Story by Kristina Hendrix
It was a balmy, breezy February afternoon when I sat down to talk with Jill Haisten. We met at an Auburn, Alabama coffee shop and sat outside at a little table. She is the perfect “Southern Lady,” her lipstick and earrings just right. In fact, this attractive and elegantly casual lady in front of me, in the realms of sewing, in the realms of fine children’s clothing, in the most airy confines of French dressmaking is something of a genius.
A former student of the renowned Sarah Howard Stone, late author and expert in the art of French hand-sewing, Jill’s own artistry within the small, cottage industry of fine children’s clothing is in itself an enormous tribute to her late mentor, teacher and friend. The late Sarah Stone’s formidable talent in heirloom sewing built a remarkable career early in the 20th century that led to such illustrious assignments as designing and sewing a christening gown and matching bonnet for the grandchildren of then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Stone’s shop was located in Cloverdale, the garden district of Montgomery, Alabama where the governor’s house is located, as well as the childhood home of Zelda Fitzgerald. Jill lived next door to Sarah’s daughter, Melissa, and the both of them sewed under Sarah’s tutelage, as well as traveling together for presentations and classes they gave around the southeast.
“Melissa died in 2008, but some of my fondest memories of her were when we were traveling and teaching,” she says.
Jill brought books with her for our visit, and while she grabs a coffee I pore over the photos of children’s christening gowns, baby bonnets, hand-sewn Easter dresses and embroidered linens that match specific china patterns. Where to begin?
There is the romance and allure inherent in the idea of lace and sewing, of course, and then there is the nitty-gritty of it, the grace and agility of deft fingers, the labor it requires, the eye-strain. This art, so much like spider webs, busy and built by math and its progeny, an architectural geometry holding fine cotton threads together, is strength and delicacy all at once. Lace is a fractal, it is Fibonacci numbers. Lace has songs written about it.
French hand-sewing is noted by seams that are sewn twice to encase the raw edge within the seam, creating a neat, delicate edge. These are known as French seams, and are used ideally for sheer, lightweight fabrics.
The difference, Jill tells me, in this type of sewing is the quality of the materials that are used in the construction: only the finest fabrics, mostly sheer cottons and linens are meant to be used, resulting in the ethereal appearance of the children’s special occasion clothing she has sewn for over 40 years. In one photo, an ecru and white christening gown drapes over a mother’s arm as elegantly as a wedding train along a communion rail. I remember my own youngest son wearing his Godmother’s heirloom christening gown, a little beauty pin closing the gown at his neck.
Within our time together, I find she’s already teaching me new things: I learn that the batiste and organdy panels with heirloom lace (called insertions), are joined together with something called “entredeux” (think of a sewn ladder). It’s fun to say, too. She tells me water is linen’s best friend…she is a master at bringing lace and fabric back to life. Jill wants you to know: always, always, always, wash your heirloom linens and clothing before you put them away, and only store in clean, white cotton pillow cases. Don’t use tissue paper, nor plastic…no cellulose. Do not hang, but store on a shelf, lying flat.
We discuss heirlooms in general; whether new generations will continue to pass down their ancestors’ cherished and handmade things, and if mothers will teach their children to cherish the painstakingly-sewn and embroidered pieces of art, the hand-made laces, the delicate batiste, organdy and linen fabrics that are the hallmarks of fine childrens’ clothing and based in traditions that are more often a priority in wealthier families; the clothing can be costly. Jill is an artist, and her creations are one of a kind, bespoke, family treasures. Some of the more intricate christening gowns may cost upwards of $10,000. Many of Jill’s creations have been restorations and re-inventions; a bit of antique lace from a grandmother’s wedding veil incorporated into a baby girl’s going-home-from-the-hospital gown.
Jill’s work is ethereal, romantic, fragile. It reflects her Southern heritage, her dedication to details, which are everything in sewing.
“As a Southern lady, you can’t hold your head up unless you have fine embroidered linens or handmade dresses and button-on suits for your children and grandchildren at church.”
