Would you believe my grandmother's wedding dress was also inside
this basket! I nearly flipped when I
came across it. I'd seen pictures of her
wearing it but I had no idea where it was or if it even still existed.
Needless to say it is rather old and extremely fragile. The satin itself is rather crispy for lack of
a better word.
Her veil is long gone, but the little head piece it had been
attached to was there. Also a small
piece of the lace insert and ruffled neckline from the bodice. It was amazing for me to see this. I knew it was important to her and I knew she
knew I'd appreciate it and take care of it.
She had also put in the patterns her mother had used to make the
dress. 1940s patterns were quite
different than patterns are today. The
tissue pieces have no markings on them whatsoever. Good Lord!
I don't think I could sew well at all with pattern pieces like that.
As a teenager my grandmother was a dancer and performed in many
recitals and dance ensembles. Two of the
patterns my great-grandmother used to make her costumes were tucked inside with
the wedding patterns too.
My plans for the patterns are to frame them and hang them up in my
sewing area. I hope to incorporate the
portion of lace and the headpiece to her veil as well. I'll be hunting for the perfect frames or
shadow boxes for that project.
 |
| My grandparents made a very handsome couple |
The remains of her dress will be carefully stored. I'll probably look for a special box or make
something to keep it in. I'm not quite
sure yet.
So how about that? Would
you have ever guessed there was a wedding dress inside of here?
That is very sweet!,
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne!
DeleteI wonder if you could take the dress to someone who restores old clothing... is there even such a person?! I do know they make acid free boxes for wedding dresses.
ReplyDeleteI love those patterns they are so pretty!
Tania
I think it is beyond hope at this point. It is pretty crispy. Maybe if it had always been stored in an acid free box then maybe it would have faired better. :( The patterns are really cool.
DeleteI love these posts about your grandmother's basket! Honestly, I believe she would be so proud of you and her heart would be singing knowing how you lovingly share these pieces of her life with your readers. Those patterns make me smile cause I can recall so many old movies with actresses wearing those types of dance costumes. Beautiful wedding dress and, yes, they are a beautiful couple! What treasures!! :)
ReplyDeleteAwww Dawn that is so sweet of you to say. I have to say I've really enjoyed sharing this basket with everyone.
Delete