Photography by Santiago Vanegas
You would think that we would have stirred up some ghosts with this photo shoot. Not really. Mostly just stirred up dust. But it was worth it to endure the 120 degree heat of the attic and all that dust to get these images.
These absolutely lovely gowns belong to my friend Anna. I saw them for the first time when I was at Anna’s for one of her lunches for her “girls”. I am so lucky to have a friend like her. She is one of the best storytellers that I know and she has a way of elevating the simplest thing to something special. So it was at one of Anna’s lunches that she pulled out a box and started to pass around these garments, explaining how most of them belonged to her grandmother and her mother. The whole experience was so feminine and so nostalgic with all of us women sitting in a circle, eating chicken salad, sharing stories, and handling such beautiful, sentimental heirlooms.
I have to admit, I’m kind of obsessed with these gowns. The pin tucks and the lace insertions, these are the elements that I want to be putting into the garments that I make. One of the reasons that I started this blog is to hold myself accountable for my creativity. It’s way too easy to let all the responsibilities of life completely take over. With this post, I’m setting the intention to take the plunge into heirloom sewing and to figuring out different ways to use these techniques in modern garments. I don’t fully understand why, but there are times when I am mentally blocked. I guess I want to be good at it so much that I’m stuck. I laugh at my kids when they get so worked up when they can’t do something successfully the first time they try it. I tell them, “You silly goofballs, of course you can’t do it yet, you’ve never tried it before!” I need to start taking my own advice. Just start. And know that I’m going to make mistakes along the way. It’s going to be worth the effort.
Have a great week!
So glad I found your blog,just last week! These photos are arresting. Stopped me in my tracks.. So did your written content. When I think of all the things I do not attempt at ALL merely be cause I know it won’t be perfect. Something to remember. I use to be so much better at “diving in”. Thanks for stopping me in my tracks and providing me with excellent food for thought. Great shots! Great point!
BirdsongSews, thanks for your very kind words! Tracey and I had a wonderful time shooting this post 🙂
Go to our Facebook page to read about my inspiration for this shoot…
https://www.facebook.com/featherstitchavenue
Thanks so much! And I’m so glad you found our blog. I think there’s probably a lot of us who let our perfectionism get in the way of our growth and our fun. I’m going to do my best to change my way of thinking. Thanks for letting me know how it touched a nerve with you too.
Wow Tracy and Santiago! These images are simply arresting. Exceptionally beautiful garments, more so that you shared their history. Not just a precious find with an unknown past, but they belonged to friend’s mother and grandmother. And the photos! So creative, and hauntingly beautiful.
Thanks, Wendy!
Thanks Wendy Hull! So glad you enjoyed the photographs! You can read about my photographic inspiration for this shoot here: https://www.facebook.com/featherstitchavenue
Once again, beautiful, ethereal photographs. The detail shots of the gown are beautiful and I can certainly see how you will be able to use some of these heirloom stitches in your sewing. And I have no doubt that you’ll be good at it. And everybody’s handstitching is unique. I was once told that you could identify a garment by the featherstitching alone, as each stitchers’ technique is different!
I have heard that too. Mine won’t be hard to pick out because it will be a mess! But thanks for the encouragement. I’ve got some ideas that I may work into my next garment. We’ll see…
Thanks to Sara I just found your site. Beautiul. As I live close to Florence I get to participate in the 1st Monday sewing groups at Alabama Chanin. These days are the hightlight of of month. Carry on the great work. Join us sometime.
I would love to!! I have been wanting to get back to Florence and check out the improved Factory. Thanks for visiting our blog.