Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Aloha to Liz Trenow and THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS


Liz Trenow is celebrating the release of THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS:

She Kept Her Secret for a Lifetime...

A shy girl with no family, Maria knows she's lucky to have landed in the sewing room of the royal household. Before World War I casts its shadow, she catches the eye of the Prince of Wales, a glamorous and intense gentleman. But her life takes a far darker turn, and soon all she has left is a fantastical story about her time at Buckingham Palace.

Decades later, Caroline Meadows discovers a beautiful quilt in her mother's attic. When she can't figure out the meaning of the message embroidered into its lining, she embarks on a quest to reveal its mystery, a puzzle that only seems to grow more important to her own heart. As Caroline pieces together the secret history of the quilt, she comes closer and closer to the truth about Maria.


Page-turning and heartbreaking, The Forgotten Seamstress weaves together past and present in an unforgettable journey.

File:Buckingham Palace from gardens, London, UK - Diliff.jpg
Buckingham Palace from the gardens
Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

I asked Liz why she selected Queen Mary and Edward VIII, Prince of Wales as the royal figures in THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS ... 

They kind of selected themselves, because of the royal fabric which inspired me to write the novel in the first place.

I come from a silk weaving family and have always been fascinated by fabrics. One day I was visiting the famous Warner Archive, in Braintree, Essex, when I saw a case of ‘May Silks’ – beautiful cream and white damasks and brocades, some with interwoven gold and silver threads, which were commissioned by the Duchess of Teck for the trousseau of her daughter, Princess May (later to become Queen Mary), for her wedding to the heir to the British throne, the Duke of Clarence.

Sadly, the Duke died just six weeks before the wedding and, with typical royal pragmatism, it was decided that she should instead marry his younger brother George, who later became King George V. Another design from the May silks was chosen for her wedding dress.

More than a century later, these silks still glimmered and shimmered in their case, and I became fascinated by the way that the designs, featuring roses, thistles and shamrocks with May blossoms and lovers’ knots, had been interpreted into the weave of the fabrics. They are truly unique, and have never been woven before or since.

The Prince of Wales had a very repressed upbringing, with a nanny who used to slap him to make him cry so that he would be returned to her. He seemed to spend the rest of his life rebelling against the restrictions of being a royal prince: enjoying a very lively social life, having affairs with a number of high society women (some of them married), and then following his heart to abdicate from the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

By all accounts he was extremely charming, very good looking and had mesmeric blue eyes. I have based the scenes involving the young prince on accounts and real events of his early life, and grew quite fond of him and his rebellious ways!

It’s been lovely talking to you. If you want to find out more about me and my books, please visit liztrenow.com.

The New Ballroom at Buckingham Palace
Painting by Louis Haghe - Public Domain (link)

Mahalo, Liz, for sharing the inspiration for THE FORGOTTEN SEAMSTRESS.   I am giving away a print copy to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the the giveaway,

1.  Do you have any sewing talent?  I have none.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 10, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 11.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

File:Bird Eye Pictures of London Buckingham Palace 1909.jpg
Aerial view of Buckingham Palace, 1909
Public Domain (link)

13 comments:

  1. I can sew. I'm no professional, but I can whip out the sewing machine, or hand stitch, an article of clothing or what have you.

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  2. I can sew. I loved making all my daughters' costumes.

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  3. No sewing talent for me...but my oldest sister can sew.

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  4. I have no sewing talent at all, except for maybe being able to sew a button on.

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  5. I can sew on a button or fix torn seam. That's about it!

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  6. I can do the basics and I did enjoy it in school but I'm afraid I never really learned that much.

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  7. LOL I don't really have a sewing talent but I like to pretend that I do. I did sew a pleated skirt for myself and sewed some pillows using the sewing machine. But I can sew by hand too and make some geometric designs if I work on it long enough to complete it.

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  8. I have no sewing talent what-so-ever. My daughter sews extremely well and has made Renaissance gowns. She also does counted cross-stitch and quilts. I have no idea where she gets it from!

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  9. I can sew. I used to make clothes, but now I make quilts. I was looking forward to sewing for baby girls, but ended up having two boys. Boys clothes are boring to sew. LOL My MIL was a home-ec teacher and my hubby can sew, too. He even had his own sewing machine when we got married.

    Marcy Shuler

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  10. I have zero sewing talent. If I need a button sewed on something, my husband will do it.

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  11. I only know how to sew using a needle & thread....when I was little, I used to use comic book pages & sewed paper pants for my dolls!!!!

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  12. Sewing is one of those things that I always mean to learn how to do better.

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