General Chat Thread (PLEASE READ POST #1)

January

I don't think there is Neyite, you could contact A Little Lifetime foundation (formerly ISANDS) and ask them? I know they have people making blankets and stuff like that for them.

Neyite

January wrote: »

I don't think there is Neyite, you could contact A Little Lifetime foundation (formerly ISANDS) and ask them? I know they have people making blankets and stuff like that for them.

I might do that. I've just realised that I know quite a few good seamstresses who may know a few more too. And a few of those do charity crafts from time to time anyway. I'll chat to a few seamstresses first to get their take on it.

Edit: They do have a section for handmade clothing donations but mostly knitted stuff. Nothing like the Angel Gown.

January

If you know anybody willing to make a few blankets I know Heart Children Ireland give blankets/quilts to the babies/kids after they have open heart surgery. They're running low at the moment (Addie never got one because of the shortage) so are looking for donations.

I'd love to be able to run up even fleece blankets on a sewing machine for them but I can't even sew a friggin button on a shirt...

Neyite

January wrote: »

If you know anybody willing to make a few blankets I know Heart Children Ireland give blankets/quilts to the babies/kids after they have open heart surgery. They're running low at the moment (Addie never got one because of the shortage) so are looking for donations.

I'd love to be able to run up even fleece blankets on a sewing machine for them but I can't even sew a friggin button on a shirt...

I cant knit for sh!te, but I do have wool at home that's doing nothing I could crochet something. Or sew a blanket or two.

Toots

Is there an organisation that collects little knitted/crocheted hats for preemies? I could knock hats out fairly quick, but a blanket would take a lot longer.

January

The SCBU in the Coombe takes knitted/crocheted hats. Saoirse was taken there after she was born and when I went to visit she had the hat on, I was giving it back when we were leaving and was told that we got to keep it that people knit them and send them in. I'm sure most maternity hospitals would take them.

Milly33

They are some lovely ideas...

rainbow kirby

My mum got her mother-of-the-bride outfit late last week, much better experience in House of Fraser in Dundrum thankfully! She's in royal blue, bridesmaids are in navy - I only copped it when I got off the phone to her last night that it's going to pretty much make the girls on our side look quite Dublin-coloured! :pac:

Toots

My mum looked in House of Fraser too, and was very happy with them, she said they were really helpful and had a very good eye for what would suit her. I think in the end she got her outfit in LK Bennett. It looked lovely on her

Esterhase

So glad to see talk about donating knitted items to hospitals! I very recently learned how to make little hats for a friend's baby and I'll have some bits of wool leftover. Just the other day I was wondering if any organizations around here take knitted hats and blankets.

I think this means I'm destined for this thread. *sets up camp*

westernlass

Christening gowns are another option with material of your wedding dress.

vanity fair in Kildare are great for mother of the bride. They have one of everything out but a huge warehouse with loads of sizes. They are also very lovely

fits

How would you folks feel if his niece wore her communion dress to the wedding? Even if your own niece isnt wearing hers. I have no flower girls either. There are two of them making communion this year)

Toots

Is that usual? I've never heard of kids wearing their communion dresses to a wedding. Seems a bit weird to me.

Pistachios & cream

fits wrote: »

How would you folks feel if his niece wore her communion dress to the wedding? Even if your own niece isnt wearing hers. I have no flower girls either. There are two of them making communion this year)

There's a part of me that says no she shouldn't as its not her communion and she's not a flowergirl. But thats a gut reaction.

Logically i can see it being hard to tell the child/Mother that she can't wear the dress as i can't think of a good reason. Unless you say you don't want her confused as being the flowergirl?

My god daughter who is my flowergirl is making her communion before the wedding and i deliberately picked a pink dress for her as i didn't want it confused with a communion dress.

Milly33

It is a hit and miss one isn't it... mmmm would your niece feel left out then if she wasn't wearing hers... Suppose there is nothing wrong with it (just as long as it isn't one of those mini wedding dress ones) but lets say if it was plain and simple dress I would be thinking yeah go for it. But if it is a big puffie one Id say no....Tough call

fits

Toots wrote: »

Is that usual? I've never heard of kids wearing their communion dresses to a wedding. Seems a bit weird to me.

Me too. But i dont particularly want to make a fuss either.

Neyite

My thinking on it is maybe the girl sees that dress as the prettiest thing she ever owned and felt like a princess in it, so following that logic, a child might want to wear her best dress to an important family occasion where her uncle is getting married. And currently, that's her best dress?

It may also be that they are trying to cut down on outfits costs for the family and if she wears that, they wont need to get her an outfit for the wedding.

Alternatively, it could be a put-out mother who thinks her child should have been a flower-girl at her uncles wedding, or placating a girl who expected to be one? But then at age 8 I do think that they are old enough to understand that there is only one female who is supposed to wear a white gown at a wedding, and that is the bride.

Could it be customised by adding coloured accessories or by alterations to make it less communion-ny if you know what I mean?

It could cause ruffled feathers on the other side if the other little girl wanted to wear hers. Me personally, I'd not care who wore what, but then I'm not doing the bridesmaids/flowergirl thing either, and would think it kinda cute. But I know my sisters for instance would feel strongly that its a bit weird. So it depends.

fits

Yeah I totally get cutting down on outfit costs. And normally I am all for reusing things.

But to be honest, I am a tiny bit put out by it. Anyway, nevermind. Im sure it will be ok on the day.

Electric Sheep

Neyite wrote: »

My thinking on it is maybe the girl sees that dress as the prettiest thing she ever owned and felt like a princess in it, so following that logic, a child might want to wear her best dress to an important family occasion where her uncle is getting married. And currently, that's her best dress?

