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Image courtesy of Heirlooms by Tracie
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OUR FAVORITE
TRADITION
Tracie Setzer learned to sew heirloom garments by hand when
she was only 15 years old. It wasn’t until she became a mother
that she started sewing them on the sewing machine, mainly
for her own children or close family and friends.
Tracie was offered a job at Beth’s Heirloom Sewing when
it opened in 2005, which is where she’s gained most of her
experience. In 2009, she was asked to make her first heirloom
graduation dress. “I was really nervous about that, but I had a
lot of help from Mrs. Beth who was also making a dress at the
time for her niece,” Tracie said. Together the two made their
first graduation dress and have continued making them ever
since. The mother of two has made 34 dresses since the 2010
graduation class and continues adding more each year. “It’s
truly a joy to get to know the senior girls and their moms each
year,” the seamstress said. “It continues to be a blessing.”
The making of an heirloom
Girls begin contacting Tracie about making their graduation
dresses up to a year in advance. “The sooner the better to
ensure a spot is held for you,” she said. She typically has at least
three or four dresses going at a time, which helps her work
around the girls’ schedules. Each dress takes at least a month to
sew, fit and deliver, assuming the girls are available for approximately three fittings and that everything goes smoothly.
At the first meeting, girls bring in pictures of past dresses
they like, or the seamstress sketches a dress according to what
they tell her they have in mind. “We take parts and pieces of
dresses they like and design a dress that ‘fits’ the individual
girl,” she said. The dresses have similar components, but each is
made specifically to complement the girl wearing it. “You just
know that it’s the right dress for her.”
As for Tracie’s 10-year-old daughter? She already knows
exactly what her graduation dress will look like. But we’ll have
to wait a few years to see it!
START DRESS DREAMING
Visit Heirlooms by Tracie on
Facebook to see more dress designs.
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