All Quiet.

24 Feb 2012 2 Comments

by sewforward in What I do when I am NOT sewing.

My sewing machine has been quiet this past week since I have been busy doing my volunteer work.

I volunteer at the local museum in the Textile Department.  I am currently putting together the next exhibit.

My favorite garment for this exhibit (so far!) is this dress:

What I think is neat is the tie on the neckline.

This garment is handmade (home sewn) and has a metal zipper in it, so it is quite old . . . well, perhaps not as old as some garments in the collection, but probably older than me.

I can image that it was a party dress sewn up for an evening under the stars.  I think the woman who wore it must have been a brunette with upset hair with a tiny bow.   She probably had a little green purse with a gold clasp where she carried her pink frost lipstick.  Her date, in his dark suit with a crisp white shirt and a black tie, undoubtedly drove a convertible and tonight was their last starlit celebration for the summer.

So why the apron? You may be asking . . .

The upcoming exhibit is all about aprons so all the dress forms that I will be dressing will have aprons.

This apron looks just too pretty to use.

This is my rendition of a Quaker – the city was started as a Quaker Colony so I try – if possible – to always include something in the exhibits about the Quakers (a.k.a. Society of Friends).

Other aprons will also be on display too, and, in June, will be our annual Tea & Fashion Show, which also will be about aprons.

I spent yesterday ironing a stack of aprons and the handwork on some of them is just exquisite.  I’ll share some pictures soon.   I know the garments look a little wrinkled – I’ll steam them once I get the dress forms out into the gallery, it is too crowed to do that in the Textile Room.

It all seems overwhelming right now, but somehow I always end up getting it all done.  If there is anything I learned from sewing is that a really good garment (like an exhibit) is not completed in one big step but rather many, many little tasks must be completed in sequence in order to get to done