Baltimore Sonnets

1870 - 1940 This summer we visited several museums in the NYC and Baltimore area to view wedding gowns.  We were fascinated by the intricate tailoring and construction of vintage wedding gowns, especially those created before 1940.  (Yes, the wedding gown below is decorated with lace and feathers!) One of best textile collections we visited was at Towson University Historic Clothing Collection. They allowed us to examine the textiles and wedding gowns not only with our eyes, but with our hands.  It was truly an amazing experience to touch and feel handmade silk and lace dresses from 1870 - 1940. 

For the past few months, I've been working with wedding gowns from my local thrift store.  Most of these gowns were made with modern synthetic materials and created within the last 15 years.  When I began deconstructing them to make fabric books it was great to get a first hand look at the complex and layered construction of wedding gowns: layers of tulle, cotton, rayon, polyester, acetate, and lace.  These thrifted wedding gowns were great for practicing new techniques and mastering the art of constructing and deconstructing formal wedding gowns. Last week I was given a unique opportunity to create fabric books using the most beautiful vintage wedding gowns I've ever seen.   I feel blessed and very honored to turn these dresses into new narratives, while maintaining their cultural charm and historical significance.   And, I am thankful for all the practice I've had over the months to get an in-depth understanding of the numerous textiles, styles, p...