Cassandra Barney

Dan Barney is so many things. He is skillful at many crafts and has used those skills to produce artworks that are thoughtful, beautiful, and leave me with my jaw lightly open in amazement. His seamster skills have been what he is most interested in as of late. He alters and combines patterns to make clothing that is not only super cool but it fits. As a protective jealous wife, I don't' really want him to wear his skinny jeans that have Party Pants embroidered on the back pocket, he's too cute with his little skinny behind...you'd want to give it a little squeeze too. Party Pants?! Dan Barney rocks.
There is one dress that Dan Barney made for me that means more to me than anything in my closet. (see photo above)

We ordered a bunch of vintage patterns online. They are so much fun. I fantasize about being as lovely and poised as the illustration on the pattern covers. These patterns are older and complicated and written in a different language back in a time were people like my mom said, "Gee, that's swell." I imagine that I transform into that innocent, composed lady when wearing such a lovely frock. It might have something to do with the waist being too tight. Any...so Dan spent many hours working on a dress for me for Valentine's Day. He used his fancy machine to embroider symbols personal to us and I loved this dress. It fits me just right. (I bought him a dress form just my size for Christmas to insure success...very smart eh?)

Sometime after Valentine's Day, I wore my pretty frock into my studio...just for a second. Just for a second... and sadly I looked down and saw that somewhere, somehow I had gotten red paint on it. It wasn't just on one spot either, it was in globs. I really don't know what little devil lives in that tube of red paint but I believe there is one.
I didn't want Dan to see what I had done to his thoughtful gift so I sneaked into the washroom and stared to scrub. I was scrubbing through tears of frustration when I heard him whisper through the door, asking what was wrong. I was so sad.
Here is the part that makes this dress so very meaningful. He not only didn't get upset, he kindly got to work, scrubbing it for I don't know how long, but it was a long time. Somehow he got that dress totally clean, like a miracle. I want to say something about atonement but it might sound sacrilegious to be scrubbed clean with spray-n-wash. Really though, every time see that dress in my closet or put it on, I feel the sweet warmth of devotion and love. I feel more that and a little like the illustration on the pattern cover too.