Featured Victorian Lady
Maxine Dillahunty
Abbie's Attic
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Featured Victorian Lady Maxine Dillahunty Abbie's Attic |
www.recollections.biz1-800-452-5925 |
Anyone wishing to own a gown made by Maxine Dillahunty, owner of Abbies Attic, goes through the same process. Their first visit to her workroom is a consultation meeting. Maxine gets all the necessary measurements and the client discusses what style the gown is to be and selects the fabrics from which it is to be made. Next, Maxine makes a mock-up of the selected gown out of muslin. When the mock-up is ready, the client comes in for a fitting. Once any adjustments are made to the mock-up, the fashion fabric is cut and the actual gown is made up. One final fitting happens before the gown goes home with its new owner. Can’t make it to Prescott? No problem. Measurements and the mock-up gown can be sent back and forth through the mail.
Maxine Dillahunty has always loved sewing, fashion, and design. As a young woman she dreamed of making a living designing and producing lovely clothing. However a more pragmatic career as an Army nurse and marriage occupied her early years. Her creative sewing efforts went into clothing for herself and her family. About ten years ago, shortly after moving to the mountain community of Prescott, Arizona, Maxine joined the local Victorian Society and the rest – as they say – is history. The Victorian Society dressed in period costume, and Maxine and her husband would travel to Phoenix to attend Victorian balls. One day there was an event at a local museum, and Maxine made an old-fashioned nurse’s costume, and took her wheelchair-bound mother to the event where the Victorian Society had a booth. Her costume was an immediate success, and she started to get inquiries about making outfits for others.
Realizing that the Victorian Society was only one of several local groups who dressed in period costumes, and that these were only a small subset of the many re-enactment groups across Arizona and the rest of the United States, Maxine conceived the idea of a sewing business specializing in Victorian-style clothing. At the time, her sister owned a tea shop in Tempe called “Abbey Gardens”, and Maxine had always loved the sound of the name. So when it
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was time to name her new business, "Abbies Attic" came naturally. When Maxine started out, this same sister put one of Maxine's Victorian creations into the window of her tea shop, and her first dress was sold from there. Everyone always asked for a gown "just like" the one they had seen, Maxine recalls.
Eventually Maxine became president of the Victorian Society, and held that post for two years. Later she received a request to join the Elks Opera House Foundation, a group of people whose goal was to raise funds for the restoration of Prescott’s famous opera house, which was originally built in 1905. This led to the formation of the Elks Opera House Guild, a group of over 40 ladies and gents who currently serve as volunteers supporting the Opera House, which has now been completely restored and is one of the crown jewels of Prescott. Of course this interest inspired Maxine and the Guild to expand from Victorian attire into dressing in the Edwardian style, which is the correct period for the Opera House. To this day Maxine serves as the Docent Coordinator for the group, as well as being one of its founders.
In the seven years since she started “Abbie’s Attic”, she has sewn hundreds of custom costumes for ladies as far away as Germany. Maxine has had dresses in storefronts, and had booths at SASS and other re-enactment events, but word-of-mouth has always been her only advertising. Just over a year ago, Maxine was contacted by a gentleman who wanted her to make a gown that was to be worn by a model for the cover of a romance novel. He liked her work so much, that he had her make a second gown as well. One of these gowns was a Civil War outfit, and the other was to become one of Maxine’s favorites; an elaborate 1880’s bustle-dress made up in gold-flecked red fabric. In addition to being a seamstress, Maxine also does a living history about pioneer medicine. This presentation, which is delivered wearing a period nurse’s costume, is built on not only her research, but on Maxine’s personal experiences as a nurse.
Maxine Dillahunty
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If you know someone who has taken their love of Victoriana and made it into an interesting business or hobby, and you think they should be featured in our Victorian Lady pages, please e-mail or call us and let us know! 1-800-452-5925
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