Children’s Heirloom Dresses and Poop

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Easter is quickly approaching and you know what that means for many Southern moms … HEIRLOOM DRESSES! They are exquisite! What is an heirloom dress, you may ask? Well, it is a hand-sewn, hand-embroidered, very expensive dress designed with french or swiss lace, the finest cotton-blend fabrics, satin ribbon, seed pearls, and pin tucks, which my child will wear once, maybe twice: for Easter and pictures! Ridiculous, you may say. Well, you aren’t alone… My husband said the very same thing. But, if you live in the South you MUST have an heirloom somewhere in your child’s closet, maybe even two! They are timeless pieces that can be passed down for generations! Some people use them for weddings, portraits, baptisms or really any special occasion. Who would ever buy these dresses? I did for the first time this week, and many people in Birmingham do. 

Last week, I walked into The Lili Pad in Cahaba Heights to find the prettiest heirloom dresses. Right off the bat, I pick out three that I just loved: a light pink one with lots of lace and satin ribbon, a blue lace collared one that reminded me of one I wore when I was young, and a mint green one with shoulder satin ribbon. Y’all, they were absolutely the most beautiful dresses you have ever seen. I proceeded to look at the price tag. Oh, WOW … I thought to myself, “I would save a lot of money if I knew how to sew! I wish I knew how to make one of these.” I initially thought the blue one would look the best on her. The sweet sales lady told me that I could actually take them home with me on loan to try on my sweet Annie! Did you know you can do that? What a fabulous idea! But heaven forbid you keep them longer than 24 hrs ’cause, Girlfriend, if you don’t return them on time, you have just bought not a 1, not a 2, but 3 crazy-expensive dresses! 

I carefully took them home and tried all three on her. I took her to the back porch with good outside lighting to take her picture in each dress. She called herself a “ballerin-da” spinning around … she was loving it! After I tried each one on her, very nervously because I didn’t want her messing them up, I took the last one off and quickly started texting my family and friends pictures of the dresses to see which one they liked the best. I cannot make decisions on my own. I needed help. I got a few different answers but the blue one was the winner! As I was finishing up my texts, I heard from the den my son’s voice, “MOM, EMERGENCY!” Oh my goodness, what was wrong?! I ran into the den and there was my little two-year-old daughter standing in her POOP with her diaper off on the rug. YIKES! But, THANKFULLY, that didn’t happen with the dresses on!! Praise Jesus! (I know where you thought I was going!)

I proceeded to freak out a little, laugh, and then rush her to the bathtub. It really was quite hilarious. I’m just so thankful no poop landed on those gorgeous, handmade dresses! My husband would not have liked that news very much. He didn’t even like the news that I bought the cheapest out of the three dresses!! 

Next year I would love to go with the pink one to change it up! And maybe I’ll try to get my mom to make it. She sews, so she can do it … right Mom?!?! My advice to you would be to go ahead and start saving now. The Lili Pad is a great store and they have an incredible selection. I have also heard Christine’s in Mountain Brook has beautiful ones. If you want to learn how to sew so you can make your own heirloom dress, there are several places in Birmingham to take classes. I will post their links at the bottom, but call them way ahead of time — like six months! These dresses take a lot of tender love and care, so give ample time! 

(Be ready for my next post…it will be on potty training ๐Ÿ™‚ haha!) 

Here are a few stores that sell heirloom dresses in Birmingham:

The Lili Pad in Cahaba Heights 

Christine’s in Mountain Brook

If you want to learn to sew, here are some suggestions in the Birmingham area:

The Smocking Bird in Homewood 

The Sewing Room in Inverness off Hwy 280

 

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Rachel G
Rachel is thrilled to be a part of the BMB! She is a South Carolina native but moved to Birmingham 11 years ago after college. She is grateful for this city for many reasons but first and foremost because it's where she met her husband, Beau! They have been married 8 years and have a 5-year-old son, JB, and 2-year-old daughter, Annie. She has been a stay-at-home mom for about 4 years now. Before that she worked at Children's Hospital and in youth ministry at her church. In her free time she loves to take Zumba classes, get pedicures, eat good food, hang with her family and friends, travel, and volunteer at her church. She is an extrovert, and rarely do you see her alone! She is excited to get to share some of her stories about motherhood on BMB! She considers it a privilege and honor to be a mom ... the hardest yet most rewarding job!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Rachel, this was great! Cannot wait to see precious pics of your Annie! Loved reading this post!

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