The Excitement of One New Dress

LOC: Home sewing in 1943.

 

 

 In my Mother's day, children normally had three outfits. The saying was: "One in the drawer. One in the wash. And One on your back." There were seasonal shopping trips to get a new dress (or outfit) at various times of the year. But it was nothing like today's shopping frenzy, in the modern home.

Before the "requirement" of walk-in closets, people generally had few outfits.  They had what was necessary along with one or two special (dress-up) garments.   There was no need for large closets. It was not a standard feature when building a home.

When young girls were learning to sew, they were excited at the idea of shopping for material, notions and a basic dress pattern. They would spend hours cutting pattern pieces and fabric. They would carefully sew, and try on portions of the dress. A tremendous amount of effort went into making such a dress! There was also much pride in the finished product.  Those dresses may not have cost very much, but they were treasured by each amateur seamstress. 

I still remember how much time went into making my very first dress.  I also remember selecting a pattern for a baby dress when my first child was only a few months old. I loved sewing a dress for her, and trimming the collar in lace!  I have made many girls' dresses over the years and those dresses have been cared for and enjoyed more than any store bought item. Why? Because so much time was spent on their creation.  Most of the dresses were made for a specific event or holiday, but worn many times, over many years.

Of course, in this present day, it is very inexpensive to buy a new dress. Sales at local department stores and the quality of items available at consignment and thrift shops make it very easy to find affordable clothes.   But sometimes I wonder if we buy too many dresses?  

What if we carefully sought out only one dress at a time. What if we bought one dress each season, or made one dress? Would we take our time and make a deliberate selection, rather than just buying whatever was available (or easy)?

Imagine how exciting it would be if we shopped for one pretty dress just like girls of yesteryear searched for a pattern and fabric?  Not only would we save a tremendous amount of money, but we would slowly build a lovely wardrobe of charming clothing!

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Is Mother Required to Offer Daily Desserts? - The Thrifty Kitchen.

How Clean is your House? - Beware of Random Kitchen Inspections.

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