Mrs Jessie Ratledge (85) of Mount Barker has created almost 80 Victorian-era dresses, undergarments, and bonnets, which take up an entire room in her home – and she shows no signs of stopping.
‘I’ve always loved Victorian clothing,’ Jessie says. ‘Growing up in Scotland, my mum had these massive books, and I used to pore over them, and look at all the pictures of the Royals.’
‘I would never have been interested in Victorian clothing back in Scotland, because people would look at those clothes and say, “Don’t be silly, you can’t make that, that’s just a waste of money,” so, I’ve got Australia to thank for my sewing.’
Moving to Australia in 1970 at age 30, ‘just for a change,’ Jessie first settled in Elizabeth Vale. However, she only stayed there for a year before moving to Brahma Lodge, where she met ‘the love of my life,’ Andrew.
‘I applied to the Education Department, and to my great surprise, I got the job. I worked as an SSO [School Services Officer] at high schools across Adelaide for the next 18 years. I’ve always sewn special dresses, like bridal gowns and bridesmaid’s dresses, but just for friends and family.’
‘Then it came to my 60th birthday, and I decided that, instead of a party, I would hire Martindale Hall for the weekend and have a period party for my family, and they all had to get dressed up! That’s when I made my first Victorian dress.’
‘A teacher said to me, “Did you know that there’s a Victoriana group who go out in Victorian clothes and do this all the time?” And that was how I found out about the Victoriana Society.’
Jessie was a member of the society for 15 years, before setting up the Hills Victorian Ladies.
After moving to Mount Barker in 2011, she was approached by a friend from the Uniting Church, who later became a member of the Hills Victorian Ladies, asking if I would show my costumes as a fundraiser.
‘They hold these parades, where you show your costumes, and it raises money for charity,’ she explains.
‘I remember being absolutely stunned by the idea that not only would people want to see them, but pay money to do so! But they did, and we made a lot of money for my charity of choice, “Hungry no more”.’
With the Hills Victorian Ladies, Jessie has now contributed to many more parades and events, including the 140th anniversary of the Nairne railway in 2023.
‘Before COVID-19, we would also go into nursing homes and have displays of our period clothing,’ she says. ‘It helps bring back people’s memories; they say to us, “Oh, my grandmother used to have a dress like that.” They remember and reminisce.’
‘My costumes date from 1533, all the way up to the 1960s.’
They are historically accurate, and heavy – Jessie needs two hands to pull her favourite from the rack, a red tartan Scottish wedding dress made in the style of the 1785.
Another favourite is a duck-egg blue girl’s dress with a plaid sash. Like all of Jessie’s creations, it comes with its own bonnet, undergarments, and hoop.
Jessie’s outfits are lovingly stored on racks, in date order, and zipped into garment bags with a tag depicting the dress and its associated era. It is a labour of love for Jessie, who admits that she doesn’t really know how long it takes to make a dress, as, ‘I don’t usually time myself, I just enjoy making them.’
However, she recalls that her favourite dress ‘probably took about 200 hours to make.’
‘I also remember doing a hand-made bonnet that took 70 hours.’
In 2017, Jessie and Andrew moved into the old church Manse behind the Mount Barker Uniting Church, which was built in 1857. It is fitting that such an important historical building is now home to so many beautiful historical dresses.
Sadly, Andrew died in 2019. Jessie now lives with her dog, Bailey (‘Just like the Irish whiskey,’ she quips), her cats, her sewing room, and rose garden.
She is supported to live independently in her home by Resthaven Murray Mallee Hills Community Services, with ‘some cleaning and some gardening.’
‘I’ve just recently been given a hand therapist, as my hands aren’t what they were – too much sewing.’
Jessie reached out for services in 2019, after Andrew died, and chose Resthaven because she ‘knew of them already, as a member of the Uniting Church.’ [Resthaven is a community service associated with the Uniting Church in Australia.]
Jessie is adamant that she will continue living at home for as long as possible, explaining that she ‘can’t go into a home – I would need to bring all of my costumes with me!’
‘And you should see my sewing room,’ she adds with a grin.
‘If people would like to see my costumes, they are welcome to book in the Hills Victorian Ladies for a parade or event – email hillsvictorianladies@hotmail.com. All proceeds go to charity.’
Thank you for sharing your story Jessie, and your beautiful period costumes with the Adelaide Hills community.
