Growing up, it was tradition that my family (my older sister, my mom, and I) would get a new outfit for church every Easter Sunday. I didn’t realize until years later that it was not just a family affair, but an Appalachian tradition. New clothes could represent a fresh start, youth, joy, and the resurrection of Christ.
An excerpt from gotmountainlife.com says:
“People of Appalachia were, if nothing else, practical about their clothes. But when it came to Easter Sunday, the fineries would come out. The walk into the church on that day would be like a parade, with everyone dressed well for the occasion.
If anyone got new clothes for the season, it was for Easter Sunday. Many dresses, hats, and shirts were sold each year for that reason. Small children were dressed up like mail order catalog dolls. Many men had their hair slicked down and held in place with any number of creative solutions.”
But in my neck of the woods, our Easter dresses were for multi-use— church services, funerals, or weddings. They were practical, and not too fancy (at least in the 70s and 80s).
Choosing the perfect dress wasn’t easy. The three of us began the search weeks before Easter by browsing through the Simplicity pattern book at the local ‘dime store’. We searched long and hard for just the right look, and Mom approved the patterns if they weren’t too time consuming. Next came the fabric selection. Heavy polyester/double knit was the in-thing or sometimes patterned cotton, or dotted Swiss was chosen.
Finally, with all the supplies selected and purchased for three new dresses, the rest was up to Mom. She was an excellent seamstress, and made most of our things since it was more economical than buying pre-made from a store. Ironically, her day job was making children’s clothing in a local sewing factory, as did practically half the county.
Since Mom spent eight or more hours everyday behind a factory sewing machine, coming home to sew dresses was the last thing she wanted to do. Therefore, the dress making was put off again and again until Easter was nearly on us. Many times, I remember my mom working late into Saturday night before Easter to finish two dresses. Rarely did she ever get around to her own until dress until Easter had long passed. Looking back, I totally understand! We are busy!
Many years have passed since Mom made Easter dresses for us girls. Even today, I feel like I need a new outfit for Easter service. This year, rather than sewing or even buying a dress, I purchased nice slacks. But when you are five foot nothing, everything has to be altered.
It seems I’ve fallen into the same routine as my mom. Easter was weeks ago, but the pants are still on the hanger untouched. Oh well, maybe I’ll get to them before next year.
sandrabyrdlawson 