The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
While wearing aprons may not be very popular anymore, they still serve the same purpose: to protect the clothing underneath. There is nothing more frustrating to a cook than to purchase a new blouse or shirt and get grease splatters or sauce drippings on it the first time it is worn. Digging an heirloom apron out of a trunk or even selecting a new one at a kitchen supply store can save money on stain removers and dry cleaning, as well as preserving expensive clothing.
