…and all I can say that if it wasn’t for Christmas and birthday family get-togethers I would have almost no photos of my children in the clothes I have made them… these photos are all from the albums of our extended family, since we took very few ourselves!, and please be aware that the photos I have here on my blog represent about ten percent of the clothes I actually made for my children! Of course I am disappointed that my photo taking was pretty slack in those days. Photography wasn’t really on my radar back then. Too busy taking care of my little ones and the household, no doubt. Oh, and er, fitting in a bit of sewing too, I guess!
In the Christmas gathering pictured here, Tim is wearing a little ensemble comprising a white collarless button up shirt and tartan trousers. The tartan pants have contrasting white piping in a curved insert in the side of the legs, and along each front pocket; and the shirt has tartan piping in the buttonband, plus a few tartan patches for good measure to really tie the whole outfit together.
The children’s cousin Michelle is wearing a little pink dress I had made her for a previous birthday; it had a button-up front, dropped waist, an attached white petticoat, and white sleeve cuffs and collar. In the middle picture I am wearing white shorts and a big oversized (in the best 90’s tradition) blouse, both made by me.
Cassie is wearing a little dress and a big floppy gingham hat, both made by me. The dress has smocking and embroidered grub roses on the front, and is one of the very few pieces of children’s clothing I have kept so I can include a close-up. I was pretty proud of the smocking, and I can still recall obsessing over mastering the perfect grub rose in between chatting-while-supervising, fruit-cutting and nappy-changing sessions at playgroup. The partially finished dress lived in the nappy bag so that I could be sure it accompanied us wherever we went and I could snatch a few more minutes working on it if the opportunity presented itself…
All the children’s patterns are TopKids patterns, except for Cassie’s smocked dress which was some sort of heirloom pattern, the exact details of which I have no memory.
You made some really cute clothes for your kids. I love the smocking. It's something I've never learnt. My mum did some but sadly, now that I want to learn she isn't here to teach me 🙁
That smocking looks amazing. Even then you did beautiful work with the stresses of two children.
Your kids are so lucky to have clothes made by you! Thanks for sharing the photos 🙂
It's impressive enough that you made your own kids clothes but that smocking knocks it out of the park!!
I didn't take photos of my handmade things then either. If I'm lucky they show up somewhere in a photo album, like you. I think back then we were more careful because it was all film? right? Now it seems I will take photos of anything and everything … now finding something in the digital archives might be more difficult, and hardly anything since the purchase of the digital camera has made it into a photo album, sadly …
I love these photos of your kids when they were little. The cousin looks JUST LIKE goose's friend – my friend's daughter. Wow.
I agree with Caroline, I have 17yo that I have very few pictures of but my 3yo we already have thousands of photos! The same with my quilts I hardly ever took photos 15 years ago of my things now I'm taking pictures of the different stages of the making.
Love the tiny little roses, great treasure there for sure.
What fun to see those little clothes, especially the smocking! I'm thankful my kids are growing up in the era of digital cameras because photo taking is so much more convenient. That said, nearly all the photos I have are of them posing in clothes I've made them. Very unnatural! Must take more candid shots, hehe.
Isn't it nice to look back on those old photos with pride not only in your children and how far they have come but how far you personally have come as well. It is so nice to have a permanent record of our handiwork. I think though you tend to be so busy in the moment when kids are small that preserving the memories for later just doesn't enter your thinking.
Oh, beautiful photos! So adorable … I wish I had taken pictures of garments I sewed for my children …. this is lost memories for me … you are lucky to retain them.
I'm loving your walks down memory lane! I have a son and daughter, too, and made lots of clothes for them, at least until my husband said no more smocking for our son (he was about 3 at the time). I'll have to dig some photos out…
Your smocking is beautiful!! Thanks for your input on the jeans hemming. 🙂