Winona Woman Owns Aprons Dating To 1930s
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Winona Woman Owns Aprons Dating To 1930s
By Jennifer [email protected]
Jordan, 66, Winona Lake, is the owner of 75 vintage aprons, with the oldest apron dating back to 1930.
She has purchased the aprons at thrift stores and flea markets. The aprons also have been given to her by her friends and co-workers.[[In-content Ad]]Jordan began collecting aprons two years ago when she was assisting with activities for Grace Village Retirement Community residents.
She has been employed as the transportation coordinator for the retirement community for 4-1/2 years.
The first apron Jordan collected was from a co-worker that was used by the co-workers aunt in the 1930s.
The co-worker suggested she establish a lesson on how aprons were used in earlier times and present the lesson to the retirement community's residents.
Jordan now uses the aprons that she has collected over the past two years and shares the history of the uses of the various kinds of aprons at local nursing homes.
"Aprons stir up memories of home, motherhood and love and they are reminders of recipes, relationships and holidays," Jordan said.
Jordan said during the Depression Era cotton was scarce so people used feed sacks to make aprons. Feed sacks were used to store flour.
After World War II, apron patterns were in newspapers that people cut out to make aprons.
"In the early years people didn't do their laundry every day and had limited clothing and to keep dresses clean they wore aprons over the dresses," Jordan said.
Jordan said in the early years, wealthy women would show their needlework patterns on their aprons.
She said she was 5 years old when she wore an apron for the first time and remembers cooking Thanksgiving dinner with her grandmother Chloe Gaddis, who also wore an apron.
"I thought I was big stuff because I had an apron just like my grandma," Jordan said.
"When I saw flour on my grandma's apron I could tell she had been making cookies and pies."
Jordan was a waitress at age 19 and waitressed at a diner in Ohio where she live during her summers. She waitressed to earn money to attend Grace College where she earned a degree in English.
Jordan has kept the brown and white checkered half apron she has had since she was 19 and says it is her favorite apron because it brings back fond memories of when she was a waitress.
Jordan has two books that were given to her by a friend and co-worker on the history of aprons.
She learned about the history of her aprons by reading the books.
During Thanksgiving last year she allowed her sister Margaret Anderson, Ohio, two nieces, Julia and Jenna Anderson and nephew Tyler Anderson wear her aprons while they cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
Jordan said she keeps the aprons in a rolling suitcase and also hangs some of the aprons in her closet.
One night she spent three hours ironing the aprons to get them ready to show them.
Some of the aprons Jordan has are holiday aprons for holiday baking, workday aprons used for heavy cleaning and everyday aprons for cooking and baking.
She said she hopes to continue to collect aprons.
Jordan, 66, Winona Lake, is the owner of 75 vintage aprons, with the oldest apron dating back to 1930.
She has purchased the aprons at thrift stores and flea markets. The aprons also have been given to her by her friends and co-workers.[[In-content Ad]]Jordan began collecting aprons two years ago when she was assisting with activities for Grace Village Retirement Community residents.
She has been employed as the transportation coordinator for the retirement community for 4-1/2 years.
The first apron Jordan collected was from a co-worker that was used by the co-workers aunt in the 1930s.
The co-worker suggested she establish a lesson on how aprons were used in earlier times and present the lesson to the retirement community's residents.
Jordan now uses the aprons that she has collected over the past two years and shares the history of the uses of the various kinds of aprons at local nursing homes.
"Aprons stir up memories of home, motherhood and love and they are reminders of recipes, relationships and holidays," Jordan said.
Jordan said during the Depression Era cotton was scarce so people used feed sacks to make aprons. Feed sacks were used to store flour.
After World War II, apron patterns were in newspapers that people cut out to make aprons.
"In the early years people didn't do their laundry every day and had limited clothing and to keep dresses clean they wore aprons over the dresses," Jordan said.
Jordan said in the early years, wealthy women would show their needlework patterns on their aprons.
She said she was 5 years old when she wore an apron for the first time and remembers cooking Thanksgiving dinner with her grandmother Chloe Gaddis, who also wore an apron.
"I thought I was big stuff because I had an apron just like my grandma," Jordan said.
"When I saw flour on my grandma's apron I could tell she had been making cookies and pies."
Jordan was a waitress at age 19 and waitressed at a diner in Ohio where she live during her summers. She waitressed to earn money to attend Grace College where she earned a degree in English.
Jordan has kept the brown and white checkered half apron she has had since she was 19 and says it is her favorite apron because it brings back fond memories of when she was a waitress.
Jordan has two books that were given to her by a friend and co-worker on the history of aprons.
She learned about the history of her aprons by reading the books.
During Thanksgiving last year she allowed her sister Margaret Anderson, Ohio, two nieces, Julia and Jenna Anderson and nephew Tyler Anderson wear her aprons while they cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
Jordan said she keeps the aprons in a rolling suitcase and also hangs some of the aprons in her closet.
One night she spent three hours ironing the aprons to get them ready to show them.
Some of the aprons Jordan has are holiday aprons for holiday baking, workday aprons used for heavy cleaning and everyday aprons for cooking and baking.
She said she hopes to continue to collect aprons.
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