Sunday 11 February 2018

Blue Gingham Dress

Dear Reader,




                                                                        Blue Gingham Dresses


When originally imported into Europe in the 17th century gingham was a striped fabric, but today it is distinguished by its chequered pattern.  From the mid-18th century, when it was being produced in the mills of Manchester,  it started to be woven into chequered or plaid pattern, often blue and white.  "Gingham" comes from the Malayan word 'genggang' or 'striped'.  The way we identify gingham, as being a contrasting check shirt, was not the way in which the fabric was originally known.  True gingham is distinguished primarily for being "dyed in the yarn" fabric, which means that the yarn is dyed before it is woven.
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D.H. Lawrence, 1919 (Derbyshire) February 9th

It is marvellous weather, brilliant sunshine on the snow, clear as summer, slightly golden sun, distance lit up.  But it is immensely cold- everything frozen solid - milk, mustard, everything.  Yesterday I went out for a real walk - I have had a cold and been in bed.  I climbed with my niece to the bare top of the hills.  Wonderful it is to see the foot-marks on the snow - beautiful ropes of rabbit prints, trailing away over the brows; heavy hare marks; a fox so sharp and dainty, going over the wall:  birds with two feet that hop; very splendid straight advance of a pheasant; wood-pigeons that are clumsy and move in flocks; splendid little leaping marks of weasels coming along like a necklace chain of berries; odd little filigree of the field-mice; the trail of a mole - it is astonishing what a world of wild creatures one feels about one, on the hills in snow.
                                  
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Blue Gingham Dress

She was wearing
a blue gingham dress
long sleeved, with lace collar,
one summer evening in July.

A sweet smell from lilies
lavender bushes
roses and orange blossom
drifted on the air,

the sea sapphire
played its own repetitive tune
soft and enticing,
and a southerly wind blew.

Suddenly he took her hand
drew her near
kissed her urgently,
then came the call

they broke in two
ran back to the house
her heart racing
knees weak, on fire.

The gingham dress
worn and faded now
hangs at the back of the cupboard,
but the kiss is still as fresh
as it was on that one
summer evening in July.

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With very best wishes, Patricia

1 comment:

  1. Beautiful. And full of the hope of summer though even here in Spain the temperature is more that of DH Lawrence's description.
    Lots of love.M xx

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