Nan's 1940s Wrap Apron

This past winter my Nan (paternal grandmother) had to leave her home and move to an assisted living facility. At that time my dad and uncle offered my sisters and I the opportunity to have a keepsake from her home. Instantly I remembered this apron.

Throughout my childhood and teen years my sisters and I would sometimes spend the weekend with Nan. We had wonderful times going on picnics, visiting the lake and going for long walks. One time during our teen years we decided to clean Nan's house while we visited. As we started to clean Nan went down stairs to her basement and soon brought up aprons for each of us to wear while cleaning. I have always loved aprons and I remember being impressed with the clever design of this wrap apron. It was unlike any other apron I had seen.

This truly is a practical apron design. One tie pulls through a slot on one side and then ties in the back. Your entire outfit remains protected, even the back.

Soon after receiving Nan's apron I began to do a little research and discovered that this apron style was popular in England during World War II. This made sense since Nan is from England and was in her late teens/early 20's during World War II.

Over the years Nan has many times shared with us her experiences of being a young woman throughout the war years. The second in a family of four girls and one boy, Nan worked for Burberry's sewing coats while her older sister was in the RAF during the war years. One story Nan would tell us was how she would collect the scraps of lining fabric at the end of her work day and take them home. She made a tea cozy from the scraps, appliqueing a picture of a cottage and rising sun to the tea cozy. I wish I could have seen it!

Nan has many fond memories of evenings spent with her family. Her mum, sisters and herself would knit or sew while visiting. She also shared stories of her early years of marriage and my dad as a little baby. I remember Nan recounting the deep contentment and satisfaction she felt while knitting a sweater for my dad as she sat beside the fire, and dad was in his bassinet. I have a picture of my dad as a toddler wearing a coat Nan sewed for him.

I am grateful for the many sweet memories I have of spending time with my Nan. At this time she is 94 and her memory is poor, she has a very hard time remembering any of her family.

Here is a picture of Nan taken sometime in the 1940's. Wasn't she beautiful? Nan moved to America in the 1960's when my dad was a little boy. It was a difficult transition to make; she has always spoke of England as home.

P.S. I have made a copy of Nan's apron and it is currently for sale in my shop here.