Pretty Little A-Lines

I did not learn to sew from my mom. That is not to say, however, that my mother didn’t sew. She did…once. For a brief time, my mother was the main caretaker of my two nieces, who were quite small at the time. Teeny-tiny little 2 and 3 year olds to be exact. It makes me smile to think of them at that age…they’re 12 and 13 now (eeek!).

But I digress… So, here was my mother, caring for these two little girls all day long. Such a familiar scenario to myself now, but it was a very new situation for her. You see, she worked full-time while my brother and I were growing up, so this was her first foray into the world of stay-at-home parenting.  And what’s a girl to do when you’re at home caring for two little girls all day? Make ‘em a dress!

While my mom’s stint as a stay-at-home-mom was brief, she absolutely made the most of it. She baked, she crafted with the kids, and she even sewed them a dress or two. I remember how much fun it was for me to see this new side of her. My nieces benefited greatly from the time they spent with my mom and today they share a very special bond with their grandmother.

Mom’s dress-making days are long past, but that little snippet of time in her life lives on in the lessons she passed to my nieces, and even a little dress that has been passed down to my own little ones.

(photo by Annabelle)

This simple a-line dress was worn by at least one, possibly both of my nieces 10 years ago and has been very well loved for the past year by Annabelle. Now that she’s growing out of it, it will be handed on to Charlotte. I anticipate some disappointment from her losing such a vital part of her wardrobe, so I recently tried to make a similar frock.

Certainly not a replacement, but I think it will do.

Today is the first day of Kids Clothes week, so I’ll be updating throughout the week about my progress. I got a bit of a head start by getting most of my cutting done, so I may actually make a dent in that long list that I made. Happy sewing everyone!