Pages

Friday 30 November 2012

Hommage

I was very privileged to have had in my hands for a few weeks an embroidered dress, still on it's fabric base of silk organza.  It belongs to my sister-in-law and was made by her uncle's mother.  We think from the style that it was done in the 1920's.  My daughter did the drawing of what we think the dress would look like and I printed it onto some rust dyed silk/cotton.  I embroidered the zigzag which has become way too stiff to put beads on  - the wash away must not have all washed away!

Originally I had thought to simply copy a section using machine embroidery but was then awed by the work that went into the design.  Drawing up the zigzags must have been a formidable task way back then.  The embroidery was something else!  I just felt that this was something I had to acknowledge.  Albeit with not much time left!  


 Here is the back of the dress and you can see the border that was done at the bottom.  The dress part drops to just above my knees (I'm short).  And the front - also with the band at the bottom.

 And the embroidery and beads!  You can see how she transitioned colour using both the beads and the thread with which they were put on.  Very clever.
 Part of the neckline

 And the band at the bottom.
 And just anther close-up of the work.


 I'm just waiting to hear if the McCord  museum in Montreal would like to have it.








11 comments:

  1. What an amazing story. The dress is stunning and I love the choice of thread colour and the way it gradates from light to dark and then the band at the bottom. The beads make it a very special outfit - it must weight a ton!

    Your piece is a great homage to the labour of love that went into that dress - the colours, the repeat of the zigzag, the embroidery. Very special. Very 'flapper'.

    Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a different slant on the theme - I think it is very innovative the way you have put everyhing together to make the whole piece meld together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a gorgeous dress! Your piece is a very fitting tribute and interpretation of the theme.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How wonderful to be able to commit this dress to memory in this way - thanks for sharing it with us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great tribute to a fabulous dress. I hope the dress finds a home where it can be treasured and enjoyed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for sharing this exquisite dress and story with us! Your representation of this in your piece is brilliant...WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an amazing garment! Hope they have it at the McCord so that we can have a close up look at it and what a wonderful way to record your memories of it for your family in this piece.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a clever take on the theme, and what an inspired tribute to an amazing example of stitchery. Do I understand that the dress was never completed, that it is still uncut?

    ReplyDelete
  10. a lateral take on the theme for sure - skillfully executed with a lot of thought. well done dianne

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great dress and a great piece of work immortalising it. I've only just had a chance to look at the photos on a large screen, and both pieces show the incredible amount of work that has gone into them.

    ReplyDelete