Thursday, March 28, 2013

Maxine...Fashion Is What It's All About

My mother, Maxine, loved fashion and design.  I have noticed that many people my age...whose mothers were or are part of what Tom Brokow named the Greatest Generation.... many of those women were great seamstresses, often making their own patterns.  Three years ago my mother died at the age of 90.  Part of my reason for having this blog is to carry on her stories.  Here are a few pictures from a book of fashions that my mother drew when she was young.


These are kind of light, but you can get the idea.  I am not sure if this is the wedding dress she had planned to make.  She ordered a parachute from the U.S. Army with the intention of using the silk for the dress.  When she got the parachute she found it was sewn in panels too small to make the pattern she wanted to make...and  'U.S. Army' was printed all over it. 
If my father looks warm...it was 107 degrees the day they got married.  They had to snuff out the candles because they were melting...looking  more like canes.
Note the seamed stockings.
She signed her sketches 'Mack'
 
 
I am amazed at the talent she had creating suits, dresses, coats, and later made puppets, and dolls.  One year she made Annie and Sandy dolls for my niece and nephew.
Maggie with Annie and Sandy.
 
I want to thank Stacey and Ruth for hosting the Slice of Life.  It has been a positive experience and I am glad that I decided to take part in it.
 

 
 

11 comments:

  1. Wow! These are incredible. So inspiring. And I love that she signed them "Mack". Was that her nickname? These sketches reveal so much about her--imagination, attention to detail, embrace of whimsy (possible perfectionism?). Thanks for sharing!!
    marika

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  2. These are amazing! She is so precise and had an eye for detail and beauty. Thank you for sharing these with us!

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  3. Your mother was an artist too. Those sketches are fabulous! How creative, I would have never thought to order a parachute to use for the dress. It would have been an interesting dress if she'd used it. It's been a good month, hasn't it?

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    1. Yes, Elsie, it has been a good month. I have had a few days of panic...but all in all...even with the cat on my lap when I was trying to write....I so enjoyed it...and enjoyed getting to read and respond to other bloggers...and them comment on mine. Thanks so much for your comments and your help.

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  4. Jackie, I had no idea your mom was such an amazing artist and designer. I always knew she had a strong fashion sense, but these drawings are incredible. Did she make all of her clothes? I like the "out of the box" thinking your mom always seemed to do --- like the parachute. You have so many great stories. I'm glad you are starting to collect them here. I am so glad you took the challenge and that you're enjoying it. I hope you will join the weekly challenge on Tuesdays after this event. I wasn't very good at keeping up last year, but I'm going to make it a goal after this challenge.

    Cathy

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    1. Thanks, Cathy....for getting me into this...and the weekly post sounds like something I would be interested in doing. Yes, Maxine made a lot of her clothes...but she also liked to shop in boutiques where she could get unique outfits. She had 103 suits that we gave to Goodwill when she moved in with me...and of course, she kept a few.

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  5. I am so glad you did too and I hope you continue writing...I read your blog every night...You mother sounds a bit like my grandmother (who is 94)...pretty amazing women!

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    1. Thanks, Shannon, I think I will try to do the once a week...will check it out. I have really enjoyed this...and it got me writing in the blog again. I'd like to hear some stories of your grandmother...that generation of women is amazing. My mother would be 94 this year...so they were very close to the same age.

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  6. The sketches are beautiful. Capturing the memories is delightful.

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  7. WOW!!! I missed this one when we went on vacation and couldn't get much internet. I love to sew - dresses for myself and my girl, quilts and my favorite purse. Imagine when I saw these - I would love to be able to design as she did. You have a rare collection there. What a family treasure!

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  8. Jackie...I am also a regular here, as is our friend Jaci...she often texts me and tells me to go NOW and read your post! Please do keep posting on Tuesdays and I will commit to do the same.
    Trish

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