Button, button

When Ruby was a baby girl, one of her first words was "button." She would point to buttons and play with buttons. She loved buttons. Then she grew up and developed a fashion sense. She decided that buttons were not part of a great look. I bought a puffed sleeved top with giant white buttons on the sleeve cuffs and front placket last summer. I loved it. I felt like was back in my late teen years in the seventies. Ruby told me it was "weird." She definitely did not like it. I had promised Ruby a birthday surprise and this smocked dress was it. I had originally smocked the fabric for a dress for a much younger Ruby, but she kept growing in spite of my procrastination. I was pretty excited when I found this pattern in my favorite smocking magazine, Australian Smocking. I could still make Ruby a dress for her birthday with the smocking at the waist. I had nine blue buttons that I wanted to use. I figured that the flower shape made them decorative enough that they might pass by the "button curse." I was wrong. While I thought the dress was adorable, Ruby was not as smitten. "Are those buttons?" she asked. Then she came for a visit and a swim and was wearing the dress (it was more of like swimsuit cover up.) I made sure that I snapped a picture. The blue around the neckline and the blue flower buttons did make her eyes sparkle. I thought that she and the dress were simply adorable!