Workman's Apron

Bread anyone?

The Challenge: September: Everyday (Common workman's apron)
Material: Cotton Muslin
Pattern: Based on diagram on page 6 of The Packet II by Mark Tully
Year: 18the Century
Notions: None
How historically accurate is it? Very accurate, based on period sketches and paintings
Hours to complete: Around 8.
First worn: August 24, 2019.
Total cost: About $5.

At the end of August, my daughter and I were going to be participating in an event with a civilian focus at Fort #4 in Charlestown, New Hampshire.  Since the venue has an outdoor bake oven, my daughter asked if we could bake bread as we had done there a few years ago.  A few days before the event, I got it into my head that if I was going to be a baker, I should have an apron.  I checked some period sketches and paintings, and saw numerous bib-type aprons with a button hole sewn into the top to hook over the button on a mens waistcoat.  These aprons seemed to be used by numerous trades, including carpenters, smiths, and shopkeepers.  I had some muslin left from G's dress project, so I cut out the shape, based on the diagram shown in Mark Tully's The Packet series, and spent a couple of days hand sewing the outer seams all around, adding a button hole, and attaching long apron strings.  I finished in time to wear the apron to the event, putting me a bit closer to feeling like an actual baker.  My workmans cap, that I've carried in my pack for a few years, went missing, so I had to bake in my cocked hat, which tipped the balance back toward *not* feeling like an actual baker.

As it happened, the September Historical Sew Monthly challenge is "Everyday" where participants are challenged to make an item of clothing that would be used in a normal everyday sort of environment.  No fancy dresses or polished suits, just normal stuff the average person might wear during their day to day life.  So, though it was both started and finished a week before September, here's my September contribution to the challenge.