Casgliadau Arlein

green/yellow/grey check dress, home-made from synthetic fabric; 9-button closure at upper CF (uppermost button missing) buttons are all grey plastic, most of them have a mother-of-pearl sheen; all are different apart from two matching pairs: the bottom two and the 3rd and 5th from the bottom. The dress has a shirt-style collar. It is machine-stitched and is made in 2 separate parts: bodice and skirt. The back of the bodice is constructed from 3 parts: a middle section and two side panels, joined with vertical seams running from waist to shoulder, the front is made up of 4 pieces: 2 on either side of the central button fastening, again with seams running from waist to shoulder. In the CF, the lower edge of the bodice is cut in a V-shape to resemble a waistcoat, while at the CB, the bodice comes to a slight downward facing peak. The skirt is made up of 10 lengths of fabric, seamed vertically. There is a metal zip in the PL side. The sleeves are slightly gathered into the shoulder and end in a double turn back; the cuffs have a small slit and have a single metal popper fastening. The hem of the skirt is a double-turnback, hand-stitched in place with white sewing thread. The CF opening is reinforced with a self-fabric facing. A bias-cut strip of white fabric is stitched along the inside of the CB neck.

Both elbows and PR under arm have been repaired with hand stitched patch supports, sewn in place with yellow thread. At the under arm repair, brown and grey thread has also been used. The patches at elbows are self fabric and the under arm patch is a grey twill (wool?).

There are triangular shoulder pads made from thin white synthetic fabric and filled with cotton wool. They are hand stitched and are attached along the upper arm hole seam. The loose corner is stitched to a point further in from the shoulder, in line with where the vertical seams of the front bodice join the shoulder seam. A pink strip of fabric (with black hand written writing) has been stapled to the PR shoulder pad.