Georgia is 13. (Scary thought). Last Thursday her school held their year 8 social. Naturally this required dressing up. She wanted a mullet skirt, but to my eternal relief, not as short as the thigh high hemlines of the skirts in Supre. She wanted to spend her birthday Spotlight voucher on fabric for her awesome Mum (her words, I swear!) to make one to her specifications. We bought her new (flat) shoes, she borrowed a top from me and added a cardy she's had for ages, onto which she sewed purple buttons some time ago. I put her hair into hot rollers for the occasion, and she painted her nails. And that's it. This is the only photo of her, (taken by her friend with an ipod or something) as I forgot to take one in the rush to get to the social!
I loved how she looked - like a 13 year old girl, not like a 20 year old hooker. Most of the girls had new dresses, many a lot shorter than I would have liked Georgia to wear! I wonder how long she and I will see eye to eye on appropriate clothing? She LOVES the skirt, and was so thrilled to have me make her something exactly as she wanted. It didn't hurt that some girls in her class came up to her and said how much they loved her skirt and said it didn't look like the ones in the shops (better), and where did she get it, and how lucky she is to have a Mum to make it.
As an aside, it felt very very different to be making her a pretty skirt to wear to a social - I've made plenty of things for her for special occasions, and plenty of dresses for other girls to wear to school dances, but it really hammered home that my little girl won't be for much longer.
I think this post is to mark a moment for me, in case my lovely Georgia turns into a horrible teenager who only wants label clothes approved by her peers, and sneers at the things I make her, and would rather have a trashy piece of (bought) rubbish for her formal than something her Mum made.
She looks beautiful, all dressed up (and growing up)!!! How lucky she is to have you sew for her.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely she looks and how nice you are still seeing eye to eye. My 14 year old is still doing that too! Long may it last for both of us
ReplyDeleteI would be surprised if she doesn't let you sew her formal dress as she appreciates having your beautifully made clothes. Very pretty skirt.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter looks very pretty, and I'm glad she got compliments on her skirt. My daughter is now 16. Only in the last couple of years have I started sewing clothing again, and while there have been a few things that didn't turn out the way we wanted, as long as I let her guide the pattern and the fabric choice, she has liked the things I've made her. Also, she is learning to sew herself, which helps her to appreciate what I'm doing:)
ReplyDeleteYour daughter looks so lovely! This reminded me of my daughter (now 25) at her Grade 8 graduation. The dress had to be formal. All the other girls were spending far too much on dresses no 13 year old should have been allowed to wear and heels that they couldn't walk in. My daughter's only requests were "big skirt" and a neckline that was lower in the back than in the front - easily accommodated. She also had flat sandals that weren't even visible under the long skirt. And she definitely looked age-appropriate for a 13 year old. She was the only girl in the class who walked onto the stage without tripping and constantly pulling up the bodice of her dress. As she later said - she was probably the only one who was actually comfortable in her formal gown. Only problem is - these girls who know that mothers can produce anything that they can dream up - keep dreaming up more dresses that they cannot live without.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was very uncomfortable at her year 8 formal because she really wasn't ready for that sort of party at that point and definitely not ready for a dress or her Mum to make a fuss. Thankfully now at 16 she is embracing being a 16 year old girl and loves me to make her new things especially if I am paying. I even overheard her boasting to her friends at a recent pool party she hosted that her Mum had made her bikini. Her friends were most impressed! I have found that by giving my daughter a clothing allowance, labels seemed to loose their importance in favour of value for money!
ReplyDeleteI mean't to say that your daughters new skirt is lovely....before my dodgy computer decided I was finished!
DeleteMy daughter is nearly 17 and it is a continual battle to ensure that her skirts aren't too short. A battle I ultimately lost when she found my old photo albums. I wore very short skirts in the 1970s and came out with my self esteem and virtue in tact. Your daughter looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour daugther looks so beautiful and happy in her custom made skirt. I envy anyone that has a daughter. Though I love my sons, boy clothes aren't as colorful or fun to sew as girl clothes.
ReplyDeleteI think your daughter knows who she is and won't let other people (peers) tell her what to wear and what to do, so I think you don't have to worry about the sewing thing........ and she looks very nice in her skirt, which is of great color, BTW.
ReplyDeleteI think that shorter dreses are way better
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