Tales of the Gypsy Dressmaker
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Through the tales of ten elaborate gypsy wedding dresses, Thelma Madine, trusted confidante and dressmaker extraordinaire, offers a window onto the world of traveller brides and their unbelievable celebrations.
For Thelmaβs young brides, a wedding dress is more than just a pretty white gown. For some it is a symbol of their fairytale-like hopes and dreams for the future, for others a mark of a long-standing friendship with a non-traveller they have welcomed into their community, and, for one small group, it is a sad reminder of day they know will never come.
With each chapter based around the secrets and incredible truths hidden behind each different dress, Thelmaβs second book is packed full of fascinating new stories. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and achingly sad, and brimming with hilarious anecdotes and larger-than-life characters, Thelmaβs book will amaze, amuse and entertain.
Beautifully designed and fully-illustrated throughout, it is crammed with glossy new photos, revealing never-before-seen dresses adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals and hundreds of LED lights β an ideal gift for fans of Channel 4βs Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and Thelmaβs Gypsy Girls.
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Thelma Madine is the star of Channel 4βs Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and Thelmaβs Gypsy Girls. She has been working with travellers for over fifteen years.
After being left with nothing after a messy divorce she started making and selling dresses on a market stall in Liverpool. One day a traveller woman asked her to make some dresses and before she knew it she had dozens of traveller women asking for the same thing, and so began her dressmaking business.
Thelma now owns Nicoβs Dressmakers in Liverpool and is the designer favoured by travellers around the country, many of whom travel hundreds of miles to have her make their wedding, christening and communion dresses.
Thelma lives in Liverpool and has four children (a son and three daughters), the youngest of which still lives at home with her and her partner Dave.
