that I had got one when she passed. The careful and loving patching of that little hole in the pocket shows such care and pride of good homemade things.
I look forward to seeing you wea it in videos.
I made homemade biscuits for DQ in Winder for over 17 years and of course wore aprons every day. They were white, but I grew to love wearing them. They saved my clothes and the pockets helped a lot.