Mukilteo woman hopes costume gets her on 'Roadshow'

Joan Hemm is betting on the power of the costume.If she wins this bet, she'll get to appear on television on the PBS program, "Antiques Roadshow."But even more important to Hemm than the TV spot, she hopes that two precious dress patterns -- dating back to the 1880s -- that she has protected for the last 25 years will finally be appraised.It's not that she wants to cash them in for the money. Hemm wants to know the value of these two patterns, which have never been opened, to help her decide where to donate them."I don't want them in the Smithsonian where they will lie in a drawer," Hemm said. "I really want them to be treasured for what they are -- a piece of fashion history at an incredibly detailed level, which is totally lost these days."Before we get to Hemm's "costume" and "Antiques Roadshow," let's go back about 25 years.
In 1987, Hemm's uncle, an antiques dealer, was in Pennsylvania at an outdoor auction when he came upon two dress patterns. They were "dead stock" patterns, never opened, never used, from 1880 and 1881."He grabbed these thinking, 'Joan will make these,' but they are actually well beyond my sewing skill level," Hemm said.Hemm is a historical costumer and has been sewing costumes since high school. Hemm also started a women's history group in Colorado when she lived there and now belongs to the Seattle historical costumer group, Somewhere in Time, Unlimited.As an appreciator of historical things and the importance of preserving them, Hemm "couldn't think of cutting up patterns that are 130 years old." So her uncle's gift went into storage.
Hemm and her husband had left Colorado and moved to Mukilteo. While settling into her new home, Hemm uncovered the two dress patterns. That rekindled her desire to find the right spot for them."My plan is to give them to either the Fashion Institute in L.A. or New York, where they can be studied and preserved, but first, I'd really like to know what they are worth," Hemm said. "What if they are the only ones in existence?"
She started to investigate on her own but got nowhere.Hemm figured she'd have to be on "Antiques Roadshow" to get an answer.So she tried to get tickets. Just 2,000 tickets are allotted for each location of the "Roadshow's" filming. For five years, she tried to get one.When the show announced it would be in Seattle, she had a friend of hers sign up for the ticket lottery. That friend's uncle is on the show. Hemm finally got her tickets.Hemm then thought about how she could help guarantee an appraisal.