When we were young - Week 5: Probably Actually

July 10, 2013

This week for When we were young, Gail from Probably Actually is here to share the gorgeous creation she made for her daughter Lila. Gail's blog is lovely and I have been following it for about a year. I first found her blog after seeing this sweet (Oliver + S) Sunday Brunch jacket on pinterest.

Her daughter Lila reminded me of one of my good friend's daughters, so I clicked through to find her blog and quickly signed up to follow! Gail has two children - Lila and Oscar. Here a few more of Gail's lovely creations she has made for them...

I love the dress Gail made for my series - and check out the haircuts - identical! Thanks for participating Gail!

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Where were you born/where did you spend your childhood?

I was born in Michigan and spent my childhood in Salem, Oregon.

Who did you grow up with?

My parents and two older sisters.

Did you have a childhood ambition?

To be a mother. Look at me, living the dream!

What did you like doing when you were little?

Collecting things, playing with dolls, trying to convince my parents to provide me with a younger sibling.

Do you see any similarities between yourself and your child/children?

Lately I've noticed Lila organizing and arranging things....I think she got that from me!

Do you live far from where you grew up?

Nope, about an hour's drive north.

Where do you live now and who with?

Portland, Oregon with my husband and our two children, Lila (4) and Oscar (8 months).

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Hello sewpony readers! I'm Gail from probably actually and I'm very happy to be a part of Suz's When We Were Young series! It's such a sweet idea for a series, don't you think? Going through old photos for inspiration was really fun, and there were plenty of early '80s gems to choose from.

This particular photo caught my eye for a few reasons. For comparison purposes I wanted to choose a photo where I was roughly the same age as Lila, and we're within just a month or two of each other in this one. I also hoped to find something my mom had sewn - she made lots of our clothes growing up, and I thought it'd be fun to recreate one of her hand-mades. I think she may have sewn this for one of my sisters (poor third child, always in hand-me-downs!) but she definitely made it, along with both my sisters' dresses in this photo.

Anyway, this little sundress seemed like a simple design that would translate pretty well to today, and I knew I'd be able to find that classic pink seersucker. So it won out in the end.

And it was indeed a simple look to recreate - I thought about drafting something myself, but instead I googled “shirred back sundress tutorial” and came up with this one from From an Igloo. Just what I was looking for.

I ended up using my Geranium Dress pattern for the skirt pieces, and added wide shoulder ties and patch pockets trimmed with eyelet to match the original, but otherwise pretty much followed the tutorial. Since the photo is cut off, it's unknown where the dress hit on me, but I'm sure it was Cindy Brady-style - we wore 'em short back then! I made Lila's a little longer, but I gave it a nice wide hem like the one I wore. And there's no photographic evidence, but I'm 99% sure I was wearing white Saltwater Sandals, too.