My Mother's Wedding Dress

The dress on the right is the one my mother chose in 1951 for her wedding in August of that year.  She made it herself and her two sisters had matching dresses in different colors.  She had wanted a white wedding gown but was coerced by her mother to make a more "practical" dress that could be worn again.

Here are my grandparents and parents outside the church after the wedding.

Her dress was of dusty rose nailhead taffeta with a nylon taffeta inset and pearl buttons according to this comprehensive newspaper account.  In the background you can see her older sister in her matching dress in light yellow.   Her younger sister wore orchid.

I remember this dress hanging in our downstairs hall closet during the 60's and I think it went to Goodwill when we moved in 1970.  I was in high school and not yet into vintage clothing or I would have saved it.

Dames Are Dangerous

I don't know who this Richard Miles is, but he obviously got burned more than once!  I found this flyer tucked in the following pattern.

It looks like the young man being terrorized by his little brother is having some serious thoughts about the dangers of the fair sex, which he has been reading about in his copy of "Tales for Males".

Brownies

No, not the kind you eat.  This is the Palmer Cox version, first drawn in 1887 and starring in nine books and many advertising campaigns.  You can even read them on Google books.

It seems someone reproduced them to embroider on towels or tablecloths or something because I found these in a box of old patterns and transfer sheets.

The first is called "The Dude".

The next one is a cook.

 The last one is a waiter.

There was no envelope for these, so I don't know which pattern company produced them.  If anyone has the originals, please let me know.

First Post

I have been thinking about what to write about first and have too many ideas that need extra digging in boxes, so will just start out with what I'd like to accomplish with this blog.

I have collected sewing patterns for many years and even have the ones my mother made her maternity clothes and my first layette with "packed away somewhere".  I have been organizing and categorizing and sorting for two weeks and have put all my patterns on spreadsheets according to manufacturer.  Next step is weeding out the ones I am not particularly attached to in order to sell them on Etsy.  When I come across a pattern that has a specific memory for me or one that I have made or just have random thoughts about I will write about it.  Nothing earth-shattering, just a way to share things I have learned over the years.

If you have something you want me to write about or a particular period in 19th or 20th century fashion you're interested in, let me know.  I don't pretend to know all there is to know about vintage fashion and sewing, but I have picked up a lot of trivial information that I can share.

So here goes . . .