the fruits of my labour

How cute does Isobel look in this dress? OK, you don’t have to answer that (not that you were going to), I know I’m biased. I also know I’ve gone a bit crazy on the kid shots lately. But how cute is the dress? This was mine and it has a matching bonnet and cardigan. I’m not sure who made it, probably Mum or Grandma. Was it you, Mum? Whoever made it, it looks as though it was finished yesterday, not 30 years ago.

I love the fact that something created in another place and time, can find a new life in some other place, some other time. And I love that I can share things like this with Isobel. I never had a preference for a son or a daughter in either pregnancy, just a healthy baby, but it is nice to be able pass on things, mother to daughter. Sure, I can pass on all sorts of things to Elliott, maybe things I won’t or can’t pass on to Isobel, and I have and continue to do so, but I guess clothing and especially handmade clothing, is one of the most intimate things a person can share, so it seems extra special to me. Who knows, though, maybe if Mum had given me all these old clothes of mine when Elliott was a baby, I might have put him in a dress. That’s the great thing about little kids: they’ll wear whatever you tell them to. Usually.

I would like to think that something I make for Elliott or Isobel is treasured and used by another generation. I have a feeling that more and more people are going to start to value the handmade over the mass-produced. I know I am feeling that more every day.