USO Apron- Part 1 (2012)

  I left my heart at the Stage Door Canteen
I left it there with a girl named Eileen

I kept her serving doughnuts
Till all she had were gone
I sat there dunking doughnuts
Till she caught on

I must go back to the army routine
And every doughboy knows what that will mean

A soldier boy without a heart
Has two strikes on him from the start
And my heart's at the Stage Door Canteen

 

One summer evening back in 2010, our 1940's group was sitting out under the stars watching Stage Door Canteen being projected on a screen. Lovely indeed and also inspiring. Each year during the WWII Weekend our group participates in various areas. Many from our group run and help at the Spider's Web Bar (more on that here)....us girls are the waitresses there. There was talk about turning our (the waitresses) focus on more of a USO theme (since we really can't justify us being on Guadalcanal :-) ). SO, while watching this movie....one of us (can't remember who) or maybe it hit all of us at once...thought...."WHOA! I LOVE those aprons - let's make our own aprons for the Spider's Web!"  We also read in passing about some of the local USO groups would have their own custom apron...unique to that particular town or organization.

So, the great USO Apron Project of 2011 began...
First off that required us to watch the movie again...bummer. ;-)  Who wouldn't want to see it again, it's a "who's who" in 1940s entertainers and everyone wants to just take "California" home with them and keep him for their very own.  If you are unfamiliar with this movie...let me help you out. You can actually watch the entire thing online (like here). But in the mean time...here is a clip with highlights (there is so much more and even more wonderful music and dancing!).




Anyway...back to the apron project.

We started collecting images from the movie and started out creating the design we wanted. Here are some great images that we came across that helped inspire our final apron. (I will apologize now, I've lost track of where some of the images came from.)















(From a great page on the ATW)

For more information on the American Theater Wing (ATW) and the Stage Door Canteen, here are some great links - ATW During WWII, Memorabilia from Stage Door Canteens,  and one more great article on the canteen.

Next up will be our design and the making of our USO aprons!