[heck]

I have a son that’s 4 & a daughter that’s 19 mos…so far (fingers crossed) they both happily wear what I make for them. For the Cars 2 premiere last summer, I made him a special Lightning McQueen bowling shirt, and he proudly announced to anyone who would listen that his mom made it for him. :o) Since then, I have become a more prolific sewist, so he’s harder to impress now, but still happy to wear handmades. My daughter beams when I show her a new outfit I’ve finished and immediately begins to strip so she can try on her new clothes. Isn’t it a wonderful feeling to create things for those you love most? :o)

[Sarvi]

Great topic. My daughter is 2.5 years and makes no special distinction between my clothes and store bought. I can very much relate to the “thorn in the side” of relatives who insist on buying clothes — both grandmas maintain an entire second wardrobe for her in their closets, and change her out of my clothes and into theirs when she goes to visit, and I’m too busy right now to have the energy to sink into an argument over it. I take a lot of deep breaths and fantasize about moving to another continent.

Looking forward to slowly phasing out of her wardrobe anything I’d enjoy making myself (I am not keen to make leggings, for example) so that whatever she chooses, it’s mommy-made. Trying to get on her good side early on by fulfilling any requests quickly and to her satisfaction!

[mle bb]

Well I don’t have any kids but I make clothes for my cousin’s kids and their reactions are mixed.

Lucy is the one that I make the most for and she will be three in June, she has many reactions from NOOOOOOOOO I won’t put that on to letting me put it on her and then wanting it off or then just going about her business and noticing in the mirror how cute she is.

Her cousin Tyler on the other hand (just turned 5) who I have only made a pair of pajamas and another pair of pj pants (along with some softie snakes and other miscellany) is soooooo grateful every time I make him anything and thanks me profusely and tries to wear it when I am near (his idea!) and is super sad if his pj’s are in the wash and he can’t wear them when I babysit. So there are many kinds of reactions but I have to say that the rejections sting pretty bad, especially if I never get to see them even try on what I have made.

This Sunday I went over to my cousin’s with a fluffy rainbow tulle tutu for Lucy and she would have none of it…three NOs and I was done asking in hopes that she may want to wear it some other time, trying not to pressure her! But I took it pretty hard because she is the one of the only girls that I see regularly (twice or more a week) and I love to make her things, I am going to make a tutu for another little girlie and try and gift it on Sunday this week…I hope Isabel likes hers more than Lucy! So here I am hoping that the things I make get worn and still making away…maybe I should make Tyler some more! lol

[Brittney]

My six year old girl loves when I make her clothes… but then she hardly wears them! Ugh! My 3 year old boy BEGS me to make him things, going as far as rummaging through my stash to find the perfect fabric and describing what he wants. And then the twinsies. They have no choice as they are only 10 months! ha! But I don’t plan on buying any RTW clothes, aside from maybe a pair of jeans or two, so pretty soon they will all be wearing mommy made clothes. *insert evil laugh*

[jeanniegirl]

My 7 year old twins are USUALLY excited about what I sew for them. I’ve learned to let them in on the process by choosing fabric and yes, even patterns for what they like. I do have veto power, and they understand that. Though, I have made things for them that were incredibly cute, and I still had to bribe them to wear it. I think limiting their selection helps a bit in this area. If I make their doll a matching outfit, they are sure to wear whatever I make. It’s extra work, but then they LOVE it!

[meleliza]

I’m curious, Sarvi, why do the grandmothers keep a second wardrobe? I guess my mother has her own notes of what the child should wear, but I can’t imagine she’d keep an entire wardrobe.

[Mel]

It’s hard not to get discouraged when something you make doesn’t get worn! My two girls (aged 4 and 6) are very articulate in most respects but it seems we have a hard time understanding each other when it comes to the clothes I make them. The latest “fails” were the Family Reunion dresses I made. The first was for my littlest for her birthday. It hung in her closet for about two weeks before she decided to wear it and then only once. Says she likes it but just doesn’t want to wear it.

