Alice

My cousin Christopher, his wife Dana, and new baby were moving back to our hometown after living out of state for many years. Baby Alice was going to need an outfit for sure! I chose this 1950’s style dress for Alice, in view A (A for Alice) and found this super cute lamb fabric. I was excited to sew baby clothes! (OK, she’s two, but that’s baby enough for me!)

I thought a baby dress would be simple, but look at all of the pieces! Plus it had a scalloped yoke and pockets! Why does a two year old need pockets? For shenanigans, that has to be the only reason.

Putting all of the little pieces together….

I don’t have too many picture of the construction of this dress. I actually made it before I had my blog, but I have tons of the adorable finished product!

Let’s talk about Alice for just a second. Alice was born with another name and to other people. My cousin’s decided to be foster parents, and she was the first child placed with them. She came to live with them when she was 4 months old.

With God on their and little Alice’s side, they were able to adopt her and make her a permanent part of our family! We all love and adore her so much! At the time of the adoption they were able to change her name, and they decided to name her Alice, after Christopher’s mom, (which is my aunt) Carol, who passed away before her addition to the family. Carol’s middle name was Alice.

Just for fun, here’s a picture of Carol, circa 1975 wearing a homemade outfit of her own! I know she would approve of Alice’s homemade dress.

Carol’s crocheted vest has a matching skirt to it. I actually think my mom might still have this outfit somewhere, I’ll have to ask her. The outfit was crocheted by my Great-Great Grandma (only one Great for Carol). We all called her Nana.

I have many memories of Nana, and she was actually the first person to teach me how to sew! After school she would show me how to thread a needle. She would give my sister and I scraps of fabric and she showed us how to sew on buttons. We both (my sister Michelle and I) made blankets for our Barbie dolls. Michelle’s stitches were much better than mine, I didn’t have the patience for it! HA!

Nana wasn’t actually our blood relative. She was my step Great-Great Grandma. You’ll need a chart if I explain it anymore. My point is, I would have never know it. She loved us all so much. Very early in my life I learned from her that you didn’t have to be related by blood to be family.

Here’s a picture of Nana, circa 1970’s. She probably crocheted the shawl she’s wearing too. This picture is hanging in my sewing room, along with another picture of her from the 1940’s. All of my Grandparents are displayed in my sewing room. They all make up the fabric of who I am, so what better company to keep while I sew.

And for more fun here’s a picture of my Aunt Carol, Alice’s namesake, holding an incredibly cute ME! Carol would have spoiled and loved Alice beyond all reason. She loved babies and here’s the proof.

Aunt Carol loved her family so much, they meant everything to her. That is definitely part of the fabric of who I am that came from her. (Also a love of the rock band KISS) 🙂

But back to the project at hand, and away from the little glimpse of why sewing means so much to me.

Here’s Alice playing in her new back yard, yes, there is a faux saloon in the back.

The back of the dress buttons, and has lots of gathers.

Alice is the most adorable little thing ever!

The dress looks very “Laura Ingalls” to me in these pictures, and I love that it does!

The scalloped yoke turned out, and passed the up close test! 🙂

I can only assume that Alice is pointing at something that she wants to put in her pockets! Shenanigans!

Alice, ready for her close up!

Looking cute!

I knew she’d find something to put in her pocket!

Uh oh! The hat is off and toddler shenanigans seem to be on the horizon!

Yep, shenanigans!

Alice did such a good job modeling her dress! It helps to be super cute and photogenic I guess!

I love the way this little dress turned out. I love even more that Alice is in our life, and in our family.

I’d like to think that the little pieces of Aunt Carol and Nana, that are part of my fabric and everyone who knew them, can now be passed to our little Alice, through our love for her. Maybe we can help to put those little threads in the fabric of who she is and will become.

I hope Alice will have a deep love for her family and be fun loving like her Grandma Carol.

I hope that Alice will never be bothered or feel different by labels like “adopted”.

Love doesn’t care about that.

As for me, onto the next!

P.S. My cousin Christopher is the one who built this blog for me!