Sunday, October 27, 2013

Forty years on...


 
In 1973 (according to the back of this photo), which was during the early days of Laura Ashley, it was the fashion to go to parties dressed in sort of milkmaid garb. So I made this dress. It was long and made of Viyella. Here I am, gazing lovingly at my fiancé.
 
Time passed and the dress wasn't worn much any more. We didn't go to so many parties once we were parents; and fashion had moved on. So I asked my mother-in-law, who was a whizz with her needle, if she could make one of our daughters a dress out of the material. She bought some white Viyella to eke it out and made dresses for both daughters. And here they are: Christmas 1982.
 


At the time of the above photo, Daughter 2 was one and a half, in fact nearly one and seven months.


I don't know what happened to Daughter 1's dress but I kept Daughter 2's in my materials basket. Not really sure why. Here it is on Granddaughter. She only just fits it, at seven months. On the right, her auntie, a whole year older.

Truly she is a Giant Baby. But very cute!

(No, no, the Scots' reputation for ... err... thrift is totally unjustified.)

10 comments:

  1. Good thing granddaughter got into this memorable outfit at least once! This is precious.

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  2. Lovely story! Quite the handsome pair, those young Lifes. Yes, we've heard all about the frugality of the Scots. But Viyella is such a beautiful fabric I don't blame you for squeezing as much out of it as possible.

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  3. I wouldn't have recognised you but would have Mr L. The likeness between Mr. L and son is very obvious. Also the likeness between little N and his Mum is amazing.
    I love Viyella fabric, but haven't seen anything made of it for years.( I'm glad you kept one dress. Hang onto it; it may yet get more use from future Grandkids. )

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  4. This is amazing. Please keep the dress! Maybe one ay someone will make a replica of it, when finally it becomes too fragile for frugal just like whatisname's baptismal robe. The dress is much nicer, and infinitely less dated, by the way!

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  5. Did you also make your own chokers from velvet ribbon? I longed for Laura Ashley dresses, especially as we were allowed to go into mufti in the sixth form and everyone had one. I eventually got a flowery blouse but they seemed very expensive for daily wear.

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  6. Indeed, the choker was also craftswoman made!

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  7. Recycling at its best, Scottish or not! I made several dresses from Viyella when I was making my own clothes in the sixties and seventies. I loved the fabric because it was so easy to sew with, and very comfortable to wear.

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  8. Holy Cow -- you are SOOOO funny! I burst out laughing when I read about the "Milkmaid" style. Hysterical! I embraced the milkmaid style and remember fondly my Laura Ashley dresses.

    And then ... more hilarity with the frugality of the Scots. We don't even have time to go into how much I love all those photos. And how, unlike Ali, I would have recognized you, but not Mr. Life. Or the family resemblances.

    Because we're laughing so much. I think I Love You LOL!!!

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  9. So darling! I's wonderful that you kept this family heirloom! And how much I realized that your son looks like his father from this post.

    And nothing wrong with thrift, is there?

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  10. How sweet, and rather amazing that the dress now lives on for a third generation.

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