Today I would like you to meet Eva Mae....... no, not the cute little 21 month old - the inspirational and original Eva Mae!
This is my maternal grandma, Eva Mae Keely Smith. I named Eva Mae after her because she was a wonderful grandma and we were so close!!! We were also blessed to have the names "Eva" and "Mae" on Nick's side so as our Eva Mae gets older we will have a rich heritage for her to learn and be proud to know about the women in her past!
My grandma always called me her "angel girl" and was one of my biggest cheerleaders as I grew up playing piano and all of my other endeavors! (Second of course to my wonderful parents!!!)
I always felt so much love from her and it was obvious to everyone who knew her that she was incredibly proud of her grandkids!!!
And she was also the first person to teach me to sew! I grew up with handmade Barbie Doll clothes and we have several childhood pictures where our outfits are hand made and coordinated by Grandma! I didn't sew outside of our occasional sewing lessons until I had Christian. Her little "angel boy!" She was so proud to see the creations that I started sewing for my little man!
I wish that she could have lived to meet her namesake and see how far I've come in learning how to sew and what a big part of my life this craft has become! Our family was devastated to find out that she had leukemia and just a few months to live. She was an overcomer and so inspirational to many people. I put this video together the night my mom called me to tell me that she had succumbed to the cancer.
When Grammie passed away, my mom had me pick some of her clothes to keep along with other family heirlooms. I have three plaid blazer/shirts and I knew exactly what I wanted to do when the plaid week was announced! I would pay tribute to the woman who taught me to sew by creating a look for her namesake out of her clothes. *insert tears here*
I also knew that I didn't want to make a dress completely out of the plaid so the Junebug pattern by Craftiness is not Optional was a perfect starting point!
The main corduroy is a light green fabric from Chez Ami and I love the high quality feel and how easy it is to work with! I also lined the inside of the bodice with the plaid fabric from my grandma's shirt.
I re-purposed the buttons on the shirt to be used on the front flap of the dress!
Even though Eva Mae won't be able to wear this dress for long since our little ones grow too fast, I'll always have these pictures and I can also pass the dress to my brother for his little girl! We were blessed that Grandma was healthy enough during her battle with cancer to attend my brother's wedding! I know she would also be so proud to know my adorable niece, Baby Grace!
Thank you for letting me get personal in this blog post and share my love for my grandma in this sewing challenge! I'll leave you with a fun little outtake from our photoshoot......
Mad for plaid??? No, just mad!
It's beautiful, RaeAnna! And what a touching tribute to your grandma. It sounds like you had a blessed relationship!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story. What a great way to pay tribute to your grandma. The dress is gorgeous!
ReplyDeletebeautiful honey !
ReplyDeleteSo very sweet. My grandmother also taught me to sew (along with my mom) and I wish she was still here so I could call her for advice! This dress is adorable and just so sweet.
ReplyDeleteThis is soo. stinking. adorable. I love it! the green and plaid are perfect together, and what a sweet, touching project. I love using meaningful fabric-it makes a pieces so much more special. She looks adorable in it!
ReplyDeleteThis is so adorable, RaeAnna! Great use of the plaid and Junebug pattern. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is just so sweet. I'm sure your grandma would have love it...
ReplyDeleteadorable! I love how you just used a bit of plaid accent..looks so pretty! Also love reading about your grandma! hey, I've started a sewing for kids group pinterest board! I would love for you to join... just shoot me an e-mail with your pinterest info if you are interested :o) I'm on pinterest at ntcreations.e-mail: nap-timecreations@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteAwwww, it is so beautiful and what is even more beautiful is your love and adoration for your Grandmother. She is looking down on you and I know she is so proud. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh this is just so lovely...the sentiment and the dress! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSuch a loving sentiment! I could feel the love you have for her from your words. Such a lovely dress and I'm so glad you can pass it along as well! Thank you for sharing your story with us!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post, I teared up! And I've been wanting to sew the Junebug dress for a while, this is SO cute! I think it shall be my next project, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour fabrics look so perfect on the junebug dress! Love that you could use the shirt buttons as well. This is upcycling at it's absolute best--reusing something with such sentiment so that you think of your grandma every time she wears it.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet, the dress and this post. I got teary eyes ;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work, RaeAnna! I looove this!
ReplyDeleteWhat an honor and tribute to your grammie, RaeAnna! I know the garment AND blog post will be treasured for years to come....Thanks for sharing with us such a special person in your life.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tribute to your grammie! That makes everything so much more special. Great job!
ReplyDeleteYou have me fighting back tears. This post is so touching and so is your dress. Our 3rd daughter is a namesake of my husband's grandmother. She to never got to meet her (or any of our children). I got to meet her for a very brief time and had no idea how special or important she was until after she passed. Even though I briefly knew her she apparently really liked me which sadly I also didn't know. Although the stories are very different this post somehow reminds me of her. She was the same special kind of person to my husband what your grammie was to you. *hugs* :-)
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment about the gorgeous dress and the green you used, but after reading it all I have to confess that I had tears in my eyes. I was never so close to any of my grandparents and that's something I get sad about. Congratulations for what you did: the dress, the homage to your grandma and for open up that little piece of you to us. <3
ReplyDeleteLoved this post. Loved. You are so lucky to have had such a wonderful grandma. Your dress is darling and I'm sure it will become a cherished possession.
ReplyDelete-liZ
Thank you for sharing about your grandma :) This dress is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman :) Well done :)
ReplyDelete