Whiteley Creek Homestead

LIFE AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA

organically grown triticale in our field
canoeing in our wetlands
raspberries growing wild on our property
our back porch fieldstone fireplace

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apron tablecloth dishtowel window treatments

Yesterday, I received a sweet email from an Illinois resident who I had the pleasure of meeting when she stopped by my bed and breakfast last August, accompanied by her sister who lives in the area. A snippet of her email… "I just thought I would let you know that I was just looking at your website for a little apron-inspiration, and got sidetracked by your blog about the "fruit" cake. I am now full of curiosity about whether Jessica actually took a bite of the cake/bread that you'd left aside for her with the lentil soup." Yes, Sharon, after a wary, skeptical, miniscule sampling of my fruit cake, my daughter Jessica single-handedly put away an entire mini loaf during her 3-day visit. Perchance there are other apron lovers in the blogosphere, so I thought I'd dedicate this blog post to you, Sharon, and others that are also looking for a little "apron-inspiration."

Nana and omalley baking
My apron love, obsession really, began as a child growing up in the 1950s when it was as commonplace for women to slip into an apron as it was the dress underneath. I rarely saw my mother apronless as she went about completing her daily tasks. A Saturday trip to town or church on Sunday were the exceptions. No longer a child, I now slip into one of my favorite bib aprons when I bake, as my mother did. It just feels right. For me, it's not for shielding my clothing from spills. An apron defines and elevates my role as the provider of sustenance and culinary enjoyment in my household. (During a visit, my granddaughter sifted through my apron drawer and slipped into one of my aprons. Albeit a bit oversized, much too quickly, she will fill it out just as I have. Photo courtesy of my daughter Heather over at her delightful wordplayhouse blog.)
Aprons valance1
Aprons picket fenceDraped eyelet pocket party apron curtain
An apron's role goes beyond the kitchen. A variety of half aprons, both everyday cotton and organdy hostess styles, drape my windows.
Tablecloth curtain
Other kitchen linens serve well as window coverings, too. A small tablecloth, gently pulled back to create a billowing poof and secured with an old clothespin, makes a soft, graceful curtain. 
Dishtowel curtainsFeedsack curtain
Vintage, handmade embroidered dishtowels clothespinned and looped over a clothesline rope strung between a pair of cuphooks and a colorful, oldtime flour sack tied in a single, loose knot are pretty, too.
Sink apron skirt1Bathroom tissue roll holder
Once the use of aprons, tablecloths, and dishtowels for window treatments becomes second nature, you'll be seeing other applications for them, as well. An apron makes a sweet covering for the front of a pedistal sink. Even kitchen utensils are perfect for repurposing. An old slotted spoon becomes a holder to secure a roll of bathroom tissue. Oh, yes. Nothing your eyes fall upon will be seen in the same light. No, not ever.     
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6 responses to “apron tablecloth dishtowel window treatments”

  1. Sharon F. Avatar
    Sharon F.

    I love every bit of this blog post, from the fruit cake story to your granddaughter getting into your aprons to photos of your cozy windows! Thanks, Adrienne. I think you read my mind ~ I was hoping to see some pictures of aprons hanging in the windows, and how you’d secured them. All the photos have taken me right back to our August visit! Blessings!

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  2. Adrienne Cahoon Avatar
    Adrienne Cahoon

    Sharon, I hope my love of aprons will inspire you to surround yourself with the many colors and styles that may be found on eBay, hanging crisply ironed on racks in antique stores, or crumpled in messy bins and boxes at yard sales and estate auctions. You’ve already got the apron love. The rest is easy.

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  3. wordplayhouse® Avatar
    wordplayhouse®

    I like your collection of aprons, and how you’ve made them usefully and prettily displayed to all of your inn guests. Your granddaughter (the one in the first photo) has the same apron love as you, all right. She has a few of her own aprons (because I like them too). Just yesterday she was donning one…and the day before. And, I do remember those two lovely sisters visiting you in August. You have many memorable and returning guests to your inn. I think it has something to do with the interesting, creative, and so-very-nice innkeeper. -heather

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  4. Margaret Korthauer Avatar
    Margaret Korthauer

    My husband and I were staying at a B&B in New Ulm, MN for a wedding this weekend and the subject of favorite B&B stays came up with some other guests at breakfast. We mentioned yours as among our favorites! I had bookmarked your blog but had not visited in awhile, so when we returned to our room, my husband checked in and became intrigued with the beet pancakes. 🙂 Imagine my surprise today when my sister Rosemary sent your apron entry as a link in her blog! 2012 is starting out in an interesting fashion! We’ve stayed with you twice and hope to return again some day.

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  5. Adrienne Cahoon Avatar
    Adrienne Cahoon

    My collection of vintage aprons, tablecloths, and embroidered dishtowels were tucked away in a wicker basket on the floor of my linen closet for far too long. They are now serving a purpose as window treatments. Yes. But much more than that. When the soft glow of the sun’s rays flow through the sheer organdy fabric of my apron curtains, they trigger happy memories of my mother in the kitchen of our old farmhouse so many years ago and, more recently, of my 7 year-old granddaughter baking a cake alongside me in my kitchen. Our possessions are simply “things” until we elevate them to a place where they are useful in a practical sense or simply enjoyed so as to create new memories or trigger old ones. Truthfully, Heather, it is the “interesting, creative, and so-very-nice” guests who bless my life beyond measure.

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  6. Adrienne Cahoon Avatar
    Adrienne Cahoon

    Life certainly holds many intertwining twists and turns that connect us in ways that make life just plain fun. I so appreciate your kind advertising of our bed and breakfast, Margaret. If you haven’t made the beet pancakes yet, request them during your next visit and I will add them to the breakfast menu. They are really very tasty and nutritious… and so pretty!

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