Birthday Dresses

Mom made these dresses for us for our birthday one year. She always made our birthdays special. I think it was a Daisy Kingdom pattern. Maybe she can comment and tell us how many hours she spent on them!

From the candles, it looks like it was our 9th birthday--1983. Silly picture!




Mom saved the dresses and passed them on eventually. Our cousin wore one and returned it years later.

Here's Kira wearing it in 2004 at age 6.

The sleeves are a little faded but it's in really good shape for being about 25 years old! I think this was Stacy's dress because my vest had different buttons. We dressed alike often but little differences in style or color made it our own.

Mom's Note:

"Yes, I made these from one of the original Daisy Kingdom patterns. They were a load of work but a lot of fun to make too and they wore them a lot - besides passing them on! They weren't cheap for fabrics, ribbon, lace, and buttons! Quite a few hours to make and I think I was keeping them a surprise so had to finish them after they went to bed just before their big day - my Mom helped me finish them up in time! And, I never made the pattern again! Mom."

Me & You

Our first day of kindergarten, I believe. Julie on the left, in blue, Stacy on the right, usually in red. Mom made these dresses. The little sidewalk, tree and driveway are no longer there.

Julie wrote this for our birthday in 2006.

Peering into the pictures of our past
I see all the things that did not last.

The little dresses Mom made us
The birthdays and once treasured presents in old photographs…those we all outgrew.

Thinking of how it is now and the way we were:
No, the memories aren’t all bliss--
Through it all I know I’ve been lucky to have you for my sis.

As we grew, our time together
was precious
Surely, it was more than we hardly knew!

Sometimes things and times we left behind do come to mind.
Now I like to think it wasn’t these things we just outgrew--

Instead, they became part of the story of me & you.

Love, Julie
December 2006

I printed it & framed a copy for each of us & Mom.

I was never very happy with mine hanging in the hallway so after seeing Julie's on a plate stand, I put mine in the living room on one too, by my other "black stuff"-a mirror & two other frames.

Birthday Book

Julie made this for me for our 30th birthday. It has pictures from many of our birthdays and others of us together. It's fun to have all these pictures to look at! Here's a couple pages - we'll probably add more pictures eventually so I won't take pictures of it all.

Twin Card

Julie gave me this card years ago & I'm sure I still have it but this is a scan. The twins pictured do not look like us, but the dresses, shoes & tights are reminiscent of what we used to wear! Me with pink or red and Julie in blue!