My eldest professed her love for that dress and begged for her own so I used the last little bit of material I had to make her a matching one. I even got her to pick out the buttons. And she’s worn it once. Urrg. Again I’m not sure why. I try not to grill them because I don’t want them to feel guilty but I would really like to know so I can do things differently in the future.

[Masha Richart]

Well, DD1 is starting to come around. She agreed without fuss to wear her After School pants last week. And yesterday, I put both girls (1.5 years and 2.5 years) in their non-matching Class Picnic tops. DD1 didn’t want to wear hers but asked me for one like her sister’s. Luckily I had just enough of the fabric leftover that I could make her one. Going to try to make that one today so that it’s done before she forgets the request. We’ll see whether she wears it.

[Nicole]

I may have mentioned this before? I forget,it gets a bit busy in my head at times….

My Twins(12)were getting uber demanding for new clothes but also a wee bit ungrateful for the results. So I put them on a 3 month ban.

No new clothes(except emergency-like swimming trunks)for 3 months,they had to make do with their ample wardrobe and watch me sew up a storm for their two little sisters.

It has worked beautifully,they are planning new outfits for an up coming wedding and putting so much thought into them and actually thinking ahead,ie ”What will I wear this jacket with again”?,rather ”Then I will have 3 new jackets,Thank you Mummy”!

Just a thought….

[Sarvi]

meleliza, your guess is as good as mine. I have my ideas about why they do it, but they involve language I’d rather not use here 🙂 Perhaps a more charitable view is that my girl is the only grandchild, and their desire to have some of the enjoyment of dressing a child wasn’t fully satisfied when their own girls were little. I do sort of feel that she’s my kid after all and I should have some say in it, but I guess this can be usefully filed under Pick Your Battles Wisely.

[thejennigirl]

When it comes to my 3, the (almost) 4 year old boy will pick out fabric in the stores and demand a cut of it for clothes for himself. My 8 year old girl is always asking for new clothes and is very unhappy when something becomes too small. The 10 year old boy desires handmade clothes but is growing so fast that anything I make doesn’t fit within a month.

[mle bb]

YAY!!!! Lucy wore her tutu! and LOVES IT! I guess a little patience goes a long way…but who could resist a rainbow tutu? No one yet! It is great to hear about others having some struggles in getting their handmades worn and others who have no problem with their enthusiastic little ones!

[gjsmommy]

My daughter is 10 and has joyfully worn everything I’ve made her until just a few months ago when some classmates made fun of her clothes. I explained that their mothers probably didn’t have the time or skill to make their clothing so they had to have clothes that would look like everyone elses. I have to admit I was crushed and pulled the items I had made out of her closet. She went through them to select what she wanted to keep and ultimately took them all back and declared that she didn’t care what the other kids thought- her clothes were special. I did explain that everything was custom to her and what she likes. How many kids can say that? My son wears the shorts and pjs that I make him without issue. I think they both know that their clothes are unique and fun. I never insist that they wear them, though.

[LucyM]

My 3 year-old girl enjoys wearing the clothes I make for her. Not only does she enjoy them, she makes specific requests (Can you make me a blue and white dress?), chooses fabric, and chooses notions. She even wants to “help” sew the clothes (I let her press the buttons, but draw the line there). For now, I consider myself fortunate and will ride this wave until she decides she no longer wants to wear mommy-made clothing, or better yet, is able to sew for herself.

[Jennifer1568]

gjsmommy, your story is touching. Children can be so cruel and it is difficult to deal with as a parent. I think your reaction is wonderful – understanding and trying to help your daughter through it. It takes a strong self esteem to be able to stand up to peers and be different and be OK with that. There are groups of girls who all dress exactly alike with the same hair cuts, the same jeans, and the same accessories. Some adolescents use clothes and fashion statements as a way to express themselves and brand themselves. I think they use clothes as a way to define their independence from authority. When my daughters became adolescents, I was unable to shop for them. I couldn’t pick what pleased them.

Sewing for your child is such a statement of love. I am glad my youngest daughter is only 6 and at this point will wear what I sew. I think the time may come when she refuses, though. I try to involve her in design decisions. I also sew for her best friends- for gifts at Christmas or birthdays.