Collection: MODA - Goodnight Irene - Betsy Chutchian

For Goodnight Irene, I found inspiration in the colors of my paternal grandmother’s garden. Irene Powell Reed, born 1897 in Blooming Grove, Texas, was quite a gardener, with a firecracker personality. She helped me make my first dress on her treadle machine without a pattern. And years after, when I married, she gave me an Angel Wing Begonia that I have treasured and nurtured for nearly 48 years.

Memories of hot summer days with Mama Reed were the best, whether we were working the treadle, picking vegetables, or smelling her roses. At the end of the day, I would hear Papa’s softly spoken words, “Goodnight, Irene.”

This collection has designs inspired by flowers: Evelyn’s Flower Garden, updated to include a purple and green version; Blooming Grove, in pinks and greens; and Lilacs and Roses, because her favorite were all the shades of pink and purple.