[Sarvi]

Elsewhere, Nicole said “You could also purchase a label,and sell the jacket ‘ as is’, if you do not think you will have any more babies.” I thought this was a great idea for those of you whose sewing is pretty expert. I’m curious how many of us are in a hand-me-down stream, and whether you hand down your handmade items, keep them for the next generation, donate them?

I’m still very new to sewing but am already making coordinating dresses for a group of little girls who are all about year or two older than my daughter, and figured this was a good way to throw some clothes upstream from myself!

[Nicole]

I have a fairly systemized storage practice in size labelled IKEA tubs. Things that we did not wear(not suitable) go to St Vinnies, tatty things to the shed rag bag and I will hand on an admired outfit to a friend asking them to keep it for best if necessary . I had a few heart aches when an outfit you have hand washed and kept for best is found screwed up on a friends floor covered in stains and ruined!

I love nothing more than an outfit that one has made has been worn until it has ‘died’, removing any useful buttons or labels and then sending it to the machinery shed just completes the cycle for me.

On a lighter note, I used to dress the twins in completely identical outfits, I would sew a ‘collection’ all co-ordinating, purchase matching shoe’s, tights the lot!I had so many outfits I used to give one full set away to a mother who always expressed an interest in the girls clothes. I never saw her child in them, but just assumed she kept them for best. One day I was in the city, and saw a child wearing my clothes, I approached her ,and said ” you must be friends with such and such “

“No”, was her reply “I bought the complete outfit from E-bay”

I guess it was a compliment ! Husband and I still have a good chuckle.

[Toyota888]

I have only just handed on my first handmade item to a good friend with a little girl. It was very hard as I really wanted to keep it forever but we live in the inner city and storing a childhood worth of handmade items is just not possible. Also, that little girl is my god daughter so I really should not have found it hard!! I ironed it before it went so it was looking its best!

[Anonymous]

I don’t think we would need to purchase a label to sell used clothes – I think it’s only for those who are selling for profit – Liesl??

[isewstuff]

Like Nicole, I have bins (sorted by size) for the things I plan to hand down from my oldest son to my second son. These days, not many things are in good enough condition to be worn again. My oldest usually irrepairably ruins items before he out grows them(#1 is 10 years old) or they are not season appropriate for #2. There are a few things that make it through for reuse though, and it’s always the high quality items. Having only one daughter, with a far more expansive wardrobe, 😉 I’ve held onto her clothes “just in case.”

Last week, in a moment of total melt down, I did a complete purging of our storage room and keep everything that I had sewn. I just couldn’t part with any of the outfits I’d made. I took 5 garbage bags full of RTW little girl clothes to my sister and a friend to look through before I gave them to charity. Both my sister and friend were disappointed as they searched the stash because they were looking for specific outfits that they remembered my daughter wearing- all of which were handmade items (some of which were from several years ago). It won’t come as a surprise that the outfits they wanted were from oliver + s patterns.

[Nicole]

I know what you mean isewstuff, I have had a few “Oh, I want that when she grows out of it!” add I change the subject…….

The oliver+s outfits are just so special!

Who knows maybe I will have another baby……..

[sayiamyou]

I already struggle with what I’ll do with all the items I’ve made for my daughter if #2 isn’t a girl. I just don’t think I can part…

[claireabel]

This has been an interesting read.

I am way too sentimental to throw out anything I’ve made for my kids. They’ll be packed up as they outgrow them and then… who knows! In fact at the moment I’m thinking future kids won’t even get to wear them, they can have new stuff sewn for them 🙂

My mum sewed and knitted a lot for me and my brothers and sister when we were little. I got a lovely surprise when I was pregnant with my first a few years ago and she pulled out a box with all her favourite outfits of mine, inc a darling (and very 70s) knitted and embroidered dress, with photos of me wearing them as a baby/child. I didn’t appreciate them at the time but now I know what a labour of love they were and really appreciate them.

[sayiamyou]

Ooo, I agree Claireabel. I’ve seen pictures over the years of clothes made for me by my Mama (one reason I wanted to start sewing), but I only just now get what those things really meant since I’ve begun sewing for my daughter. There’s so much time and love in each of them that pictures can’t show you!!

[Sarvi]

Whenever I go over albums of old family photos, my grandmother likes to point out all the things she sewed or knitted, and when her children were young, it’s nearly every piece of their clothing, as well as her own. She told me that she used to go the street with all the shops that had stylish European clothes and look in the windows, then go home and copy the dresses from memory. Holy cow, I can’t even imagine. I guess when you get married at 16 and your job is running the household, you develop a very high level of skill. She seemed so proud and happy, I tried bringing her some knitting needles and yarn, but these days she prefers playing with her great-granddaughter. You bet I wish I had some of those gorgeous clothes!

Wish you could see clothing details better on these old photos:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/161724211_c1f8fcd2d8.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/161717952_0a88404227.jpg

[Nicole]

Beautiful photos , Thankyou for sharing Sarvi