Tuesday 20 March 2012

Something blue

Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

I whipped up a little blue keepsake for a friend who was married on Saturday.

Evidently the rhyme is Victorian in origin, and is wished for good luck.
  • 'Something old' represents continuity with the bride's family and the past.
  • 'Something new' is for optimism and hope for the marriage
  • 'Something borrowed' is traditionally something special loaned from a happily married friend, and signifies that friends will always be there for the bride in times of need.
  • 'Something blue' symbolises purity, love and fidelity. Blue was evidently a popular colour for wedding gowns in the late 1800's, and is the source of the phrase, 'Marry in blue, lover be true'. 
  • And the silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security.
    This is a favourite gift I like to make for brides. The pattern is by Marg Low and is called 'Sweet Heart Birdies'. It uses one of Barb Smith's woodcut buttons, called 'Kissing Birds' available at Theodora Cleave. I used some beautifully silky smooth Cosmo Seasons variegated embroidery floss 8076, purchased from Patchwork Orange.

    Funnily enough, the 'marry in blue, lover be true' saying is but the start of something bigger! Who ever knew?!

    Marry in white, everything's right
    Marry in blue, lover be true
    Marry in pink, spirits will sink
    Marry in grey, live far away
    Marry in brown, live out of town
    Marry in green, ashamed to be seen
    Marry in yellow, ashamed of your fellow
    Marry in black, wish you were back
    Marry in red, wish you were dead
    Marry in tan, he'll be a loved man
    Marry in pearl, you'll live in a whirl
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