Bye-Bye Brunswick Winter Market (for now)

Another Brunswick Winter Market is behind us. What a wonderful market it is and I feel lucky to be able to sell my aprons there during the cold winter months. With the loyal following and new people discovering this market each week, it makes for a vibrant and exciting place to be.

Now to get ready for the outdoor markets with a whole different setup with canopy and a new hanging configuration, hauling everything needed in my Honda Civic which, by the way, can hold a heck of a lot of market gear.

Earth Day Swirly.

As promised, here is a bright and happy Swirly Apron. I love green and I love orange and here is my apron for Earth Day, a great combination to keep in mind what this day symbolizes.

I was still in high school 40 years ago when the first Earth Day came into being as the result of a horrendous oil spill that killed thousands of sea living animals. With the world becoming increasingly consciousness of the condition of our environment this anniversary year seems especially compelling and thanks to the power of the internet, the word is spread keeping the Earth Day message alive.

It's simple to do your bit: 

Use a canvas shopping bag instead of taking that convenient plastic bag readily available at your checkout.

Take your water in a reusable container instead of buying that plastic encased, disposable water bottle.

Pick up that trash lying on the roadside/sidewalk instead of passing it by.

Whatever you do, make it a habit instead of a once-a-year thing and the world will be a better place.

Happy Earth Day, Everyone.

Hard to find time to sew...

....but I've managed to get a few finished.
I'm into the Swirlies! They are such fun to sew and look like they are ready for a good time. Ready to go out on the town or at the least, ready for a rollicking good time in the kitchen.

Next - some bright, lively colored swirlies. Stay tuned.

We have a winner!

It's just 10 PM and I have drawn the winning name from 96 entries. Mary Benner, come on down!

It was great fun hearing from everybody during the course of this contest. People shared their apron stories and I learned about different laundry hanging experiences. This has been a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about the interesting things they're doing.

Keep hanging out your laundry and wearing those aprons and with any luck, I'll try for another contest in time for next year's National Hang Out Day.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their names.

Today's the Day

My laundry: video taken on a sunny day, which is NOT today (but you get the idea).

The skies may be cloudy and the sun barely visible but my clean clothes are hanging in honor of National Hang Out Day. If it takes them until tomorrow to be dry enough to bring inside, so be it. That'll work for me.

Clothespin apron drawing is tonight!

Good Luck to everyone who submitted their names for the drawing.

 

You can almost feel the thinly soft fabric of this much used and often washed vintage apron.

It's interesting the roll of generations play in whether a woman wears an apron or not. Years ago women usually made their own full aprons in order to protect their dresses. Doing laundry was not a simple matter of throwing everything into an automatic washer and walking away. It was a daylong chore and the less often it had to be done, the better. (I think we can all agree on that one even with our automatic everythings.) So an apron was donned in the morning and not taken off until bedtime. The apron may look a mess from the day's activity of cooking and cleaning and gathering eggs (or whatever) but the dress underneath stayed clean and presentable.

My mother didn't wear full aprons, though I do have an awesome 60s cover-up that she owned but rarely wore. She was a half apron devotee and always wore one when working in the kitchen. But it was put on and taken off as needed and definitely not worn all day long. While the half apron was zero protective of the upper half of the body it was great to use to wipe hands and keep the lower half of the clothing clean. It was a vestige of an apron. A remnant of the symbol it once was. A token protection.

I believe it was during my mother's generation that the hostess apron came into vogue. There are some great examples of hostess aprons made of organdy and laces and were put on after all the messy cooking was finished and before the guests arrived. These were fancy affairs and worn to compliment an outfit, not to do much in the way of protecting. Any vintage hostess apron I come across is rarely stained or looks in anyway like it was put through any cooking regimen.

My generation seemed to turn their backs on apron wearing completely. If our moms worn one then we certainly weren't going to wear one. Old style. Old fashioned. Square. So our clothes became stained with tomato sauce and splattered oil and we kept doing out stupid best to keep our clothes clean, which clearly didn't include the obvious matter of putting on an apron.

My personal light bulb went off when I thought to make an apron from a vintage pattern. Because I love most things vintage it made sense to go that route rather than something out of a current pattern book. Once I made that first one I was a goner and have been going strong ever since, wearing and sewing. If I am going into the kitchen to handle food and dishes I grab my apron from its hook inside the doorway, tying it on as I walk into the room. I don't wear it daylong and have the crazy habit of taking it off before sitting down to eat. (But a fabric napkin protects my lap and cleans my messy fingers).

