I come from a family of seamstresses. My mother made all my clothes when I was a child. I remember standing on a chair whilst she tacked up hems and pinned in waistlines. I still have the bluebird toffee tin that served as a reclaimed button box. There are buttons in there that I know, big orange and black ones that came off a coat belonging to my grandmother, pretty plastic daisy buttons from a summer smock, small white ones from my fathers shirts. There are some that are older; intricate black glass and silk shank buttons that belonged to my great grandmother, flat pearl studs, brass military buttons. In amidst these are sewing ephemera; thimbles, stitch cutters, fragments of rickrack and skeins of embroidery threads.( See the link to the review of Lynn Knight's book at the end of this blog)
I grew up sharing a room with my older sister who also sewed. The floor was a booby trap of dropped needles and pins. On one occasion she took the curtains down to make an outfit. In the corner of the bedroom loomed an ancient treadle Singer machine. I still have 'Edward' a hinged limb teddy bear that she made me for my 7th birthday. I did a bit of dressmaking myself, although I was never really patient enough. Pearl is the next generation of tape and shears wielding women..
Pearl has learnt to sew over several years. She developed her abilities with textile artist Louise Bird who used to work with us. Now she is honing her dressmaking skills with Marian who has taught her the dark art of pattern cutting. Pattern cutting is a technically challenging and time consuming activity. Lots of measurements are taken and various parts are put together like a jigsaw. Being able to do pattern cutting not only enables the seamstress to creatively design, it minimises waste and it means that clothing fits perfectly. No one has a perfect body, everyone is a bit different. Patterns cutting enables the maker to work with challenges such as having one shoulder higher than the other, or having a long, or short bodice. The finished garment will be 'made to measure' and will hang right.
Here are a few photos of Pearl doing pattern cutting and fitting along with a finished dress that she made. Doesn't it look fab? Watch this space for more creativity.
Marian is also just about to relaunch her sewing and repairs business that has been on hold for a few years - its called Simply Fancy Frocks.
Find out more
This link will take you to an explanation of pattern cutting by Clothing Manufacturers UK What Is Pattern Cutting?
I also found this blog (Verity Reads Books.Com) which has a review of a book by Lynn Knight called 'The Button Box' . The book traces women's histories through the contents of a button box. The link is here Book of the Week: The Button Box – Verity Reads Books (lots of them) I love writing blogs, it always sends me off down a rabbit hole. I'll be getting hold of a copy of the book to read it myself, it sounds fascinating. If you have read it let me know what you thought if it.