Birthday dress

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
It seems almost stupid to be proud of this, but I made my first dress. I've made E a few pants, but those don't count because they consist of two seams and a piece of elastic. However, since making the dress I've been inspired to up my game in the boy's pants department (that should never be taken out of context) and came up with a really cute pair or pants that I made out of a pair of blanket-soft linen DKNY pants I've had since college. But that's a post for another day.

My mom is a gifted seamstress. She used to make costumes for Broadway...you know, the one in NYC. She's a sewing savant. She can look at a dress and replicate it without ever even touching the original dress. I know, because when I was trying on wedding dresses, I fell in love with a dress that had cost more than any car I'd ever driven. So I called my mom and wept, not ever thinking she'd be able to make the dress for me since she lives thousands of miles away. She came out to visit once and when I showed up to Miami for our second wedding, the dress was...my vision of perfection.

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She covered each and every one of those buttons by hand.

So it seems so very childish for me to be excited about sewing a dress, but I am. I followed a pattern and made a dress. I even top-stitched. And when I was all done and held it up I cringed at how amateurish it really was (it is tough to make a dress with help from a toddler and a baby in your lap!) but when I closed my eyes and pictured it on the little girl it was intended for, I couldn't not give it to her for her third birthday.

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The little girl is one of E's first friends. She has a halo of blond curls and bright blue eyes (perfect, right?) Her mom and I met at a parent-tot gym class and if I were a guy, I would want to be married to her. She's beautiful, she's a bad-ass, and when she says "in sickness or in health," she really means it. I hope they love the dress as much as I loved making it and that they are able to look past the imperfections and see the love in every stitch.

7 comments to Birthday dress:

Melinda said...

It's beautiful, Nan.

dawn said...

It's beautiful! I'm sure they will love it as much as you do!

mom2boy said...

I love the dress and I love this post. You should be proud - giving from your heart is awesome.

caramama said...

Gorgeous! I'm so impressed!

Also a bit envious. As soon as I have a fraction more regularity in the evenings, I very badly want to sign up for a sewing class. I want to make dresses! And pants!

And your mom? Wow.

nej said...

@Mel - When Maddie (is that how you guy's will spell it? Or are you going full name style?) gets close to her big zero-one, she'll have a birthday dress, too. Luckily, I'll hopefully have a few more of these under my belt by then!
@Dawn - Thank you. And thanks for posting because now I found your blog and can keep up with those beautiful children of yours.
@Mom2boy - You're right. And in my self-consciousness, I sometimes forget that.
@Caramama - You should check out www.dana-made-it.com Her stuff is brilliant because it's not that complicated and so cute. She has a very casual approach to sewing, which makes it a lot less intimidating. And her patterns are written in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way that makes it sound almost like a friend talking (and encouraging!) you through a pattern instead of a finger-wagging super serious "this is how you sew" sort of pattern. You should totally do it!

hush said...

Man, sewing is one of those skillz I am never going to have but that I desperately want. I can't tell you how many times I have tried. Oh well. It is really fun to see what other people can do.

Juliette said...

ok - so when I grow up can I be you - REALLY?

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