It happened a few weeks ago. As I was putting snow boots on my usually easy to please and flexible two year old, something shifted. Sitting there on the bench looking at me with boots ready to slip on her feet, Annabel paused, then firmly put up one hand. "Wait, Mama. Party shoes, please." And then proceeded to get up, and dig around in the depths of her shoe basket, coming up with the shiniest of patent leather shoes. We compromised a bit, wearing the boots out to the car, but bringing along the red shoes for inside wear. And she hasn't taken them off since. They are her replacement for slippers at the moment, and they are her balance to the snow boots. She - among many others I imagine (myself included) - is quite over the snow boots.
I dare say she's onto something with the shiny reds this time of year, smart girl. She's quite pleased with them, and herself in them. And she's reminding and encouraging me at the moment to continue my own version of wearing shiny new red shoes, which is something to the effect of this broken record - Snowing (Winter) Outside, Sewing (Spring) Inside. It's a happy distraction. Like shiny new shoes.
The latest results of that are above. A Suzanne for my niece, a favorite pattern of mine as you know, but this time I added a bit of elastic to the side shoulders. This pattern does have a wide neck, which works well for the layering that we usually do with it, but I'm thinking my niece will wear this as a summer sundress, so I hope a bit of elastic will help keep the sleeves on the shoulders (and thank you to the reader who suggested that last time I mentioned Suzanne!).
And secondly, to perfectly match those shiny red shoes, a new Geranium dress for spring, with some Denyse Schmidt Shelburne Falls fabric. I added a tie at the side seams for the back (I love tied-at-the-back dresses on my little girls), but otherwise followed that great (and versatile) pattern. Adelaide has requested a matching dress for them to wear to our annual Spring celebration with friends in a few weeks. I think I can accommodate.
Meanwhile, we have so much snow out there that our fencing is well, laughable - to the goats anyway. They were practically at the breakfast table this morning, having simply stepped right over the fence, because the snow is so high and hard enough to walk on now. So I guess I'd better wrap this post up, and go have a laugh with those goats, as I round them up one more time this morning. I'm going to need to sew a summer dress today, I think.
Enjoy the start to your own week, friends!