Vintage Repairs

Of the varied bits of work that make their way through my studio, one of my favourites are the vintage dresses, not only does it give me a chance to breathe new life into them, but I get a chance to have a close-up look at how the olds craftsmen and women of yesteryear made their clothes. Everyone has their own way of sewing up and finishing a garment and no one persons way is the right one. So while I'm replacing broken zips, letting out or taking in waists, changing hemlines and replacing lost beads, I take a good look at the construction, inside and out - it helps, not only to teach me alternative methods of construction but also to improve the methods I already have.

Some of the dresses have so much work in simple details (like the neckline pictured) it's clear that someone has sat and painstakingly sewn on beads and bindings, so as far as possible, I do the same, hand sewing delicate stitches even when I know a sewing machine would breeze right through it - it makes me feel like I'm showing some sort or respect, like I am making up for all the times I have watched designers buy vintage items only to cut them up for colour samples or tea dye them, shred them or distress them as I stood by horrified that these beautiful delicate garments that had survived for years only to be destroyed irreversibly on a whim .