In 2008 I traveled to Calgary Waldorf School for a teacher training course. It was there that I saw my first “Story Telling Apron.” Oh, how I wanted an apron like the one I saw! It was magical and uniquely special in so many ways.
It just so happened that I had a friend at the time who offered to make an apron for me. I was delighted and wasted no time selecting fabric and pondering ideas that I passed along so the creation of my storytelling apron could begin. Sadly, and for reasons unknown, my friend disappeared from my life; apron materials and all, so my apron wish faded and time passed by.
Over the years I often thought about how wonderful it would be to have a special story telling apron for my Waldorf classroom, but I lacked the impulse to make one myself. However, in August 2014 I started a one year ‘birth to three’ teacher-training course with ECISA. In hindsight, it proved to be a wonderful year and one that undoubtedly deserves a blog of its own. For it happened in April 2015, I learned that we were going to make a storytelling apron as part of the teacher-training course. Finally, after six years it was going to happen! My wish to have an apron was to come true!
With my classmates, I felted the bib of my apron which turned out to be a long, long process, but so much fun! Interestingly, an oil changing pan is the perfect size to “wet felt” a circle! Who knew? Selecting wool and choosing a color plan became thought provoking in so many ways too. Then I had to make a decision about creating a “hiding pocket” on my apron. But of course I wanted to do that too! Well, it was a choice that kept me working diligently, while others had time for tea!
Creating the bib took an entire day, so we were tasked with finishing our aprons on our own for a final showing at the end of the training year. Many of the students talked about making several aprons so they could use them to tell different stories. Not me! I chose to make a yoke with Velcro inside so I could attach and detach different colored skirts to easily accommodate the telling of numerous stories. It was the perfect plan for me. The skirts were much easier to create and I was able to have exactly what I wanted for my “Story Telling Apron.”
The skirt in the photo is my spring skirt. I have a white one for winter, a blue one for water and a totally gorgeous skirt for fall. My students never see me take off or put on a skirt so they are always surprised when I put on my apron and it has a new skirt and a new little treasure tucked inside the hiding pocket! I love the excitement I see on their faces every time I make a change. It’s like magic!
I am hoping to make one or two other skirts to add to my collection for story time at school this September. So, off I go…. to Frenchie’s or Value Village looking for new fabrics! Wish me luck!
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