Most of the wedding dresses I see in my alteration business are strapless. However, I currently have a display in my store of four wedding dresses--all with sleeves.
The oldest dress was worn by Mrs. Gertha R. Stenske on April 10, 1917. The wedding took place at a Lutheran church in Sheboygan, WI.
I was told there were also bridesmaids. From the information I have gathered, it was purchased at Stolzenburg’s Ladies Apparel store in Sheboygan. It was still in the box from Stolzenburg’s store. This wedding gown was worn only the one time by this bride. It was passed on through the family and was eventually given to me by a friend who knew of my interest in sewing and wedding garments.
This 1917 ensemble has 4 pieces: a blouse, skirt, sash, and the veil. The blouse has a lightweight lining that is almost sheer. It might be cotton or even linen. It has a crisp hand and gives structure to the bodice. The lining supports the sleeves and is only connected to the outer fashion fabric at the front v-neckline and at three small areas at the waist. It does not fit on any of my dress forms as the waist of the bodice measures a mere 22 inches. The sleeves are set into the lining and are kept high at the shoulder with a built-in stay made of netting.
The outer fashion fabric is a silk crepe, very lightweight. The blouse has a crossover style that wraps the bodice. When the bride puts it on, she must first close the lining at center back; then the silk fashion fabric crosses from right center back, crosses the front torso and continues around to close on the left side of the center back. Next, the left side wraps in the opposite direction from the center right back and across the body to close on the right side back. The outer layer is crossing the body from the left shoulder on both the front and back and has decorative 2-inch shell buckles at the right side waist, both front and back.
There is lace at the wrists and the neck. The lace is very brittle, as it has metallic thread in it, and has browned over the 96 years. It looks in the photo to have been white or ivory at the time of the wedding, matching the dress color. Over the bodice are two drapes that hang from the shoulders coming to a point at the side of the body decorated with a metallic tassel. This drape is hemmed with a bridge stitch to a double layer of 2-inch wide silk.
The skirt is also made of the silk crepe; it has two layers slightly gathered at the waist. The top layer has an angled hemline forming points at center front and back trimmed with the bridge stitch. The under skirt has the same lining as the bodice from the waist to the hip. The lower skirt falls straight from this lining.
The sash is 6 inches wide by 3 yards long with a tone on tone border. We believe it was worn at the waist. The blusher veil is stitched onto a wire that would have been bent to keep it secure on the bride’s head. The veil is hand embroidered around the edge in a swirl pattern on a double thickness of the tulle. The veil is hemmed to follow the pointed design that the skirt has at the hemline. The veil, while it is very deteriorated, is a fine example of detailed hand embroidery done at that time.
Thirty years later, another bride had a special dress. The dress from 1947 was made by a talented seamstress and milliner, Mrs. Marie Bowser. Marie made it for her daughter, Mrs. Kathleen Ayers, when she married on June 28, 1947 in Sheboygan Falls, WI.
The dress is made of a light, sheer, yet very durable parachute nylon, which was commonly used in the post war years, as it was readily available.
It has a high neck with a Peter Pan collar, long full sleeves with cuffs, and a slightly gathered skirt that falls into a chapel length train.
The delicate guipure lace was placed at the waist, cuffs and Peter Pancollar. The dress was worn with a slip of satin for modesty, as the nylon is very sheer. The very full sleeves are kept full at the top with the aid of a sleeve head. Delicate lace covers the cuffs, which close with snaps. The fullness for the bust comes from the hand-stitched smocking at the shoulders. This dress was worn again by Kathleen’s oldest daughter, Maureen Juul, in 1972 and a third time by Andrea Jensen in 1974.
Over the next 30 years, I learned many of my sewing skills from Mrs. Marie Bowser. I took those lessons and made my wedding dress to wear on June 11, 1977. My dress is made of chiffon and Chantilly lace over satin. It is a princess seamed dress that has a slight A-line skirt tapering into a chapel length train. The Chantilly lace is on the bodice, sleeves, hem, and appliqués on the skirt. The slender sleeves are set in and trimmed at the wrist with a matching lace. There is also lace trim at the neck and on the bodice. The veil and headpiece worn with the dress have the same Chantilly lace as the dress.
Thirty-five years later I found myself making another wedding dress. This time, the dress would be worn by Mrs. Annette Baumgartner of Chicago, IL on November 24, 2012. This dress would also be princess seamed and made of a lovely ivory Alencon lace with accents of an embellished beaded Alencon trim over satin. The skirt is a fuller A-line that tapers into a chapel length train. It has a petticoat attached to the dress to give the skirt fullness, as this bride knew exactly how she wanted the dress to move and flow as she danced with her groom. The v-neckline, accented by Alencon lace, was most flattering on this young beauty. This dress, too, has sleeves; but they are small cap sleeves finished with the beaded Alencon scalloped lace. Annette wanted a part of her grandmother’s dress incorporated into her dress, but it just didn’t work with the design that she chose. So, as a surprise, I added a pocket inside the skirt of her dress made from her grandmothers wedding dress.
Just before the wedding ceremony, her grandmother Kathleen gave Annette a handkerchief from Marie Bowser. She placed it in that pocket made of parachute nylon, while her Aunts Maureen and Andrea looked on and felt included in their niece’s wedding day. They, too, had worn that dress made by my grandmother, my first sewing instructor.
Written by Chris Kazmerzak
