Visitors to the second level of the Brisbane Square Library in George Street are being treated to a rare showing of home sewing.
She might not have been a fashion icon, but Enid Gilchrist was the Australian designer who helped hundreds of thousands of women to clothe their families for many decades following World War II.
The QUT-curated show 'Enid Gilchrist - Celebrating Home Sewing in Australia,' recognises her contribution to Australian families when being thrifty, rationing, and making do were a way of life.
Curator and fashion lecturer Mark Neighbour, from QUT's Creative Industries Faculty, said the exhibition at Brisbane Square Library featured homemade children's clothes and illustrated works on paper. All were inspired by Enid's magazines and created by a number of QUT fashion graduates and home sewing enthusiasts.
"Mrs Gilchrist's career really took off after World War II. Having worked with the Victorian Infant Welfare Department and the Kindergarten Union to produce patterns for infants and toddlers, she realised the demand for simple, fashionable styles by the Australian public," Mr Neighbour said.
"In those days commercial patterns were expensive and so her patterns, put together as magazines with easy-to-understand instructions, were a godsend to post-war Australian housewives. Each affordable issue contained up to 50 patterns with styles ranging from sleepwear to outer garments through to party and fancy dress.
"She quickly became a household name because store-bought clothes in the 40s and 50s were for the most part prohibitively expensive; therefore home-sewn clothing was a necessity. So successful were her styles that her magazines continued to be published well into the 70s."
Mr Neighbour said that a current enthusiasm for home sewing has led to a renewed interest in Enid Gilchrist's work.
"People are interested in sewing again because they want to wear clothes made especially with their needs in mind. Clothes should express personality and people want something more than the anonymity of the low quality fast-fashion generally offered today."
Free workshops open to the public are being held during the exhibition to encourage people to learn how to draft a child's clothing pattern based upon original vintage Enid Gilchrist designs and methods. The workshops are on Saturday, March 31 1-2.30pm; Saturday, April 14 - 1-2.30pm; and Saturday, April 28 - 1-2.30pm. Equipment is provided and bookings are essential, phone the Library on 3403 4166.
The exhibition runs until the end of April at North Quay's Brisbane Square Library during opening hours.
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Media contact: Niki Widdowson, 07 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
