Happy birthday Princess Charlotte

I’ve just noticed the rick rack braid on her skirt! I remember my home made dresses with that on.
I spent a lot of time in haberdashery departments with my mom…

My DGD has a character skirt a bit like that with satin ribbons and braid on which she wears to ballet. Of course hers is calf length, but the same circular design.
I obviously wasn't as posh as you, Fanny because my mother and I used to trawl Walthamstow market, not haberdashery departments, for our rick rack braid! Some of the Indian colours and textiles were stunning.

Let’s not use this to have a go at Diana for goodness sake. Why should her dead grandmother not be mentioned ? I hope I will be when I’m gone.

?? Sorry??
I'm not comparing anyone. I'm comparing ballet attire to Diana's skirt.

Or compare with

.... oh maybe it was from yesterday.

Joseanne

.... oh maybe it was from yesterday.

??‍♀️

Joseanne

?? Sorry??
I'm not comparing anyone. I'm comparing ballet attire to Diana's skirt.

Not you

?

FannyCornforth

I’ve just noticed the rick rack braid on her skirt! I remember my home made dresses with that on.
I spent a lot of time in haberdashery departments with my mom…

The first clothing item I ever made was at junior school, we must have been about 8 or 9.
It was a gathered skirt, mine was in a dark blue flowery cotton print with two rows of ric-rac around the hem. All stitched by hand - and it was wearable!

Back to Charlotte ?
A lovely natural photo

That’s amazing Callistemon.
Kids these days wouldn’t be able to do that. A lot of them are absolutely terrible with their hands. They don’t do enough stuff at home to help with their fine motor skills etc.
When I did sewing clubs with children, on the whole the boys were always better

Every Wednesday afternoon we sat and sewed! It probably took a whole term to make a gathered skirt.

My mother used ric-rac braid to hide the original hem line of our let-down skirts and frocks.

Any idea why ric-rac ?

My guess is it was invented in Victorian times when they liked to dress up their garments with frills and bows. The picture isn't very clear in sepia, but the little girl here has it on her cuffs too.
Do you think the name might have come from the loom noises, rick rack forward and back?

Photo

Grr

It might be something to do with the French meaning ‘by the skin of one’s teeth’ (I don’t understand this. - I’m just repeating it)

According to the (Stupid) Urban Dictionary it’s the ‘perineum’.
But I think that they just make stuff up.