I remember wearing a pinafore until I went to kindergarten,
and maybe longer. This all was back in the days when we wore clothes more than
one day, changed to play clothes when we came in from school, and even my play
clothes were topped by a pinny. I remember standing still, holding my arms in
the air and the pinny dropped over my head and arms and
tied in back to hold it shut.
Fast forward to my last weaving career. There always were
scraps of fabric left that never were big enough for, say, a vest. I thought
about the pinnies my grandmother and my mother made. The scraps weren't big
enough to make a pinny for a five year old, but were enough for a little armful of
baby. I modified it even more to eliminate the back ties. Just as simple as can be.
I stopped making them when I heard some young girls giggling
in a corner of my booth, and found a group of eight or nine year olds, already
glossed out in makeup and shorts their mothers should not have let them leave
home wearing, trying to figure out how to get into a top. I was appalled,
escorted them from my booth and packed up the rest of the tops.
Hoping my visual wasn't too awful, I really didn't stop
making them. They were darling on my granddaughters. Caroline wore the last of
the hand-me-downs from her cousins, and then the era ended, as they must.
Last week I found the patterns! I no longer have a grand
baby for a model, or any toddler handy, for that matter. I had to purchase a
tiny display model, far too svelte to pass for a chubby, bandy legged toddler.
Nevertheless, isn't the pinny sweet?
I can't remember ever wearing a pinny.... but maybe because my mom went to work when I was 5 years old and left my dad in charge (a whole 'nother story)..... but these days, I SHOULD wear a pinny, just because I love to cook (and am messy)... and try to wear my clothes more than one day (okay, I'm frugal... even when it comes to laundry).... BUT... if I were to wear a "custom made" pinny that was hand woven, I'd be SO careful with it... and lord only knows how I'd wash it... use Woolite... lay it out on a table to dry... treat it like royalty.. (as it should be treated).... so... Joanne, if you EVER send me a pinny, I'll tell you right now, it would be treated with reverence.... I'd probably take the darned thing off before I ever fried bacon!
ReplyDeleteDon't be silly. It's cotton fabric that went through the washer and dryer to size it before it's ever cut. Mine soaked up a lot of baby drool, I can tell you. But, don't worry. I don't' make pinnies big enough for prepubescent girls, let alone grown ups.
DeleteOther people wore pinnys. Not us - my mother had an aversion to them. And I too would benefit from one now. I am a messy klutz.
ReplyDeleteLove this one - cute and practical which is a wonderful mix.
Yes, it's sweet. I've heard the word "pinafore" many times, but I wasn't sure what it meant--until now.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I don't think I wore them, but they sure are cute!!!
ReplyDeletebetty
Pinnies were before my time but I think they are so sweet and clever too. Lots of things from way back are coming back in style like full length aprons, full length dresses and slips and so on.
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute! I'm sure I have a similar pattern somewhere in my toddler sewing books. I never made them for my girls, I made the same front style but with a button up back and they wore them as summer dresses, then in the winter, the same dress with jumper (sweater) and tights underneath.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was small, my sister and I wore aprons over our good dresses, (they were actually part of the outfit), but stopped when we went to school as the other kids laughed at us for being "foreign".
Cute, dear Joanne - if ever I will hopefully have grandchildren, I will remember these little practical garments and order them!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember those, hum, sweet ,kids grow up much too fast
ReplyDeleteI don't remember them, but they sure are cute!
ReplyDeleteI wore a couple, when I was very very wee, and I had a couple of 'dress' pinnies for the kidling.. I'm delighted to see you reviving them!
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughters, who live in a warm state, wear a lot of little T-shirt style cotton dresses. In the winter they wear them with leggings. I think they are the pinafores of this generation.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteOh yes - my mother was big on pinnies... she sewed many a version for us! yours is truly cute, lovely addition to your new range &*> YAM xx
Over here in England a pinny was not like yours. A pinny was an abbreviation for apron. A pinny was tied round the back at the waist and could be a full apron, i.e. one to cover skirt and a bib top or a waist apron. They were normally the first thing we made in needlework lessons at about 9 years old and would also be embroidered on to start embroidery skills. We would wear the pinny in the school dining room, a required item at my convent school and in the art room. Later in the senior part of the convent we would wear an overall in the art room and no longer be required to wear the apron/pinny in the dining room. The top in your picture would be called a smock top here. Hope that is of interest Joanne!
ReplyDeleteHello Joanne,
ReplyDeleteYes, I can confirm totally what Rachel has said in her comment above.
A 'pinny' is an apron worn at the waist and, indeed, an aged aunt has a whole drawerful of them which are worn as clothes protection every day. Cooking, cleaning or simply being around the house, the 'pinny' is always in evidence, only being removed to go somewhere out of the house.
The top is indeed delightful and such a clever arrangement at the back to avoid the need for ties. Rather sad that there are no more young people in the family who might have need for it. So many very young girls these days look at least ten years older.......funny how they will wish the opposite some decades later on!
I was about to explain what the word 'pinny' means to a British person, but that has been admirably done my Rachel and the Hattatts above. In my American Yankee youth, however, my dear grandmother made my sister and me beautiful full pinafores to complete our Alice in Wonderland look -- as seen in the Disney classic animated movie. Except our white pinafores had a beautiful ruffle adorning them around the sleeve and around the skirt.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen one live and in person but I've met them in the pages of books lol. Yours looks very sweet.
ReplyDeleteKids wear those in gym class now. They're called pinnies, but they don't look like your version of pinnies.
ReplyDeleteYes, very sweet clothing.
ReplyDeleteSweet indeed Joanne and probably quite on trend for today's youngsters I would guess.
ReplyDeleteIt is sweet, I use to make this for my daughter when she was very young.
ReplyDeleteI had a pinnie and so did my sister. there were no automatic washing machines then.
ReplyDeletePinafores were not a fashion at the time for me. I always thought they were cute. My niece had a little red dress with the pinafore as a part of it. She looked adorable in it and it was her favorite. She died yound and whenever I think of her she is wearing that little pinafore dress.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember wearing one but in some of the old pictures they are being worn, but always had play clothes still wearing them.
ReplyDeleteMerle..........
I think I am just a couple of years too young for pinafores. But maybe I just didn't wear them for the camera. Must ask my mom sometime about this!
ReplyDelete