![\"Charlotte](\"http:\/\/www.catdoodles.com\/dailydoodle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/charlotte-in-box-640.jpg\" "\\"Charlotte")
<\/p>\nOne of the perks of having someone in your household empty out a large storage closet in another state is the profusion of Fedex boxes that soon show up, offering wonderful new places to nap (Blackie), or to \u201cshop\u201d for new outfits (Charlotte).<\/p>\n
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Miss Charlotte hit pay dirt about three boxes into her latest \u201cshopping trip\u201d yesterday, when she came across some beautiful hand-sewn aprons that my mom Priscilla had made when my sister Carol and I were tots. Much too small for either Carol or me now, of course, but just about the right size for an overfed tortoiseshell cat.<\/p>\n
It was wonderful for me to rediscover these aprons again, too. I\u2019m not sure where Mom got the inspiration for them, but they were (and are) pretty special. Originally envisioned to wear over our clothes when we tackled messy art projects, I think, we girls also wore them as summer shifts, back when we were age 4 and 6. Mom designed large, graphic appliques for the front of each\u2014some of which also functioned as pockets, like this lion, now separated from his apron.<\/p>\n
![\"Lion](\"http:\/\/www.catdoodles.com\/dailydoodle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/lion-pocket-640.jpg\" "\\"Lion")
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(Yes, you can see from how he\u2019s designed that Mom definitely was a fan of, and influenced by, Alice and Martin Provensen\u2019s 1950s-era\u00a0illustrations<\/a>\u2014as am I.)<\/p>\n Here are a few more images, of \u00a0Carol wearing an apron with two heart-shaped pockets, atop our backyard swing set, and of me in our kitchen, wearing what was probably my favorite\u2014a pale mocha apron with a little brown bear pocket (that you can just see peeking out over the edge of the table).<\/p>\n (I seem to be cross or concerned about something here, yes? Perhaps even saying, \u201cNow Mom, please don\u2019t throw this apron away during one of your cleaning binges in the mid-1970s!\u201d)<\/p>\n Tomorrow I\u2019m going to deal with finding places for some of the rest of the (16\u2014 yikes) Fedex boxes and their contents, but today it was lovely just to relax and watch Charlotte discover some new treasures, and reflect on my own memories.<\/p>\n I hope everyone had an excellent rest of the work week since we last visited, and is looking forward to a fun weekend ahead\u2014however you end up spending it. See you on here next time!<\/p>\n P.S. Thanks again, Annette, for all your help getting these Fedex boxes shipped out from Denver\u2014I could not<\/em> have done it without you!<\/p>\n P.S. to Dorothy: Here\u2019s an extra scribble from Dad\u2019s breakfast table showing our resident seamstress\u2019s updates to the collection.<\/p>\n One of the perks of having someone in your household empty out a large storage closet in another state is the profusion of Fedex boxes that soon show up, offering wonderful new places to nap (Blackie), or to \u201cshop\u201d for … Continue reading ![\"Aprons](\"http:\/\/www.catdoodles.com\/dailydoodle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/priscilla_aprons_photos_6401.jpg\" "\\"Aprons")
And it\u2019s true that a few of the aprons that I loved and remember are now gone\u2014including the one with the little bear, another with an ice cream cone pocket, and a white apron with a large red apple over the tummy. But I\u2019m just happy (and grateful) that this handful of others have survived.<\/p>\n![\"Charlotte\u2019s](\"http:\/\/www.catdoodles.com\/dailydoodle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/charlotte-apron-doodle-640.jpg\" "\\"Charlotte\u2019s")
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