Alastair’s Easter outfit, under construction
Anyone can go to Strasburg Children www.strasburgchildren.com  and buy gorgeous heirloom clothing. Their collection of smocked and heirloom sewn apparel for little ones is unrivaled. But even in Strasburg’s oasis of classic beauty in the world wide desert of classic children’s clothing , the selections for girls far outnumber those for boys. That’s a realistic reflection of the market.
I could buy their lovely outfits for my two grandsons and they would look so classically handsome. But that would not satisfy my urge to create unique garments just for them. I want to do it myself.  I want to bring life to my personal, unique vision of beautiful children’s clothing for my unique and beautiful grandchildren. And I don’t recall ever seeing train duds in the Strasburg catalogue.
So I sew. The satisfaction of sewing for the boys is even greater than sewing for granddaughter Laurel. The challenge to design classic attire for little guys is greater, given the constraints of practicality, comfort and local standards of acceptability.
shadow work by embroidery machine design from Suzanne Hinshaw’s Teddies and Toys
  For Easter, once again I am coordinating outfits for all three grandchildren- almost 7 year old Laurel, 5 1/2 year old Robert Charles, and just 2 year old Alastair. This year, the only unifying component is the color blue.
Laurel’s dress and petticoat are standard heirloom, Swiss batiste, heirloom laces, embroidery. To look presentable, it requires starch, my beloved 1946 Betty Crocker football iron (would you like to hear about it?),  a puff iron, a ham, and about 20 minutes on the ironing board.  Continue reading
