In Memory of Grandpa T.

Sunday, we had a "party" for my grandfather, who passed away earlier this month. My sister is also a creative gal, a crafter, and someone who needs to keep her hands dipped into projects all the time--especially when feeling a bit emotionally stressed. So, she came up with these outfits for her son and my daughter to wear to the party.


The shirt she made for my daughter has an iron-on transferred picture of her and Grandpa T. with a big heart around it. I wanted to turn it into a dress, so I bought a matching pillowcase at a thrift store and made a skirt to attach to the bottom of the shirt. I made a casing for a thin (about 1/2 inch) ribbon that could cinch around her waist a bit (when she's taller), or just be tied in a bow. Out of the same ribbon, I also made matching bows that I attached to the sleeves of the shirt and covered clips for her curly mane. Finally, I made some white bloomers for her to wear underneath the dress, using two linen napkins (I'll write about them more in another post, as you can't really see them in this picture).

My nephew's shirt is similar, only his picture transfer is in the shape of a tie. I used leftover pillowcase to sew a handkerchief for his shirt pocket that matches my daughter's skirt. I went ahead and made an extra hanky for him to keep in his pocket, in case he needed to console any of the ladies at the party (he's pretty good at that).

Not to toot my own horn, but allow me a bit of "big sister boasting" here. My sister and I like to do things right, to the best of our abilities, and to honor our family. I think her idea allowed us to do just that.