The Bridesmaid and the Bead

There will be a family wedding this summer. Older daughter is the bride and younger daughter is a bridesmaid. We found the bridesmaid dress. It has a beautiful  hand beaded, flowing design all over it.

But there is a problem - I counted 71 places where the beads have come off.

 The bridesmaid pointed out the problem to the cashier and got a further discount on the price then confidently said her mother could fix it. 

I looked at the little pack of extra beads attached to the dress's tag. 

Hmmm, not enough for the repairs.

There are 4 different beads in the mix. 

I went into my bead stash. No matches. 

I didn't realise my bead stash was so inadequate.

I spied this beaded place mat under a plant pot and found 2 of the beads in it. The dress has priority. The place mat will just be a little smaller when I have finished. 

Oh dear, now I have to go to a bead store to find the 2 missing beads. 

The things I will do for my children! 

More Art Deco in Victoria

In the Royal BC Museum there are 2 Art Deco garments that are well worth the hunt to find.
This silk georgette evening dress, 1926-28, illustrates well the shock of the new. For the first time in European history women went out in public wearing garments that exposed their lower legs and the full length of their arms. These garments reflect the hard won freedoms women enjoyed for the short time between the wars in North America.

The dress is heavily embroidered with beads. Loops of seed beads make the red flowers in the floral bouquet 3 dimensional.
I am always fascinated by the strong bond between women and flowers.

Next to the dress, in the display cabinet, is this interesting hat. It too is an important social commentary on how women, for the first time, voluntarily cut off their 'crowning glory' as though they were removing a burden from the past. Then they covered up their heads in the Asian style, with form-fitting hats. It was such a shocking protest at the time. They seemed to want to remove the inequality of the gender issue so they could be seen as another human being.

The hat is covered with dense long and short stitch and ribbon couched down in a similar technique to quill work.
I don't know what to make of the design. Any suggestions?

Madeleine Vionnet and Art Deco

A friend showed me this very interesting book. Its main argument is that Art Deco fashion was greatly influenced by Cubism. I found the argument contrived and not at all convincing but it didn't stop me enjoying the wonderful images of Art Deco style garments.

One of my favourite designers in the book is Madeleine Vionnet. She was known for her great skill in working with fabric on the bias. In this 1932 dress step-shaped, bias-cut panels make a sheath that skims the body. So revolutionary!

This 1929 silk wedding dress looks as though it was made from a large leaf.

It is so elegant with its 7 foot train.