It may also be that they are trying to cut down on outfits costs for the family and if she wears that, they wont need to get her an outfit for the wedding.

Alternatively, it could be a put-out mother who thinks her child should have been a flower-girl at her uncles wedding, or placating a girl who expected to be one? But then at age 8 I do think that they are old enough to understand that there is only one female who is supposed to wear a white gown at a wedding, and that is the bride.

Could it be customised by adding coloured accessories or by alterations to make it less communion-ny if you know what I mean?

It could cause ruffled feathers on the other side if the other little girl wanted to wear hers. Me personally, I'd not care who wore what, but then I'm not doing the bridesmaids/flowergirl thing either, and would think it kinda cute. But I know my sisters for instance would feel strongly that its a bit weird. So it depends.

Memories! My friend was getting married back in the early 80s and money was extremely tight. Her little sister desperately wanted to be the flower girl, but funds were not there to get her a dress. She made her first communion the year before, in a full length dress, which of course a year later was no longer full length. We sewed a ruffle to the bottom to make it the right length, and voila! Flower girl dress!

We had to be inventive back then:)

Milly33

Just incase anyone is looking for flower girls they had lovely little dresses in Pennys.. It is a tough call to make fits I don't envy it, but I am sure whatever ye say they will go with what ye say

lazygal

On the day I didn't notice who wore what. It was onto when I got some photo samples and the DVD that I realised several women wore white. I don't think anyone can upstage a bride, especially not a child in a communion dress. I don't see how you can micromanage people's choices and no matter how you word it it'll sound bridezilla like.
We had a black tie wedding, that said, and some men wore regular suits. Their choice.

Toots

What sort of communion dress is it?

Pistachios & cream

Fits when is your wedding? If its a while away this might sort itself.

The communion is probably only a couple of months away so the mum is probably doing loads of planning and this is one of the ideas she has. However a couple of months after the communion she would probably see that a kid at a wedding in a communion dress will look a bit silly.

Also if it's the simpler style and less communiony type dress then it could be fine with the addition of a cardigan and maybe a matching sash.

stinkle

My friend deliberately got married close to her son's communion cos he was growing like mad and they didnt want to buy two suits!

It's a difficult one fits, it could genuinely be a cost issue and the kid just REALLY wants to wear her dress again... in which case it'd be difficult to communicate without sounding bridezilla. It could genuinely be jsut that the kid is excited - my little sister used to insist on dressing up and posing for pics when the rest of us were going to debs and the like and gets mortified when we slag her over it now.

If the parents are being idiots and making a point about her not being a flowergirl or its just some silly attention-seeking stunt then they might be inclined to make a big deal of it if you bring it up and make you seem unreasonable. On the day no one will care what anyone else is wearing, especially you, you'll be having too much fun. and if they parade her around in a big flouncy dress and it's clear she isnt a part of bridal party then anyone with any sense will think theyre like the type who show up to weddings in wedding-y dresses and think theyre awful eejits indeed.

fits

Toots wrote: »

What sort of communion dress is it?

No idea. She hasnt made her communion yet although dress is bought. Mum and daughter both very excited about it of course. Im sure it will work out fine in the end.

Toots

TBH I think a lot of it depends on what the dress is actually like. I'm just thinking back to my own communion dress, which was very communion-y and there definitely wasn't any other occasion that it would have been wearable at. On the flip side, my cousin just had a plain white dress which was mid-calf length, and when our older cousin got married later that summer, her mum replaced the white ribbon/sash thing with a navy one and it was like a different dress.

I think if it's very communion-y, and as the wedding draws nearer if she's still planning on having the kid wear it, I'd ask your fiance to have a quiet word with her about it. Not because it'll 'detract' from you, but rather because the poor kid will probably look ridiculous. Particularly if there's a bit of a gap between your wedding and the communion.

LynnGrace

Neyite wrote: »

My thinking on it is maybe the girl sees that dress as the prettiest thing she ever owned and felt like a princess in it, so following that logic, a child might want to wear her best dress to an important family occasion where her uncle is getting married. And currently, that's her best dress?

It may also be that they are trying to cut down on outfits costs for the family and if she wears that, they wont need to get her an outfit for the wedding.

It could cause ruffled feathers on the other side if the other little girl wanted to wear hers. Me personally, I'd not care who wore what, but then I'm not doing the bridesmaids/flowergirl thing either, and would think it kinda cute. But I know my sisters for instance would feel strongly that its a bit weird. So it depends.

+1.

I don't think it's worth risking any fall out over it, not saying that there would be, and you know the families concerned best.

You probably won't even notice it on the day. I think I'd say nothing. She might forget the idea if there is new gear being bought for siblings, and decide on something else.

LynnGrace

stinkle wrote: »

It could genuinely be jsut that the kid is excited - my little sister used to insist on dressing up and posing for pics when the rest of us were going to debs and the like and gets mortified when we slag her over it now.

Aww , that is so sweet stinkle!
I love the sheer innocence of something like that. (Don't ruin it now by telling me she was a teenager at the time)

Some kids then go through a phase of not wanting to be in photos, regardless of the occasion.

January

LynnGrace wrote: »

Aww , that is so sweet stinkle!
I love the sheer innocence of something like that. (Don't ruin it now by telling me she was a teenager at the time)

Some kids then go through a phase of not wanting to be in photos, regardless of the occasion.

My three year old refused to turn around in any of our wedding photos. She is turned away in every single one of them.

LynnGrace

January wrote: »

My three year old refused to turn around in any of our wedding photos. She is turned away in every single one of them.

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