![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/AnotherRecycledHeirlAl.jpg\" "\\"AnotherRecycledHeirlAl\\"")
<\/a>Alastair, 13 months 2010<\/p><\/div>\n
This Madeira appliqu\u00c3\u00a9d outfit, a gift for my son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first birthday in 1975, is one of the first heirloom garments I had ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0Nilda, a\u00c2\u00a0dear friend of Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry, had purchased it in Miami, where clothing of this sort was readily available.<\/p>\n
I was\u00c2\u00a0instantly smitten by the classic design and detailed embroidery,\u00c2\u00a0 as well as\u00c2\u00a0the absence of Sesame Street characters. On either side of the tiny red teddy bears are clusters of greenery and French knot flowers. The collar is embellished with a row of red cross stitches. Side tabs allow for a custom fit.\u00c2\u00a0 It is just sweet as pie.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Ryan, 21 months, 1976<\/p><\/div>\n
Ryan wore the suit at every appropriate occasion.\u00c2\u00a0 With his little white high top shoes, he was adorable. Nilda told me that all of her aunts spent their days embroidering similar clothing for the babies in their family. I desperately wanted a Cuban\/Puerto Rican auntie for my son!\u00c2\u00a0At that time, I didn’t sew at all, other than to make cafe curtains for our kitchen.\u00c2\u00a0 This garment led me into\u00c2\u00a0the world of \u00c2\u00a0heirloom sewing, one that I have never left.<\/p>\n
Along with a few other memorable pieces of clothing, this one piece suit was stored in my cedar chest for 31 years, until it fit–generously– Ryan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s son, Robert, when he was \u00c2\u00a014 months old.\u00c2\u00a0 Like his sister, Robert was a robust 10 lbs. at birth.\u00c2\u00a0 But he has his mother’s slender genes and\u00c2\u00a0was smaller than either his father or cousin at this age.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Robert, 14 months old, 2006<\/p><\/div>\n
Looking like a clone of his father, Robert wore the teddy bear suit to his Aunt Rebecca’s wedding. I had a deja vu moment and was\u00c2\u00a0rendered\u00c2\u00a0almost teary-eyed as I stepped back in time with my own little tow headed boy.\u00c2\u00a0 Well,\u00c2\u00a0 that\u00c2\u00a0moment is\u00c2\u00a0where I was 20 minutes before the\u00c2\u00a0ceremony, when the bakery caterer brought me back to the present.\u00c2\u00a0 Calling from his cell phone, Mario lamented that he was lost\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0and could I please give him directions to our home.\u00c2\u00a0 From where, I asked?\u00c2\u00a0 He didn’t know where he was!#$%^&!!!!\u00c2\u00a0 He made me forget all about\u00c2\u00a0precious Robert and my own little\u00c2\u00a0boy way back when.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another story…….<\/p>\n
Now, this same sturdy, sweet little suit is being worn by 14 month old Alastair. In his normal picture taking mood, he refused to smile, instead intently studying the garden statuary. After taking this photo, I was\u00c2\u00a0examining the garment, wondering just how many more little boys would wear it. And how many more I would be around to see.<\/p>\n
Do you have any\u00c2\u00a0multi-generational garments in your family?\u00c2\u00a0 I’d love to hear about it.\u00c2\u00a0 As a matter of fact, I’d love to hear anything from anybody about anything.\u00c2\u00a0 I really wonder if anyone is reading this blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This Madeira appliqu\u00c3\u00a9d outfit, a gift for my son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first birthday in 1975, is one of the first heirloom garments I had ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0Nilda, a\u00c2\u00a0dear friend of Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry, had purchased it in Miami, where clothing … Continue reading