Making Apron Memories

The Wall Street Journal ran an article in their Style section on Thursday about the apron's journey from kitchen to runway. In the first draft of my editor's letter in the first apronology I actually quoted a piece from the Journal in 2005 that referred to the apron as a "retro-chic fashion accessory." It's funny how even stories in the press, like fashion, enjoy a comeback, a coming and going, trends that circulate, revive, flourish, and fade away again.

This article prompted me to re-read my first draft of that letter, which I have saved. I crafted it so meticulously, only not to use most of it because it was way way too long and had to be edited down. The memories of putting together the first issue of apronology all came back to me. The stakes were high, my hopes were higher, and I never could have gotten the thing off the ground had I not had help from many apron loving friends and the art community.

Chief among my earliest supporters was EllynAnne Geisel (http://www.apronmemories.blogspot.com/). On Thursday I was lucky enough to meet EllynAnne for the first time, since beginning our correspondence three years ago. You can read more about our visit here, http://www.apronmemories.com/. EllynAnne should be posting pictures etc. in the near future. She brought along with her her friend Jini, who shares in apron love. Jini was kind enough to share her mother's Singer with me. She remembers sewing on it, and eventually sewed the red apron pictured here.

It's lovely/nice/surprising/amazing how one piece of clothing brings so many women together, from such great distances. I'm truly grateful for my job, for being able to meet these wonderful women, for being able to take part and let into so many stories and family histories, and for the friendship I've found in EllynAnne, an amazing woman. Apronology 3 comes out Feb 1 with more to treasure, share, and connect with.