I associate a lot of things with the old west and not just the cowboys that first come to mind. While I'm all about reading tales regarding the cowboy and his many antics, I also find other occupations and traditions fascinating. Today, I'd like to visit weddings. Almost all of the weddings I've written into my stories have been preformed under duress or very hastily. I love the tension created by those circumstances. However, most weddings were planned and orchestrated. They were festive events that brought a large community together.
In preparation for this glorious celebration, the bride often had a
trousseau, a collection of items for when she married. Gathering items for a trousseau began long before there was a potential groom. Girls placed their prized items in a hope chest that was often placed at the end of the bed.
While I never really mentioned a trousseau, two weddings take place during Once Jilted. Actually three if you count the one in which the groom never showed.
Regardless, back in the day, it was customary for the girls in a household to begin early on their trousseaux. They would learn to crochet, knit, tat, quilt and embroider. As part of the process, they would create items to decorate a home that would someday be theirs. Pillow cases, dresser scarves, table clothes and dish towels would all go into a hope chest for the future. These prized possessions were then stored in a hope chest so named for the hope that they would one day have their own household.
Above is a sample from my grandmother's hope chest, a dresser scarf that she crocheted as a child. The close up reveals the double stitch she used in the pattern.
And while the heroine of
Once Jilted, might not have had a hope chest because of her circumstances, her friend Lora Lee would have.
Ciara Gold
www.ciaragold.com
