A guest on The Repair Shop was moved to tears when the experts restored a “precious” item belonging to his late sister.
In Wednesday’s episode of the popular show, Ben sought help to restore his sister Lizzie’s dress, just 10 weeks after her tragic death.
He also brought in a painting that Lizzie had made of the dress, which held significant sentimental value for him.
“She was a fantastic artist, and sadly this dress, which went through her life journey of over 40 years, is now in rather a sorry state,” he shared.
Ben also spoke about his sister’s “inspiring” transition journey, which she expressed through her highly acclaimed artwork.
A guest on The Repair Shop was left emotional after his late sister’s dress was restored (Image: BBC)
Textile conservator Rebecca Bissonnet took on the task of restoring the dress, using lukewarm water and a sponge to gently clean it.
“There’s a lot of secrets and details that I feel need to be retained, as it does represent Lizzie and it represents her art and her life,” Rebecca said while preparing the lace for washing.
When Ben returned to see the restored dress, he was overcome with emotion. “Oh wow. I can see all the seamstress work you’ve done, it’s lovely,” he said tearfully.
“It’s just lovely to see it back to its original state. It’s now ready for the next stage of its journey, it’s gonna play centre stage at a posthumous exhibition in Newcastle,” reports .
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The Repair Shop viewers were crying during Wednesday’s (February 5) episode (Image: BBC)
Ben further explained that he plans to pass the dress on to Lizzie’s daughter, Ellie, ensuring that her memory lives on for future generations.
“But then, the final destination of this is this needs to go to Ellie. Also, Ellie has a daughter. This can now continue down that family line, the memories of Lizzie are going to keep rocking and rolling. I’ve looked for something positive out of this and you’ve given it to me,” he concluded.
A viewer expressed their emotional response to the touching restoration on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Oh gosh I’m tearing up.”
The Repair Shop is available to stream on iPlayer