The dress Kay Putt made for her engagement party in 1960 was sewn from a remnant purchased at Barker & Pollock on K Road and all the pieces were overlocked by a friend. When it came to hemming, Kay didn’t want to cut off the overlocking, hence a 6-inch hem. While she was a thoroughly adept sewer (sewing dresses in home craft class while everyone else was sewing aprons) Kay was nicknamed 'The Safety Pin Queen' by her mother. She was quick to pin a garment to her satisfaction rather than sew an amendment, a useful skill for any fashionista inclined to quickly modify an outfit to suit the mood of the moment. Read more about the history of home sewing in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Home Sewn.