Australian Dress Register

Faye and Alan had two children, a boy and a girl, who married a sister and brother. The children from these marriages are now teenagers.

Faye was born in 1943, while her father was serving in WW11. Faye, her mother and sister lived in Claremont, near Perth, until her father returned from the war. They subsequently took over the family farm in Williams, which is half way between Perth and Albany along the Albany Highway.

In 1963. Faye married Alan Philip who worked in a bank. His career took them to many country towns including Kulin, Wagin and Katanning before returning to the metro area of Kalamunda.

Whilst living in Wagin, as part of the Western Australian State Government's Home-maker Service, Faye taught sewing to Aboriginal women in the local hall. The Government sent up bolts of fabric, Bernina sewing machines and wool. Aboriginal women learnt machine skills, knitting and handicrafts.

In the 1970s Faye, an experienced embroiderer and dressmaker, worked for Semco. She travelled around the metropolitan area, visiting stores like Boans and Aherns, family owned department stores,to demonstrate stitching and promoting the Semco range of crafts.

Since joining The Embroiderers' Guild of Western Australia in the 1990s, Faye has served on the management committee, been a group tutor, and teaches various embroidery techniques to groups and gives embroidery workshops.

It was in the late 17th century that the worker's smock, as we recognize it today, became common clothing to protect the hard wearing clothes of the  worker. A garment was needed that offered protection from the weather and plenty of room for movement. Workers smocks were often made from double thickness fabric such as linen or hemp which was then gathered into many pleats thus creatinga barrier to rain and wind. It was during the mid 19th century that control of the fullness was formalised by the use of stitches such as back stitch, stem stitch and feather stitch, which were worked  to make fancy patterns. A later refinement was to use further patterning to identify wearers by their trade.

Smocks were also found in other parts of Europe, and were in use in Australia.

This information is taken from "The Countryman's Smocks from the Welsh Folk Museum" author Illid E Anthony, Department of Material Culture, Welsh Folk Museum, South Wales.

A very fine pale blue cotton piping outlines the collar, the sleeve band and the top of the smocked yoke.

The front panel was gathered into smocking pleats by machine. At the top and bottom of the of the smocked area, is a row of cable stitch worked in blue stranded cotton, stabilising the band of smocking. Between the rows of cable stitch there are several rows of honeycomb pattern. .

The fabric is "Clydella" a blend of 81% cotton and 19% merino wool in a twill weave.  "Clydella" , although a cheaper, less soft alternative to "Viyella",has been known for its reliability as a warm  fabric which will not shrink or crease badly.  This has made it popular for many years for children's wear, as well as shirt and dress fabric for adults."Clydella" was manufactured in the factories in the Clydeside area of England. The pattern is a cream background sprinkled with delicate sprays of pale blue flowers.

The dress has been constructed with machine stitched and overlocked seams. The button holes are hand made with buttonhole stitch, and the buttons attached by hand. The hem has been slip stitched.

The fabric as bought as a remnant. there was not quite enough to make the collar lining, so plain cream clydella was used. Clydella was usually woven in 90cm widths.

The  three mother of pearl buttons form the closure at the centre back of the dress, with hand worked buttonholes.

The facing for the Peter Pan collar is plain cream "Clydella", The yoke facings are in the same fabric as the dress. There is no interfacing.

Before clothing became relatively inexpensive and easily obtainable, it was common practice for children to have a "Sunday best" dress which was carefully worn and washed until the child's growth made it necessary for a new one. Then hems and seams were let down and out and the dress became part of everyday wear. The term "Sunday best" refers to the common practice for most families to attend a place of worship on a Sunday, followed by quiet play and maybe visits to extended family. The notion of Sunday as a day of play and retail therapy was unheard of, so the garment received gentle use and care until it became part of the everyday wardrobe.

Faye cannot recall if she used a pattern or instruction  for this garment. Historically, smocks were cut from a series of rectangles. Faye's knowledge and experience of dressmaking would enable  her to draft a child's dress pattern quite easily, working from the starting point of twice the width of the fabric for the gathers, plus the length. There was not quite enough in the remnant to cut the lining for the collar!

Pristine condition, unworn