Bobka Baby and Four Generations of Family and Tradition

Bobka Baby is made up of my mother and myself. The two of us creating beautiful things together. My great grandmother on my mother's side, Mary Szmanowski Witenski, was born in Poland somewhere around the 1880's. Unfortunately, like so many people who emigrated to the United States, they did not talk about the old country. Perhaps because they felt that forgetting the past was the best way to start their future new life but it has been a terrible loss to the generations that have followed. I do not have any idea of family in Poland and no stories of the past. What I do know is that my great grandmother was a remarkable seamstress, a professional seamstress who worked for the wealthy aristocrats and royalty.

Mary Szymanowski Witenski

            This is a photo of my great grand mother wearing the wedding gown that she made.

Mary Szymanowski Witenski

My great grandmother also created my grandmother's dress for her sweet sixteen birthday. I believe it was in shades of yellow and apricot. This photo would have been in 1928.

Helen Witenski Nowak

My mother made these beautiful outfits from authentic victorian patterns. She has made wedding gowns professionally and loves studying the old sewing techniques. Through the years, she made many reproduction gowns. Although we have always asked the brides for photos, we hardly ever received any. Perhaps this is why we treasure any photos we receive from our customers and appreciate them so immensely.

Julie Marek and Mary Nowak Marek

We live to create, my Mom and I. We believe that the new techniques just don't come close to the quality and fine workmanship done in the old tradition. Progress is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong, but too much of what was really 'special' has been lost because of it and this is a real shame.

til next time,

Julie