I have a problem. My girl doesn’t like to wear the clothes I sew for her.
Possible reasons for this are:
1. They aren’t fancy enough. (She once asked me to make them “prettier.”)
2. It’s a power play. Because she knows how much I want her to love them, she takes delight in denying me this.
3. She simply wants to express herself by choosing her own crazy ensembles.
Any combination of the above reasons are certainly at play on a given day. My strategy is ever evolving: I have tried playing it cool, acting like I don’t care if she likes them or not. I thought I really had her when I suggested we give them away to a friend of hers. But jealousy did not rear it’s head and my position was weakened when she calmly agreed that Eliza would probably like that. My desperation is such that I have even resorted to bribery. The modeling of a certain dress, which she appeared to do with great enthusiasm, actually required the promise of a tootsie-pop for us to get through the photo shoot.
I have considered taking my projects undercover and boosting their appeal by telling her I bought them or that they’re hand-me-downs from one of the many “big girls” she admires. Before resorting to this approach I thought I’d take a more seductive (not to mention more honest) tact and appeal to her requests that they be “prettier.” The dress above shows my interpretation of this. I chose a fabric in her favorite color and gave it some details I know she likes: bows. The pattern is from this book. It’s a pretty good one—although I had to adjust the size of the armholes a lot. They were huge, even at the smallest size. It’s a simple, versatile pattern and could lend itself to many variations. I gave this skirt a more A-line shape, for example.
The verdict? I tried to contain my pleasure when she agreed to wear it on the 4th.
It’s a start!
