"Dress You Up in My Love"

When my Grandmother passed away in August 2004, some of the family members wrote down memories for the Reverend to read during the memorial service. This was mine...
 
When I was a young girl, my Grandmother made me the most beautiful coat, or rather, the most beautiful, formal cape. It wasn’t a denim coat to be worn casually or a fleece lined jacket for winter, oh no, this was an elegant creation, made only for the fanciest of nights out. But despite it’s fascinating appeal, and the care in which it was made, I’ve never worn the cape, not even once. Because it was for my Barbie.
 
Made for a doll of only 11 ½ inches high, the cape was made of cream-colored mohair and lined in the softest satin, designed to fall to Barbie’s ankles. At the neck, a gold cord tied the cape around Barbie’s shoulders, and the hood was trimmed in mink. Real mink. Imagine that, I was in dungarees while my Barbie draped herself in mink. The cape was the most elegant piece of clothing my Barbie ever owned – beautifully designed and expertly crafted by my Grandmother’s loving hands. How I wished I’d had one in my own size!
 
I adore that cape so much – both for its beauty and the love that was put into making it - that long after I grew out of Barbies, I’ve kept that cape among my most cherished treasures. To this day I still take it out every now and then to admire its craftsmanship and style. But it means more to me today than it did the first time I laid eyes on it, and I’ll tell you why.
 
When I was in my late twenties, my Grandparents came to Virginia for a visit and one night during their stay, our family engaged in a traditional game of Hat Scrabble. Hat Scrabble, if you’ve never played, is when the family all gathers around for a Scrabble tournament and all participating parties must wear a hat -–the more outrageous or unique, the better. Having anticipated a Hat Scrabble tournament, my Grandmother had packed a hat for just that occasion. It was a vintage hat, trimmed in mink, and right in the front there was a strip of fabric missing its mink trim. I innocently asked my Grandmother what had happened to the mink and she smiled knowingly back at me and replied, “I used it to make Barbie clothes.” [After the Reverend read that line an audible, collective gasp could be heard in the church.] I was speechless as the realization hit me. The evening cape I had so long cherished was made not only with my Grandmother’s love and skill, but with her very own mink, taken right off of one of her hats. I can’t tell you how honored I was that she had made such a sacrifice just to give her Granddaughter’s Barbie an elegant evening cape.
 
To this day, the most wonderful cape I’ve ever owned is one that I will never be able to wear, but will keep with me for a lifetime. And I have my Grandmother to thank for it.