Thursday 20 September 2012

Great Scot! She's wearing her Sunday Best...

Can I ask, did you have a Sunday best dress?  I had several throughout my childhood, they were split between Summer and Winter, back in the days when the return to school in September meant the Winter was  imminent and the Whitsun half term break meant that Summer was coming.  The awful woolly vest came out of hiding in September, it was crafted from Merino wool and was an off yellow, well a mucky cream shade and had already served two brothers and a sister... I want you to know that as the youngest child I really did suffer.  I hated it, it was hot, itchy and it had belonged to others, but Sunday best dresses were mine and mine alone!

So my friend Pierina, she of the hot water bottle cover, told me about a fave dress of hers, a red needlecord pinafore with Scottie dogs... I had a red pinafore too, which was always worn with a white polo neck sweater but I think the Scotties would have been a step too far for my utilitarian mother...
Anyway the point of this story is that Pierina's cousin in Milan had a baby about five or six months ago, and she wanted to send her dress for the baby... I showed her the lovely cross over pinny but this would not do the job.  "No Ros, this is Italy... no cotton after the 1st of September, it needs to be a pinafore and a red pinafore and Scottie dogs, it needs Scottie dogs."  She was adamant, there was no changing her mind so that is why I made this pinny.
Now, you all know that I cannot draw, I can trace with help but I cannot draw for toffee, so I had to get Ash from the coffee shop Barlow and Fields... other coffee shops are available but frankly the coffee just won't be as good, to produce my template.  I think it is rather good as the dogs look as though they could leap off the pocket to chase a rabbit.  Also Ash is jolly useful as my covered button snapper in,  I am sure he will add this skill to his CV, it is bound to stand him in good stead.
Anyway it may be too late for fashion week in Milan but just think in a couple of weeks some poor child in Milan will be wearing an English pinafore and continuing a tradition of wearing a red pinny for Sunday best.

3 comments:

Ali said...

Hi Ros The pinafore is gorgeous. I love the Scottie dogs, very cute. I had clothes and shoes that were only for best, my favourite was a red coat with a black 'fur' collar. As an only child I still got hand me downs from two sisters down the road. I was thrilled when I got a pair of pyjamas I'd only had nighties before. I hope the dress goes down really well in Italy. It might become catwalk fashion there.
Ali x

Lyn said...

The dress will be proudly worn - it's wonderful. I like the lining you chose.

It was awful for those of us who suffered the wool thing. I remember a pair of wool 'Rupert Bear' type trousers that I had to wear pyjama trousers under to try to stop the wool making me itch.

Made in Suisse said...

oh my...will you make me one in an adult size?it is ridiculously cute!