A kimono dressing gown in the Pink Bedroom of the Brain Watkins House

Getting inspiration for Trixie's coat from a kimono dressing gown in the collection

at the Brain-Watkin's House

Remember this darling little Victorian villa, known as the Brain-Watkins House.

The house has three bedrooms, and one of them is known as the pink bedroom for obvious reasons.

It has the most gorgeous floral linoleum on the floor.

Paint finishes have been used in this room too, in this instance to imitate wood rather than marble, and to create the illusion of a wood considered more prestigious than the solid kauri they are made of, English oak.

Overall quite an effective treatment, don't you think, my beloved darlings.

Lace curtains on the windows.

White painted boards and battens line the ceiling, and remind me of staying at my Grandma's house.

The walls are covered with an ornate embossed wallpaper, with surprise, surprise, a floral motif.

In one corner of the room stands a 20th century kimono-style dressing gown on a dressform.

Standing beside a large Scotch dresser, with three trinket boxes on display.

The gown is decorated with wonderful chunky embroidery, it appears to be hand done, but in a thick thread, so that it would have been quick and easy to execute. This dressing gown was a less expensive item of clothing in its day. I am not sure when that would have been, but as it is rayon it is probably early 1900's, I would suspect around 1930-1950. Check out the link below and you will see an identical robe that still has its label: Made in Japan. As it is so similar to this robe, I suspect it may have been made by the same company and that it is not Chinese as I originally thought, but Japanese.

http://threadsofhistory.blogspot.com/2009/09/embroidered-rayon-robe.html#comments

I love the embroidery, and the way it has been laid out on the robe, and I want to use this as inspiration for the embroidery on Trixie's coat. What do you think, isn't it divine?

Look at the little French knots in the center of the flower.

And these trailing wisps of floral buds, wouldn't this suit the trailing willow branches. So let me know what you think, please remember to comment, so that I know that you have popped in. Mentioning French knots has made me feel all Francais, mes cheris

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