Little girls are for grandmothers to fuss over

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Penny.

Her mother was something of a perfectionist when it came to her children's clothes.

When Penny was about 8 store bought dresses would not do. She was "too tall for an 8 and too small for a 10."

Penny's mother ironed her hair ribbons and sending her only daughter off to school in a dress that didn't "fit" was unthinkable !

Back in those days little girls wore dresses to school. Socks with shoes. Not jeans or t-shirts with rubbery depictions of Disney princesses on them. Little girls were groomed just as neatly as their mothers who wore gloves and hats on shopping excursions " downtown."

A neighbor lady named Mrs. Nelson agreed to sew for Penny and the result was a set of very pretty dresses, one of which has survived the passing of 52 years. Think about that for a minute.

More than half a century!

Penny grew up. Now she has 9 grandchildren. FIVE beautiful granddaughters!

Here is my beloved oldest granddaughter. Eva Rose. Wearing my dress.

I could cry.

I have 3 dress pattern envelopes from that era and have enlisted my sister-in-law to make another dress as similar as possible to a pale sage green one I loved especially.

Each granddaughter in turn will wear it, have her photo made in it - and I will cry at the sight of each one.