The Boutique

Big Mama's Apron

The apron is the uniform of the homemaker and, in our family, the matriarch. While it is primarily an armor to protect the clothing, Big Mama, my maternal great-grandmother, wore an apron to signify her position as The Elder. She cooked with and wiped her hands on her apron. She dusted the house and dried children's tears with her apron. She hauled pecans, gathered herbs, and shelled peas in her apron. You could be sure there were candies in the pockets of her apron. As the town midwife, she delivered babies wearing her apron. She dried her perspiring brow with her apron and, after a long day's work raising the family, she hung up her apron for the next day. When my grandmother came of age and responsibility, she received her own apron. My mama, too. And now I have my own personal collection of aprons.

In my maternal roots, the apron is a rite of passage. It is the symbol of the ones who take on the feat of preserving the future- The Homemakers. Without the Homemakers, we wouldn't have community, family values, or traditions. Here's to the revival of the apron. It is an honor to create these aprons with my mother, our family matriarch. My hope is that these aprons become heirlooms passed down for generations to come, bringing fond memories to your family-from one homemaker to another.