Hi there! I am really excited to have another instalment in my When we were young series.  I plan on making this series more regular than it has been this year...time just ticks on and all of a sudden, months have gone by!  





Where were you born/where did you spend your childhood?
I was born in Brighton - England, then moved to Rabat - Morocco at the age of one and half and finally moved to Montreal,  Quebec - Canada at the age of 5. 

Here I am  around 5 years old and actually still have this dress. Elsie will be able to wear it this summer.

Who did you grow up with?
I grew up with my mom and dad and my little sister, she is five years younger than me. 

Did you have a childhood ambition?
Besides playing and having fun, no not really. 

What did you like doing when you were little?
I loved to dance. I also really liked dressing up and organizing plays with all the neighborhood kids. 

Do you see any similarities between yourself and your child/children?
I do see some similarities, my daughter is on the shy side especially when you first meet her, she also loves to dance, hates the cold and loves to create a mess just like me.  Apparently my son is stubborn and gets that from me! I beg to differ.  He doesn't like to break the rules, I used to be the same as kid, never cross at a red light or eat a grape at the supermarket without paying. I used to love the stage and both my kids love to perform and put on a show. 

This is my kindergarten school picture. My first year in Canada.

Do you live far from where you grew up?
I pretty much live in the same neighborhood.

Where do you live now and who with?
I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with my husband and two kids Elsie (5) & Mathis (7). 

I remember growing up and loving to dress up in beautiful clothing. I was lucky to have an older cousin who gave me all her clothes which were imported from France or Italy. She had the latest fashion and most gorgeous styles and I was lucky enough to have them handed down. To this day my cousin who lives in Paris still gives me some of her clothes and I get that same feeling of excitement as I did when I was kid. I also remember loving to wear dresses so much so that one day my father took all my dresses and put them in garbage bag and threw them out the window, because I refused to wear anything else. The thing is we were living in Canada and let's get real, dresses are not practical in minus 20 degrees weather. My daughter is going through a similar stage right now, she is actually obsessed with wearing tights and everyday she asks me if she can wear some. Soon it will be too cold to wear dresses, but I thought it would still be fun to make one for this occasion.



I went fabric shopping and after searching for a while I ended up in upholstery section and found something that was close enough. The dress is self drafted, I should have made the sleeve a little wider to mimic the original style but ran out of fabric.




I am lucky to have a few dresses from when I was a kid that my daughter will be able to wear, but actually sewing this dress has brought back so many memories and the expression on my daughters face when I showed her my photos was priceless.
Thank you so much Suz for inviting me on this really special sewing series, it was such a lovely experience to live. And posting on your birthday makes it that much more special.  A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you! Sending many hugs from across the world! xxx