Tuesday 3 September 2013

How to display these fabulous pieces?

Several weeks ago I bought these two fabulous pieces of children's clothing; French in origin but as as to age I can only guess at sometime in the 19th century.

The workmanship is amazing particularly in the blouse/shirt. The back and front are pintucked and lined with a striped serge, the sleeves gathered and set in and a sweet stand up collar

The little waistcoat looks as though it was intended to be worn with the shirt and both appear to be the right size for a one year old.
My three year old grandson surprised me by being keen to try them on but they are far too small and truth be known far too itchy for any modern child. The rather rough wool based fabrics would have been uncomfortable next to the skin and very difficult to wash..did the toddlers of the past not vomit and spill in the same way as those in my experience do

So as they will not be used as originally intended I decided to frame them and display on a wall.
Last week I thought I had found the perfect frames, although not big enough for both the larger could contain the shirt and the smaller the waistcoat; then both would be hung side by side to show their connection.

So far so good, so far as the framer's shop! It has always been a mystery to me why some retailers would rather say no than yes but on Saturday morning we had the misfortune to meet two in the space of an hour. First the woman who took delight in telling us they didn't have what we wanted and how would she know what was in their other branch, "she wasn't there was she?"
And then the framer himself who said no he couldn't use my frames and even if I bought new from him it would be too expensive to be worthwhile...nice that he knew how to not spend my money for me!

So we're back to our usual DIY solutions but if anyone knows of a more accommodating framer perhaps you could let me know
Hopefully I'll be able to post pics of the framed items sometime in the not too distant future
You can see the clothing if you come along to my open house this Friday or Saturday and offer advice!