This is our first Infinity Book- a book of Bridegrooms’ Hearts. It has been a twinkle in my eye for some years, since first I learnt about the custom in Sweden of embroidering hearts on brudgumsskjortor - bridegrooms’ shirts. These hearts were often stitched by the bride-to-be, sometimes in the summer in the pastures, and long before she knew to whom she would be married. Mothers of the bride-to-be have also been known to stitch the shirts on behalf of daughters yet-to-be-born. It goes almost without saying that, because the bridegroom was nearly always unknown when it was made, the shirt was amply tailored so that there would be next to no man it could not fit!
The bride continued to wear her wedding clothes after the wedding, without the trimmings. But the bridegroom’s shirt was taken off, carefully folded and stored away, never to be worn save on one more occcasion. His shirt with all the hours spent on its stitching was worn once only, at the wedding, and then, it was never worn by him in his lifetime. It was put away and stored against the time of his death, when it was brought out again to dress him for his burial. It was believed that not only the body would be resurrected, but also the shirt itself of those who had never broken their wedding vows. Should his first wife die and the man engage in marriage again, then his first shirt had to be destroyed upon the eve of his second wedding. It is for these reasons that few brudgumsskjortor survive today to be admired. It is possible that in times of famine or epidemic, the burying in brudgumsskjortor may have been overlooked.
This is our first Infinity Book and it contains 11 designs for Bridegrooms Hearts together with background information and licensed images of Bridegrooms' Shirts from Nordisksa Museet in Stockholm. In addition to the Infinity Book download, there is a separate charted pdf of all the patterns with additional alphabet, nubers and borders from Dalarna, Sweden. And if that were not all, those of you with cross Stitch designer have the bonus editable jgg file for use with Cross Stitch Designer. Just click here to browse some pages of the book or purchase. If you don't yet have Cross Stitch Designer, click here to purchase it now for $20 - it comes with editable charts for the Beatrix Potter and Mary Wigham samplers ready for you to start to enjoy.
My gratitude goes Caroline Seldon and Beryl Lawrence without whose inspiration and enthusiasm this would not have been possible. And many thanks to Erica Uten for her awsome stitching which you can see on the front page of the book. Take a bow, all of you!
That explains something to me.
ReplyDeleteMy mother law who is dutch kept my father in laws wedding suit, she bought it all the way to australia, I had no idea she had it, till his funeral when she ask my husband her son to deliver it the funeral home.
lorraine
That is such a poignant and special remembrance. I hope you will pass that down to younger members of your family - it would be such a loss if we forgot these things.
ReplyDeleteIs there a layout or pattern diagram of the shirts' contruction included?
ReplyDeleteIn this book we are concentrating on the hearts - the make-up of the shirts and all the other decorative variations need a book of their own! They are such fabulous items, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteNo Swedish or Dutch connections but my late husband whose family did have links with Ackworth was buried in his wedding suit at his request. So maybe this practice occurs in cultures throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting, I wonder if there are more histories like yours.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful project Jacqueline, although I don't have any weddings in my family in the near future, it would be a lovely heirloom to stitch.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a second honeymoon with Paul?:)
ReplyDeleteI had never heard about this tradition before. Thanks for once again teaching me something new!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful designs and a beautiful infinity book, what a treat to enjoy with my morning tea today. Thank you so much for another inspiring book Jacqueline.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is second generation Swedish, I think there might be time to stitch one of these for Valentine's Day. Choosing which one is the only dilemma, they are all so lovely...
Congratulations, Jacqueline, on a lovely book, beautifully realized! I love it - so pretty, and what else would we expect? :D
ReplyDeleteI think a sampler of hearts would be a wonderful anniversary commemorative... I might just get it finished for our 50th, hahaha.
Julie
Lovely - just one quick note: the name of the museum in Stockholm, Sweden, is Nordiska Museet (the Nordic Museum), not Nordisksa.
ReplyDelete/Jenny from Sweden (now living in KY)