Granddaughter Who Became a TikTok Sensation Recreating Grandma’s Fashion Designs, Announces Her Death

Julia Bartels, the 29-year-old who created designs from the fashion sketches her grandmother made in her teens and, in turn, made the duo a national sensation, announced that her beloved Georgie* passed away a few weeks ago.

Bartels announced on TikTok that her grandma “had been having health complications for a long time now.”

She shared that “The last thing I said to my grandmother was that I loved her, and the last thing she said to me was that she loved me more, and that pretty much sums up the person she was.”

In her post, Bartels expressed gratitude to followers for “filling the last few years of my grandma’s life with joy, excitement and fulfillment.”

Followers of their beautiful story may recall how it all started.

When Georgie decided to ditch design school in the 1940s and shelve her sketchpads, the teen thought her dream of seeing her couture fashions come to life was over.

That was until January 2021, when she uncovered her long-forgotten drawings during a COVID-19 clean-out and showed them to her granddaughter.

Julia was blown away by her grandmother’s hidden talent; she knew the fancy gowns and one-of-a-kind designs had to be seen by a larger audience. Her grandmother suggested sending the sketches to a magazine, but Julia had other plans.

Julia (right) showing off a dress that she created from one of her grandmother's sketches.

boringbb/TikTok

“I kind of thought, why wait?” Julia said. “I didn’t know how to contact a magazine, but I did know how to make a social media post. So that’s what I did. And it went viral.”

TikTokers went nuts over the vintage ball gowns; the positive feedback convinced Julia to go one step further. 

Julia studied YouTube tutorials and with a sewing machine purchased by her in-laws, taught herself to sew. After a year of building up her confidence — and skillset — she surprised Georgie with a recreation of one of her designs — and filmed her grandmother’s reaction to the big reveal.

“She was astounded! She was so happy… She really had no idea that I was going to come down the stairs in something that looked like her design,” Julia said.

The takeaway that they both got from experience: “It’s never too late to go for something,” Julia said at the time. “You’re never too old; you’re never too inexperienced to try something if you want it. And it has worked out for us both.”

For more on Julia and Georgie’s story, watch the video above.