My mother made me a skirt to wear on my twelfth birthday.
My parents took me out – alone, without my sister and brother – to a very fancy grown-up dinner at a restaurant with white cloth napkins and tablecloths. I ordered baked ziti (still my favorite to this day) and afterward, we went to a touring production of Camelot at our local theater.
I remember all of it with incredible clarity, especially my skirt.
It was made of pink cotton lawn sprayed with vines of small, darker pink rosebuds, embellished with eyelet white lace that was, in turn, hand-threaded with dusky rose satin ribbon. It was a pattern from Gunne Sax, that iconic 80’s clothing brand that was out of our family’s financial reach at the time.
I longed for a Gunne Sax of my own. And so, my mother made me one.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
seriously i want some of those stuffed creatures that the poo has!! sooo cute
btw i have a little something for you over in my world…
Great post. My mom was (and still is) a fantastic sewer too and I’ve avoided it for the same reasons you stated (too undomesticated, too intimidated). This post makes me think that maybe I should give it a try.
Those are adorable!
What a wonderful post! I definitely remember the longing for Gunne Sax.
Interestingly, it is my dad who sews: he re-upholstered a couch for us, created another couch out of an antique crib, then made coordinating pillows for the rest of the living room.
And me? Well, I’ve made a potholder!
have you seen knitwits? They totally remind me of gunne sax
Yesterday I was looking at pillowcases that our 92 year old neighbor gave us the day that we moved from Seattle. So intricate, still smelling of the cedar chest she kept them in, a total gift of love. I got tears in my eyes thinking of them when I read your post. What a great heritage you are exploring.
I have no idea what Gunne Sax is, but can appreciate the solo time in special homemade clothing.
Gah you made me cry. In a good way though. That little guy is so freaking cute. Good job.
My mom sews too; jackets, doll dresses, wedding dresses, whatever. I couldn’t even conceive of trying it. However I found my art in photography and scrapbooking. It’s an awesome feeling to give something back.
I recently took up sewing as well. I was so surprised at how the sound of the machine, the sound of the pattern paper, and the sound of the fabric scissors all made the memories of my grandmother come rushing in so strongly. It was amazing and made me love sewing even more.
It’s lovely. So lovely.
I can see you, in your sweet, flower-bedecked faux Gunne Sax — I had some similarly made items, with those same tiny rosebuds sewn delicately across the fabric, and the handwoven ribbons.
I love that you referenced the “lawn” – a word I always cherished in the Laura Ingalls series, when she was almost all grown up and wearing dresses made from softly beautiful lawn.
I love your monsters! Do you make these for other people besides your daughter? Seriously, you could. I would buy one for myself & one for my daughter. And I bet my husband would put one on his computer at work. (I know, like you have time on your hands to do that right now!) Although I know you only from your blog, you seem like such a creative, gifted person (words, fabric, parenting). I hope the healthy days come soon to your home!
p.s., the striped one looks like it came out of “Where the Wild Things Are.”