Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Remembering When - handmade clothes


Shula's look back in time posts have inspired me in some of my own remembering. Today I remember when my mum would make our clothes. Recently mum and I where packing and distributing my grandparents' things, I asked to have this photo. It's a picture of me and sister when we were younger sitting for the "loving siblings" shot that parents love to take. As you can see I found the whole process a little dubious, but my sister, God bless her, always got in on the act....she is just so cute isn't she :)

While we stood in my grandparents' slowly dissolving living room, I told mum I remembered those dresses but particularly the way the buttons felt on my finger tips - they were small red roses. It's amazing how subtle an impression can be left upon the mind. Mum, also musing on that time, remarked that she was very fond of that dress pattern. I must admit, however, that I didn't enjoy wearing it or most of our handmade outfits. I always felt that the split in the front of this dress was too low and it embarrassed me, and in general I felt a bit uncool when around other kids. I never told mum that though....now, however, I choose to remember that mum loved to makes clothes for her dear daughters and I'll cherish memory of those tiny red rose buttons.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

sweet picture and I love the look on your face. Nice to remember the nice things.

shula said...

Just beautiful.

I remember the ladybird buttons on my first dressing gown. Like I'd just had them in my hands a moment ago.

Funny, the things you remember.

Anonymous said...

oh, too cute.
i think we are all catching the shula flash back thing....
my mom not only made clothes but also clothes for all my dolls too! i love how you remember all those details so clearly.
(i had alot of dolls! my mom did not get much sleep!!!)

Jean-Luc Picard said...

A wonderfully nostalgic post, Florence.

Sandra Monat said...

same with my mom. She sewed and crocheted and knitted for her 2 children. I still cherish the communion dress she sewed for me and that always makes me wonder how I could fit into this tiny thing - but that is a different story. I can´t remember if I liked to wear that handmade clothes and caps, but what I remember is that I hated the self made hair-cuts...

Shannon Garson said...

My Mum was a great sewer. I got her to make me homemade dresses well into my 20's in fact if she wasn't so busy living her own life I'd get her to make me dresses now. My sister was more in your frame of mind Florence but back them there weren't many kids clothes to buy. But there was a fantastic range of beautiful buttons, my favorites were on knitted cardigans, Mum still makes me these.

Mel Robson said...

very very cute Florence!

Florence Forrest said...

It seems we all have some handmade clothes memories tucked away somewhere :) I loved hearing how your experiences were.

and like Friederike, my mum gave me hair cuts too. I have a tiny scar above my eye where the scissors nipped me....needless to say, haircut time was event that often ended in tears. It must have been a big pain for mum too no doubt!

xx

carmilevy said...

Thank you for sharing this incredibly vivid memory. I remember when my mom made clothes for me...somehow, that sticks more strongly in my mind than anything she ever bought.

Florence Forrest said...

thanks Carmi, lovely to hear from you again.

I'm glad to have had this memory too.

xx