Sunday, December 25, 2011

All Dolled Up for Christmas

I took a short break from drawing princesses, to finish my "Little House on the Prairie" Barbie outfits for three of my grand daughters. 


I'm not a particularly skilled seamstress, but I love the design phase of sewing.  I like the notion that "if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well," but I also believe anything constructive is worth taking a stab at even if you can't do it well.  I have known people who never sang, danced, spoke to a large group, skied or even played softball because they couldn't do it well enough.  That seems like kind of a shame.  I believe in setting a high standard and exercising the discipline to improve; but let's not overlook the possibility of just taking a shot and calling it good if it was a new experience and a fun impulse. 

I don't think my grandkids are going to be too critical, and I had a ton of fun sewing these tiny outfits.  I'm not going to enter them in the county fair.  I just want the kids to have some fun imagining that their Barbies are frontier girls way out on a distant prairie. 

It's midnight on Christmas Eve, and I am smiling, thinking of millions of very excited little children. 

2 comments:

  1. Loved this post! I totally agree with this statement, "I believe in setting a high standard and exercising the discipline to improve; but let's not overlook the possibility of just taking a shot and calling it good if it was a new experience and a fun impulse." Because you never know if you are good at something until you try it! Love the little dresses.

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  2. Thanks, Corine! Good point. You don't know until you try. And even if you are not good at it the first time, you're almost sure to improve if you keep trying. The little outfits were fun to make, and they had their day in court. I'm sure they are now part of the gigantic heap of cast off Barbie finery in the toy bin. Emily banned Barbies at one time because of the enormity of the mess, but I think her legitimacy has been reinstated at least until the mess explodes again.

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