Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Quilt-Core for All

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Stanley Donen, 1954

I have a silly one for you all today, a good old fashioned pioneer musical. Thumbing through an old book I checked out from the library, Hollywood and History: Costume Design in Film, I found some stills from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I hadn’t seen or heard of the movie but you could say I was intrigued by the parade of patchwork clothes I saw on those seven brides! Lots of quilt-clothes inspiration, which worked out pretty perfectly because I was in the midst of a quilt-coat project, and have some examples already in my closet to share. I needed an easy one— had to get this newsletter done earlier before I left town for the month of April! Let’s see what this campy flick is all about, because the costumes were really SO good.

This is a classic golden-era of musicals type production with lots of full ensemble energetic dance numbers, and old fashioned feelin’. 7 brothers high up on a mountain, living as bachelors trapping and hunting, wanting to infuse some comfort into their home. What better way than by each taking a hardworking, home keeping bride? This is the grand journey of the film as we begin with the eldest brother, Adam, going into town to find one for himself. Who he finds in Millie, a smart and capable gal, who luckily for all the gals that follow is stubborn and no nonsense. Millie makes quick work of shaping up her new brothers, making them fit for her household… getting her husband to understand her insights and thoughtful rationals turn out to be her hardest work.

The costumes by Walter Plunkett were awesome and offered a lot of inspiration. Quilts serve as the inspiration for the 7 Bride’s spring ensembles. The variation available in quilt patterns led to great design differentiation between each of the girls.

Seeing these costumes I was immediately reminded of my favorite piece in my closet, maybe my most loved dress I’ve made. The base is a linen shift that I made during my time at Elizabeth Suzann - “The Petra Dress”. I customized it with a flea market find - a run of patchwork that was just the right length to go down the center.

Another more recent make that fits this bill is my first quilt coat. My friend Libby sourced this quilt from an antique store in Alabama for use as fabric for a jacket. She gave me the opportunity to make her something with it! The most fun part was probably choosing the layout of the pattern work to create designs of arcs on the jacket, bringing in symmetry. I also learned a new skill for finishing edges: Hong Kong finish. With this method you encase raw edges in fabric…it made the inside almost as beautiful as the outside.

I hope you enjoyed reading this week’s E-Pastiche, and perhaps got some inspiration for getting patchwork and quilting into your wardrobe. There are so many ways to honor and be inspired by this folk art and craft that is in so many of our family histories.

I am currently in San Marcos, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala… more on that next time! Thanks for being here!