In the past, indigo-dyed textiles were used as the everyday and workwear in the southern Burgenland (as in many other regions of Austria). Blue was the colour worn by common people. Farmers wore a plain blue half apron (‘Fiata‘) when working on the fields. The women’s full aprons (‘Schurz‘) were plain, too but later also printed on both sides. Since there was no washing machine, laundry was a tedious task. Double-printed aprons made life easier because they can be easily turned over and worn both ways to serve various functions, for example, one side for farm work and the other side for household and kitchen work. And in case you have to get something quickly from the village or a visitor comes spontaneously, you have a clean apron in no time. The white patterned blue clothes were also worn in the church on Sundays, on festive days and on special occasions, but then mostly mangled to give the fabrics a beautiful sheen.