I am so glad january has come and gone! So long january, I never liked you anyway!!
With february comes Carnival which will take place on tuesday here: kids will go to school in fancy dresses and we will cook "crêpes", which are like pancakes but bigger and thinner.
This year, I made this "snow Queen" dress for Blandine.
She got to choose from all the costumes in this book.
I am glad she did not want a "real" Frozen dress but was happy settling for a more traditionnal kind of outfit. More my taste!
Carnaval aura lieu mardi, et voici la robe que j'ai faite pour Blandine cette année: une robe de reine des neiges. Mais pas "l'officielle"! il y en aura déjà une bonne vingtaine à l'école , alors je me suis dit qu'une robe plus traditionnelle serait plus de mon goût et du sien!
I did not find the proper velvet for it and had to use white Nicky velvet which is stretchy and was quite nightmarish to sew!
I had to make a lot of alterations to the original pattern but I am happy with the result!
J'ai eu du mal avec le tissu sur lequel j'ai dû me rabattre: point de velours blanc à prix correct. Il a donc fallu utiliser du velours Nicky, extensible, donc j'ai dû modifier un peu le patron.
J'ai également ajouté un serre-tête pour maintenir la chevelure folle de ma fille.
It has been snowing for 3 days solid now and it was the perfect background for our photoshoot!
But the sun was shinning and Blandine just could not open her big blue eyes!
So we took some more photos inside.
I added a headband to the original outfit, because it is the best way to hold my girl's crazy hair!
When I was sewing the buttons on the skirt and hand stitching the lining to the shoulders, I thought to myself that I was actually being the mother I always wanted to be.
I want to be the kind of mother who spends time doing crazy carnival costumes for her children and spends too many hours trying to make it fit perfectly, the kind of mum who installs an invisible zipper on a carnaval outfit that will be worn only once in public!
Don't get me wrong, I am not the perfect mom. I often loose my temper and my patience,having the intense character that I have, but I am really trying to be a good mum. And doing this sort of things for my children, doing them intentionally, is one thing I enjoy and I hope they will remember when they grow up.
I think on this one, she looks like a character from a 19th century russian novel, a kind of Anna Karenina for instance!
Sur ces photos, elle me fait penser à un personnage d'un roman russe du 19ème siècle! une Anna Karenine, peut-être, mais en moins tragique bien sûr!!
A un moment , je me suis mise à chanter "libérée, délivrée", et il n'en fallait pas moins pour la lancer dans une danse frénétique, reproduisant au geste près la chorégraphie du film La Reine des neiges et entrainant avec elle son frère qui n'attendait que cela!!
Obviousy, her brother had to join in the fun!
I'm in love! With the dress, but even more with your pretty, pretty daughter, your charming little son and of course with YOU my dear friend! I'm sure you're a wonderful mom and I so can't wait for April to arrive! So looking forward to meet you!
RépondreSupprimerJuste magnifique !!! ta fille devait être super ravie d'avoir une robe de princesse comme celle-ci ! Bravo car elle est superbe !
RépondreSupprimerMerci !!oui elle est ravie et ne l'a pas quittée depuis hier!! Les enfants ont passé toute l'après-midi en déguisement !
SupprimerThat's a smashing costume. Very Anna Karenina, and yes, hopefully less tragic!
RépondreSupprimerI'm completely with you on the idea of making things more than they have to be to show your love for the kids.
I hope I've said it before but I also really like your bilingual blog. I read both the French and the English and enjoy picking up bits. Did she really say her daughter has crazy hair? And then the next paragraph confirms it! It's always fun to read your blog, and the pictures take it to an even higher level!
My favorite snow princess dress for sure! Such a great job and she is beautiful in it Sophie!
RépondreSupprimerthank you Carin. I find her beautiful too, but it is normal as she is mine!!:) have a great day:)
SupprimerBeautiful/classic/amazing Sophie! My mom made lots of costumes when I was little, I still have some of them. This one is a keeper! Lucky daughter.
RépondreSupprimerOh Kristi! I do hope she will keep this one for a long time! Tomorrow is the day she will wear it at school, I think she will ahve to wear her old Donkey Skin I made for her last year to cover herself: no jacket will ever go with those huge sleeves!
SupprimerI promise your children will only remember you sewing their costumes out of love and nothing else. Mine are adults and they remember the times we all had fun together and the time I took to sew costumes and toys and clothing for them. The lost tempers on both sides are all forgotten. Except the few times they were very naughty (like when my older daughter cut off all her younger sister's hair). And we still have a good laugh about it now though at the time I was mortified.
RépondreSupprimerIt is nice to have your point of view on this: it is easy to get lost in the everyday harship of motherhood, and it is good to have a different perspective and outlook on this! I am doing as much as I can for my children to have great memories that they will later cherish. hugs!
SupprimerSophie! The costume is amazing! Blandine looks stunning in it! I'll bet all the other girls were jealous of her costume - it's just spectacular. You are doing such a great job as mother to these beautiful children. My kids and I are all smiling as we look through these photos!
RépondreSupprimerTrès belle interprétation de la reine des neiges, elle est magnifique
RépondreSupprimerEteann