Category — Sewing Life

Goodwin children (from left: Brenda, Nora, Sonya and Kenneth); Safford, Arizona; 1974.

Hemmings children (from left: Keillor, Kerrick, Kennah and Kellen); Tempe, Arizona; 2010.

I thought it would be fun to show my sisters and I wearing the coordinating Easter dresses my mom made for us when we were young, and then show Kennah wearing the dress I made for her this year. (My brother and my sons had to settle for store-bought attire in these photos, but I’ve promised my boys that I’ll try to at least give their Easter shirts some mom-made attention next year.) Here are a few more fun shots of Kennah (and her baby doll, Mary) wearing their matching dresses. (I don’t know how my mom made three whole dresses for her daughters several years in a row! It was all I could manage to put together one dress—plus a quarter-size replica—in the weeks leading up to today!)

Kennah in her "sparkly pink butterfly" confection—because it reminds me of cotton candy—of an Easter dress.

Perfect match: Kennah and Mary.

Keillor, the youngest member of our family, has gone without a Christmas stocking his entire life. Luckily, he’s only 2, so it hasn’t been all that long, and I think the risk of emotional scarring is minimal. Still, I figured he might notice this year if he didn’t have one. I know what you’re thinking: “So what’s the big deal? Get the kid a stocking!” And, of course, if it was as easy as that, I’d have done it long ago. But no. I couldn’t just run out and grab a fuzzy felt little number and scrawl his name across the cuff at the top with colored glitter glue. I had to create one that matched the handmade, lined, double-sided flannel stockings with cross-stitched personalization that the rest of the us hang each year.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to make the stocking. In fact, I had cut out all the pieces awhile back. Instead, it was a matter of finding those pieces—as well as the time to sew it together. Finding things has been a challenge in the midst of our as-yet-unfinished remodeling project that began more than a year ago. And finding time? Well, let’s just say there’s nothing like a deadline to get my adrenalin pumping. Shawn located the bag of half-done craft projects that I had strategically—but forgetfully—placed on the top shelf of a bedroom closet. (Whew!) Two nights ago, I sewed the stocking together. And last night I cross-stitched Keillor’s name on one side. (The other side might have to wait until after Christmas, but hey, at least Santa will know which one is his!)

I started with this. . .

. . .and finished with this.

And here's the full line-up.

In the process of working to check this task off of my to-do list, I rediscovered my love of sewing—something I once did a whole lot of, but that I haven’t had much time for in recent years. The plaid fabric I used in our stockings was actually left over from a Christmas shirt I made 13 years ago for my nephew (who is now 20). My sister passed the shirt back to me for my boys to wear, and I still have it for Keillor to try on in a couple of years. That same year, I made a Christmas dress and pinafore for my niece (who is now 16). Miraculously, I found the dress a few weeks ago (in the same closet where the stocking pieces were tucked away!) and was able to get it ready for Kennah to wear to church on Sunday. It fit her perfectly, and she loved spinning around to make the extra-gathered skirts flare out.

Kennah’s Christmas dress: still life. . .

. . .and not-so-still life.

I’m hopeful that in the new year, I might be able to sit down at the sewing machine now and then. Maybe Santa could leave that wonderful gift called “spare time” in my stocking tonight. . . .;-)