It’s very late to be starting three Easter outfits for my grandchildren. Life so often gets in the way of sewing. Just this week, my 4 year old grandson Robert joined our little homeschool student body.   What with assessing his academic level, finding appropriate materials and rearranging our daily schedule, I am way behind.  In addition to the joyous message of Easter, it is also the holiday for which sewing mothers and grandmothers daydream all year.
When was the last time you saw a McCall's pattern for $2.50?
Because both of our children and their families will be here at our home for Easter, I want to coordinate the grandchildren’s outfits. I am beginning with Alastair, 12 months.
In my huge stash patterns, this 1983 McCall’s pattern was the only thing that met my requirements. Because Alastair is a really big boy and wears bulky cloth diapers, I chose the size 2 over the 1. According to his measurements, it should fit.
fancy entredeux threaded with perle cotton and thread
The components of his bubble are shown above. The easy care yellow baby cord is for the body of the suit which will have a yoke overlay. I find it hard to justify using any fabric that requires ironing for a bubble. It is just too hard to iron them. With my goal of dressing my grandchildren in classic clothes that will no unduly stress their busy mothers, this fabric is a good choice. Only the trims will need the touch of an iron.
"chameleon" lace (E-1) to be used as edging See this lace at http://www.janicefergusonsews.com/blog/?p=13662
The fancy entredeux will be filled with two strands of perle cotton woven through the larger holes and two strands of 30 wt. DMC thread woven through the others. The plan is to include some on the collar and sleeve cuffs.
The trim will probably be my favorite “chameleon” lace which can be used as edging, insertion or even baby beading. It is just 1/4″ wide. The collar and cuffs will be finished with this.
The ducklings are a gorgeous handloom I’ve had for many years. I’d really like to use it on all three outfits but am having some doubts as to its suitability for Robert.
duckling handloom
It would work on the shoulder buttoned Jon-Jon which has been my style of choice for him. Always a lean child, he is very thin now. This growth spurt is a mystery to the whole family because this picky eater does not consume much food. But it has not impaired his upward growth.
The Jon-Jon I made him at Christmas seemed to emphasize his skinny little legs so I want to try something different. It may be that I will make him a pair of yellow baby cord shorts and just embroider a duck on a nice golf shirt. But as Scarlett said, “Fiddle dee dee. I’ll worry about that tomorrow.” I’ve got some ideas but first I need to sew up Alastair’s outfit.
Still, I can’t stop thinking about Robert and how fast he is growing. Yesterday, after looking at the time line in our classroom, we looked at pictures of both children as newborns. Robert asked where he was when Laurel was born. He got the standard aswer, “You were just a twinkle in your daddy’s eyes.” Then we looked at photos of Alastair’s birthday party, which included shots of both Robert and Laurel.
Can you see the twinkle?
On his way home, he asked his mother, “Mama, when I grow up will I have children?”
“Yes,” Shelly assured him.
“I thought so,” Robert replied, “because when I saw pictures of me at Alastair’s birthday party, I saw a twinkle in my eye.”
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