It is interesting to note that what I sell almost exclusively are my full aprons. We have come full circle and women are starting to "get it" once again.

It's Almost Time

Time is running out to register for the drawing for my clothespin apron commemorating  National Hang Out Day. On Monday, April 19th at 10 PM (EST), I will draw the winning name.

If you haven't yet registered there is no time like the present. There are three options to assure your name will be entered in the drawing. Either:

Become a fan of Yo Momma's Apron Strings on facebook

or

Comment and follow my Apron Strings Blog

or

Fill out the contact form on the Yo Momma's Apron Strings website

I'm excited.

Aprons + Taxes = Done (almost)

 Okay, I did a good job of procrastinating on my taxes and there was no doubt that it was definitely niggling at the back of my mind. I determined that today, Monday, April 12th, I would attack them.  Attack I did and I have finished my Federal taxes. Thanks to Turbo Tax and the business module, I plodded my way through the questions and options and came up with a refund. Unfortunately, it looks like the state of Maine is going to take a big bite out of that refund but the way I look at it is I'm doing my part to support my state. It doesn't hurt that even though I have to pay the state I manage to come out ahead overall.

So hooray! All that is left is the clean-up: filling out my state return by hand because I am too cheap to pay the $19 per state return for all my family.

Job done. Check. I am giddy with relief.

While we're on the subject.....

I am pleased and surprised (but shouldn't be surprised, really) about how much coverage National Hang Out Day and it's sponsor, laundryist.org, is getting throughout the online communities. This latest article from Care2, Clean Clothes, Happier Planet, talks about more than just hanging out laundry - it goes into the whole washing process from the type of washing machine to using laundry soap that has less of an environmental impact.

Give it a read if you are interested in learning how to go continue to green up your laundry.

....and don't forget to enter my clothespin apron contest, winner to be drawn on National Hang Out Day, April 19th.

Introducing the Newest: Swirly Apron

 

                                                     

 It's time to shake things up a bit and introduce a new apron style at Yo Momma's Apron Strings. I love this swirl on the skirt of this apron - it's a bit flirty and sassy and when worn makes the wearer want to sashay around the kitchen. How can it not with that twirly skirt?

This apron is sewn in one size and loops over the head and ties in the back; similar to the Rick Rack and Flapper Aprons. All edges are bound with bias binding and, as are all my aprons, made of 100% pre-washed cotton fabric. The price of the Swirly Apron is $30.

Top 10 reasons to hang your laundry.

Project Laundry List provides 10 reasons to hang dry laundry:
1. Save money.
2. Clothes last longer.
3. Clothes and linens smell better.
4. It conserves energy and environmental resources.
5. Hanging laundry is a moderate physical activity that can be done outside.
6. Sunlight bleaches and disinfects.
7. Indoor racks can humidify in dry and cold climates.
8. It is safer. Clothes dryer fires account for about 17,700 fires, 15 deaths and 360 injuries annually.
9. It is a fun outdoor experience that can be meditative and community-building.
10. Small steps make a difference.

Don't forget to enter my contest to win a clothespin apron:

Fan Yo Momma's Apron Strings on facebook
Visit the Yo Momma's Apron Strings website and fill out the contact form
Leave a comment on the Apron Strings Blog

Body parts all over the place.

Hugh would look silly in one of my Rick Rack Aprons

 When my son moved on to begin his life away from home, I quickly spread my sewing odds and ends into his bedroom. Grateful to finally find a space for my full-sized male mannequin, he lies dismembered on my son's bed and must be transported, body piece by body piece, to another location when someone stays for the night.

This handsome inanimate being tends to freak people out when glimpsed in passing, looking very much as if someone committed human carnage around here and was negligent in hiding the evidence.

I had the foolish hope that if I were to put a wig on this strapping figure and dress him in an apron that I could pass him off as a female. Ha, fat chance of that happening. He's tall, square-jawed and muscular as opposed to the typical female mannequin's slight frame and softer features.

One of these days I will find a new home for Hugh but until then he will remain in pieces, called into service only to photograph another chef apron.