Blessing Dress

Here's Clara in her blessing dress. A beautiful evening and a happy girl, made for some cute pictures. I just wish I had more time to crop them and make them look really good. These will have to do.

I really had fun creating this dress. It's made out of white linen. I kind of took bits and pieces of dresses that I liked and used a Burda Christening dress pattern (9873) as kind of the basic design. I just changed the sleeves, bodice and collar to get what I wanted. For the sleeves, I tried to recreate an idea I saw on an Oliver & S pattern. I made the bodice and front skirt all one piece, pin tucked what would have been the bodice and added tiny pleats at the bottom of the pin tucks. At the top of each pleat, I sewed on a lace daisy with a pearl in the center. The collar, I made smaller, lined and added little embroidered flowers. I also gave the dress a full lining. The lace at the bottom is left over lace from my wedding dress.

The bonnet is one that my mom made for Sophia when she was blessed. She just alternated ribbon and lace and added a circle piece of material on the back to make a bonnet.

Here's the lace from my wedding dress and a cute little foot sticking out.

The little embroidered daisies on the collar with a little pearl in the middle.

The pin tucking is on the diagonal and I alternated directions as I went (I did draw the grid on the material first). I had had plans to put little pearl beads in the middle of some to create a zig-zag pattern, but thought it was a little too much.Some cute faces that came out of all of the pictures. The purple petunia is for Valerie, we planted some in our little flower garden this year and Sophia just had to have a shot with some flowers.

Happy Girls

Life here can be all smiles. Clara has learned how to smile-a lot. I think she truly has a happy, sunny disposition. She doesn't really fuss that much except right before she goes to sleep (or when she is not feeling well, which is why I don't have any pictures of her blessing day up--she caught this 24 virus and was quite grumpy that day--the other kids caught it as well over the next couple of days and they all complained of a headache and stomach ache so I guessed that was what was wrong with her and I can understand why she was grumpy). She lays on the floor and takes everything in and loves to reward her siblings with a smile when they stop to see how she is reacting. She also wakes up in a happy mood. She has gotten on somewhat of a schedule and she'll wake up between 6 or 7 to eat, which is still a little early for me, so I'll lay her bed with me. I'll lay there in a semi-coherent state and enjoy her smiles and coos. I love that time to spend with my babies. Ethan was like that too. I remember taking him out to the couch at 5:30 every morning to feed him so I wouldn't wake anyone else up. After eating, he would just curl up and snuggle with me. Ok babies don't really do that much snuggling, so it was really all me, but I cherish those memories. Jakob and Sophia weren't really into the morning snuggling, but rather the night time was their favorite time to curl up with mom. If only they stayed little...
In the pictures with the white onesie, she was smiling for Grandma Budge, who was here for her blessing (I'm going to get some pictures of her in her dress up soon--since she wasn't too happy that day I have to do a little photo shoot with her in her dress). This one picture is a little fuzzy, but oh so cute with the finger by her mouth. And yes, it looks like she might have dimples as well. They must be a dominate trait, because all of the kids got them from me.

Here is the most amazing big sister, Sophia. She really loves Clara and loves to show it. She can also bring Clara to instant smiles. It's great having older kids to appreciate the baby, rather than get a little put off by the new addition.