Do you all remember catching fireflies on young summer nights? A glowing mason jar served as a torch in the early darkness at the end of a lazy day of sunshine.
A few summers ago our grandchildren experienced this delight at our cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. It was especially exciting for them because lightning bugs are rarely seen in Florida, and never before seen by them.
Prowling the woods behind the cabin in the dark seemed like such an adventure. I can’t find the photos of that nighttime hunt but can you imagine the mystery of this with nothing but a little moonlight and fireflies to light the way? The adults held the glass jars so all the little hands were free for balance and capture.
In a few weeks we will be headed back to the mountains with our two younger grands and their parents. I’m hopeful that the fireflies will be plentiful. If so, both 2 yo Vivian Rose and 6 yo Alastair will make some special memories and capture some twilight magic.
This outfit will be a reminder of the nighttime hunt. The is a Michael Miller fabric from Sarah Jane’s Wee Wanderer collection. For fun, I stitched glow-in-the-dark thread over the glimmer of each little bug. I think that will really tickle our little gal and her big brother as well. I just love sewing things for my grandchildren that delight them.
The upper row of floss is really a deep coral, nearly a perfect match to the coral/orange in the children’s clothes.
The shirt pattern is my current favorite, Children’s Corner Jane, with the addition of a sleeve ruffle. That ruffle is edged with Swiss insertion. The embroidered dots remind me of the firefly glimmer in the fabric. Six strands of embroidery floss were woven through the entredeux for extra color and to make this heirloom trim a little more casual. Picot edged bias finishes the sleeve ruffle.
The bloomers are made from the Wee Wanderer companion fabric and Children’s Corner Jackson pattern.
It was a windy day at the beach.
Vivi was so pleased with her Sail Away outfit that I used the same patterns. We do all we can to keep clothes on this child who has serious nudist preferences.
There are some things I would have done differently. The shoulder ruffle is too wide. I had drafted the little ruffle and used it satisfactorily on another Jane. For the firefly outfit 1 1/2″ were removed to make up for the addition of the Swiss insertion and the candy pink bias picot. But it wasn’t enough.
Vivian Rose does not like tight sleeves so I used longer elastic. But these I think are too loose. Still, I won’t adjust them until she tries it on.
Frankly, I think the outfit looks cluttered. Maybe the print is just too large for such a small size (2). Maybe I would like it better if I hadn’t added the bias to the bloomers. What I really would prefer is a pair of bloomers in the same soft aqua color at Jane’s hem. I’m going to include a plain white, eyelet edged pair with this and let Vivi and her mother choose.
It’s always reassuring to remember that children are not nearly so particular about these details as I am. No matter what, she will love the glow-in-the-dark fireflies.
What summer sewing are you up to?
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