A Family Heirloom

Hello, thank you for calling in.  Is all well?  We are still enjoying warm weather and sunshine.  Isn't it lovely how everything feels better when the sun is shining?

 

A number of nice things happened during my unintended blogging break, things which I would like to share with you, and today I'm going to tell you about the nicest one of all.

 

When Alice's first grandchild was born in 1955, she commissioned her friend and neighbour, Betty, to knit a Christening gown for the baby, a girl, to wear.  Alice could knit herself, but Betty was a more skillful knitter and the gown she made of soft, white, 2 ply wool was beautiful, the lacework incredibly fine and even.  The gown was long, as is traditional, and lined with white satin and through the eyeholes was threaded a fine, white, organza ribbon.  Here is a photo of the gown, the baby and her mother in 1956.

 

In 1965 Alice's third grandchild was born, another girl - me.  Betty was fond of my mother so she knitted a shawl to match the gown she had knitted a decade earlier, a gift for the new baby.  I was Christened, wearing the gown and wrapped in the shawl, in the spring of that year.  

 

 In 1971 the gown was worn again by Alice's sixth grandchild, another girl.  Here she is, on the lap of her other grandmother.

And here is Alice with that baby on her knee, surrounded by one of her daughters and four more of her granddaughters.  That's me kneeling at the front on the right, wearing the pink dress!

 

On Mothering Sunday 1973 Alice's ninth grandchild, another girl, wore the gown for her Christening.   

 

After this, the gown was washed, carefully wrapped and stowed away for a generation until Mothering Sunday 1996, when The Mathematician wore it for her Thanksgiving.  "Let's have a look at the family heirloom," said my aunt.  So here I am, carefully holding my lovely girl in a way which shows off said heirloom while one of my sisters ensures it is properly draped.  (You've met my sisters earlier in this post!)

 

The gown was carefully wrapped and stowed away again for another generation. Last year, the gown was passed to me.  Oh, the responsibility!  When The Teacher asked me if Tom Kitten could wear it for his Thanksgiving in March, my heart skipped a little beat.  We unwrapped it together and were dismayed to see that it was yellowed and stained!  However, I did not stay daunted for long. After all, I earned my Laundress badge in the Girl Guides and that may have been in 1978 but wool is wool and the rules hold true - tepid water, no wringing or spinning, just gentle squeezing before wrapping in a thick towel.  I searched online for advice about stain removal and discovered that my usual products would eat the wool.  Yikes!  So, I approached the task very gently, with a specialist wool washing liquid and a couple of quick squirts of Vanish.  Hmm.  The result was an improvement, but not perfect.  I searched online again and sent the Best Beloved out to buy some distilled vinegar.  I soaked the gown in a solution of vinegar and water before rinsing it thoroughly and allowing it to dry.  This time, the result was much better - still not perfect, but much better.  We took out the stained organza ribbon and replaced it with new green ribbon, which hid the most obvious stain.  The Teacher was thrilled.

I was worried about Tom Kitten's head and his feet as early March can be very cold, so I used my mother's 1960s knitting patterns and knitted him a bonnet and some bootees in 3 ply wool.  I threaded them with more of the green ribbon and send the parcel over to The Teacher.

 

While the Best Beloved and I were driving to the church, The Teacher dressed Tom Kitten and sent me this photo.

 

And here we are, the six of us who have worn the family heirloom over the last sixty-two years, four granddaughters, one great-granddaughter and one great, great-grandson of Alice. 

 

 

See you soon.

 

Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x