Nan

My Grandmother is wonderful. While this is something I've always known, I have come to appreciate it even more recently, when I've been going through the Ton of clothes I grabbed from her house following a big clear out I helped my Mum with.

Handmade skirt

As she's now elderly and immobile, my Nan has surrendered most of her incredible (both in terms of content and size) wardrobe, and much of it has come to live with me.
I've washed a few items and aired the rest and am now the proud owner of;
12 skirts
1 skirt suit
1 jacket
2 dresses
6 slips
1 dressing gown
2 dresses and 1 skirt from which I'll reclaim fabric
1yd of cotton and
1 fur coat


Blue and green plaid skirt

My Mum is amazed that anyone would want to wear her Grandmother's clothes and as they're all 60s and 70s items, I'm surprised too. It turns out, though, that my Nan has always been a style queen.
Not only is her taste impeccable - the fabrics she's picked out are beautiful, she's also always bought very high quality clothes and she's taken really great care of everything. Most of it looks brand new. It's incredible. And, as I'm discovering, most of her clothes were hand made.
My Nan grew up in the 30s and 40s in the East End of London. When the war started, she was 14 and so left school to join the work place. She went to work in a factory sewing parachutes and as far as I know, has been sewing ever since.


Simple black velvet a-line skirt

At the end of the war she married the boy next door (actually he lived opposite, but near enough!) and when my Grandad was offered a chance to move to Hampshire with work, they took it. She kept working in London and would take the bus into Victoria every day, which meant that she needed a wardrobe fit for the London scene whilst saving her pennies (not to say that she didn't like to spend - there's an oft told story about a pair of shoes she spent 2 week's wages on in Bristol during the war, which she had to hide from my Grandad).

Suit made in 'West Germany'

As a result she sewed many of her own clothes then, and continued to make pieces for cruises she went on in her retirement. She has a raft of photos of her creations dining on the QE2!
It was my Nan who first taught me to sew and I can remember many happy school holidays making stuffed toys, dressing up clothes or aprons. When my school ball came around at 16, I helped her make a dress with a boned bodice and massive Tulle skirt from burgundy satin - I still think it's a remarkable feat! I wore that dress proudly and told anyone who'd listen that I'd made it with my Nan.


Handmade dress - crazy!

Some of the skirts need taking in, since as she got older she let out a lot of darts and added an inch here and there to the waist bands so that, weirdly, they're too big for me. I'm sure as the rest of the clothes get modified I'll be posting pictures of me in them, so watch this space!


Busy busy busy

Last night was cutting out, and it took me forever!

I had to cut 4 of each piece, and since I'm rubbish at cutting straight, I took my time and did each piece twice. Then I had to do my tailor tacks and notches.

I now have all the pieces cut out and am going to stitch about half the bodice before bed tonight. I figure if I get half done tonight, half Wednesday, the skirt on Thursday and sew it all together on Friday, I can hem and finish etc at the weekend and will still have 3 days spare before Goodwood for any last minute bits and bobs. I know I have a repair to do on a pair of gloves I want to wear and I'm sure I'll find more to do once I start packing.

I'm really hoping to get it done before the weekend, as I'm probably going to be heading off to the Brecon Jazz festival with hubby. He grew up in the Welsh wilds not far from Brecon, so it'll double up as a visit to his parents and a chance to get some toe tapping done. Despite being in Brecon about six times a year for the last 5 years, we've never made the festival! I'll be pleased to finally see what all the fuss is about.

We might take a trip into Hay on Wye on the way home too (most shops are open on Sundays and closed Mondays instead) - some of my favourite antiques and vintage shops are in Hay, not to mention the bookshops. For those of you who don't know, Hay is basically a retirement home for second hand books. There are probably 20 or more second hand bookshops there, some of them are massive. Those books which don't get sold in any of the regular shops get chucked into the Castle bookshop - a courtyard in the ruined castle - on shelves, open to the elements. There's an honesty box and a standard charge of 50p a book - it's well worth a rummage! It's a wonderful place, very olde worldy, and between the shops and cafes you can waste a happy day there, just pottering. If you're ever in the vicinity it really is well worth a visit.

 

I've had a look through some patterns I've inherited from my Nan today. Most aren't to my taste but they're wonderful all the same. The children's dress is one my mum would have worn.

There is also a box of zip, saved over the years. There's a sign of a different generation, and of a poor upbringing. My mum says she remembers my great-grandad picking up bits of string in the street to keep.

Finally, and the best item, is the pattern my Nan used to make my Mum's wedding dress. It's in bad condition, but it's definately one to keep!