Years of Simmering Resentment

It's not often that I find vintage dresses with notes from the original owner attached, but this one caught my attention. This is a sweet day dress made in sewing class at college by Dorrice Trickey in 1935. It's pretty rare to find Depression era day dresses like this in such great condition, because it was a time of "making do" and wearing garments until they wore out.

My grandmother taught me to sew when I was 12 years old. One thing she always insisted upon was that I must use a thimble when sewing by hand. I didn't like it, I complained and groused, but I learned to use that thimble and gradually became used to it. Now I can't sew without one, and my family knows that my favorite thimble that fits just right better NOT disappear from my sewing table! With that in mind, here is the note that Dorrice attached to this dress:

"Made in Sewing Class at Farmington State Normal School. 1935 - Dorrice Trickey - Got a D because I didn't use a thimble".

I can just imagine Dorrice as a good all around student who prided herself on her high grades. But she just hates using that nasty thimble in Sewing Class! In a fit of pique, she decides she can complete her hand sewing on this dress just fine without it. And the teacher has the nerve to give her a D for that reason!!!!! Dorrice puts the dress away in her closet and vows to never wear it, but she can't throw it out - there's a Depression on. The dress sits in the back of her closet taunting her with that grade year after year. Her resentment simmers in the back of her mind, and when, late in life, Dorrice decides to donate her vintage clothing to a museum, she still remembers that D!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .