Child's Dress thumbnail 1

This object consists of 3 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Child's Dress

1944 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

No Sleep for Mother, or How Jane Got her Party Dress

One day in 1944 Jane received a surprise invitation to a party. She was only four years old, and very much wanted to go to it – parties happened very seldom because of the war – but she had grown a lot recently and her party dress was too small for her. Her mother, Elizabeth, couldn’t buy her a new one, or even enough fabric to make one, because she would have to pay for it with coupons as well as money. This was the wartime rationing scheme: each person had only a limited number of coupons, and the family had none left at that time. But Elizabeth had thought of an idea, although by now it was the night before the party. When Jane had gone to bed, she got out her sewing things and every scrap of spare fabric she could find in the house. She sat up all night cutting and stitching, and in the morning, there was Jane’s new party dress – cleverly made out of all the different pieces stitched together into patchwork.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Dress
  • Photograph
  • Photograph
Materials and techniques
Patchworked silk, photographs on paper
Brief description
Girl's patchwork party dress, with two photographs of her; UK, 1944
Physical description
Patchwork of silks and cottons of a variety of colours.

Girl's frock of mulicoloured patchwork in silks (including patachute silk) and cottons, the dress has a squared neckline with an organdie frill, and padded puffed sleeves are lined, and the gathered skirt had a built-in organdie petticoat with a hem frill. The fress fastens at the back with five pearlised buttons and stitched buttonholes.

With the dress are two photographs of it being worn by its owner as a child.
Dimensions
  • Height: 810mm (Note: Measured flat)
  • Width: 650mm (Note: Measured flat)
  • Depth: 110mm (Note: Measured flat)
Production typeUnique
Gallery label
Clothing from scraps During the Second World War, fabric rationing meant new clothing was in short supply. Mothers, who often made their children’s clothes, came up with creative solutions. The white dress shown here is made of silk from rejected military parachutes. The patchwork dress was made to wear to a party – the wearers’ mother sewed together every scrap of fabric she could find. 1 Patchwork party dress Maker: Elizabeth Draper Date: 1944 Location: UK Materials: Silk and cotton patchwork Given by Mrs Elizabeth Pearce Museum no. MISC.265-1983 2 Silk dress Maker: Jane Birch Date: 1947 Location: UK Materials: Nylon parachute silk Given by Dr Margaret H. Birch Museum no. MISC.27-1979 [Young V&A, Design gallery, Design makes things last longer, group object label](01/07/2023)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Elizabeth Pearce
Object history
Made for Mhairi Elizabeth Jane Irving Draper, known as Jane (b. 1940) by her mother Elizabeth. On entry to the museum its condition was noted as 'very good'
Summary
No Sleep for Mother, or How Jane Got her Party Dress

One day in 1944 Jane received a surprise invitation to a party. She was only four years old, and very much wanted to go to it – parties happened very seldom because of the war – but she had grown a lot recently and her party dress was too small for her. Her mother, Elizabeth, couldn’t buy her a new one, or even enough fabric to make one, because she would have to pay for it with coupons as well as money. This was the wartime rationing scheme: each person had only a limited number of coupons, and the family had none left at that time. But Elizabeth had thought of an idea, although by now it was the night before the party. When Jane had gone to bed, she got out her sewing things and every scrap of spare fabric she could find in the house. She sat up all night cutting and stitching, and in the morning, there was Jane’s new party dress – cleverly made out of all the different pieces stitched together into patchwork.
Collection
Accession number
MISC.265-1983

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Record createdApril 26, 2004
Record URL
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