Sunday, March 21, 2010

Vintage Vietnam

I'm almost done cleaning out my "craft camper" I have just the front overhead cupboards, two small dressers (empty) and a few big moving boxes. Pretty much all the fabric is out.

The above picture was taken one week ago, in fact the snow has melted all the way to the clothes line now, rain tomorrow so all will be lost. Anyway....my clothes line is 75 feet long and this silk my father brought back from Vietnam, in the sixties, older than me, measures almost that. Imagine my dismay when I found it saturated with water while being sealed and wrapped tightly with plastic.

He actually brought this fabric for my mother, she really doesn't sew like me....so she gave it to me to use. I think the long piece is okay but I will have to be selective with the short piece. That piece was leftover after I made my wedding dress.


Madame asked me about my dismay at discovering this treasure in such a state and I told her all the history behind the silk. Much to my surprise and astonishment, she mentioned wearing my dress for her wedding. I hadn't thought of that.

I still have it although all wrapped up in my closet. It is tea length with a V waist, two rows of lace down the front of the bodice and short puffy sleeves with shoulder pads (they were the style then).
Hopefully it will fit her, might be too big!
Oh, well...whatever she would like,
I'll even make her a new one! C&G Design


Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

5 comments:

tina said...

It is a beautiful dress and all the more special because of dad bringing the fabric back. I thought you were going to talk of a jewelry box. Raining here, I'm stuck inside:( Probably good so I can recover from lifting concrete yesterday.

Jean Merriman said...

Wow, I did not remember that you had made your wedding dress outta the frabic he brought back. Actually, you had been born when he was in Nam. You were lacking a week of being 13 months old when he left and he was gone for almost a year. I was "with child" (Joanne) when he left. A piece of triva for both you girls, there were 2 other couples that we were good friends with and all 3 of us were expecting when the guys left and we all had a girl within a month of each other. One daddy did not meet his new daughter as he was killed over there.

Skeeter said...

How special the dress and fabric will be for years to come. You are lucky your father made it safely back as so many did not return. So Sad to hear the tale Miss Jean tells today. Sigh...

Rain here today as well Tina. I had such plans for the yard today. Oh well, there will always be tomorrow!

Debbie said...

Hi Dawn...so sad about that old fabric your dad brought back...hopefully you can salvage quite a bit of it. I see some of the rust stains on the left end of the clothes line? I have done the same thing with items I have left in my cellar! We get water sometimes. I am so impressed that you made your own wedding dress!! Wow!! It's gorgeous and the fact that your dad carted that material back is amazing. What a story...and an extra special one if Madame ends up wearing it at her wedding! Makes my eyes well up. Your mom's story was very touching...makes me wish my mom was still here...you're very lucky to have her. I can't believe you still have snow?? It has been in the 70's here (right in the sun) and not a drop of snow. I am getting ready to dig an area for a perrenial garden.

Nancy said...

Awww, Dawn! How sweet.

Even if you fashion a new one from the old, it will just be the best.