UPDATE – I dyed it red!

For some reason I am not visually fond of white aprons, also I am a hot mess and it’s only a matter of time for me to stain it. I decided to dye this apron red. Red aprons are documented in clothing lists from 16th c. Nürnberg (Zander-Seidel, J. (1990). Textiler Hausrat: Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500 – 1650), so why not! The apron and thread are all linen, so I used Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes, 2 parts oxblood red and 1 part marigold. There was some residual starch on my fabric, it’s a little less vibrant than I wanted and a bit spotty. I will probably dye it again, but I really like the look. Original documentation and photos below.

Background

This is the first-ever SCA A&S project I started in 2019, I created and documented this apron for my Barony and Kingdom A&S competitions in early 2020. It is a white medium-weight linen apron, inspired by early 16th c. aprons from central Europe, mainly what is now Germany. I also was inspired by my SCA peers and other aprons I have seen recreated. Visit my article “Was it Honeycomb Smocking on 16th c. German Clothing, or something else...” on the appropriateness of honeycomb smocking. The documentation is below, please note I am a beginner with research documentation in the SCA, the item did well at the baronial level and medium at my kingdom competition. If you want to use or discuss any information in it, feel free to contact me.