Bloomers are Blooming

As I have finished 20 pair of bloomers in the last week I thought I would post the answer "why bloomers?".

In 1994 just shortly after we were married we moved to Colorado. We ended up in Berthoud a little town just south of the one I grew up in. While we were there we met a wonderful family, the Aguiars. Bro. Aguiar helps small and struggling churches. We had the family over to our house for fellowship. Mrs. Aguiar explained how she was going to make bloomers for her four girls so they would be modest when they played at the park and such. She said she was going to find some that went down to the knees and gathered with lace. I gave her a lot of fabric for her to use as they were on their way to the next church.

Fall of 1995 we went to Resaca, GA for camp meeting where we were able to see the Aguiars again. She explained that she had found a Raggedy Ann costume pattern and it had perfect bloomers. I filed the info in the back of my mind as I had no children at the time.

In 1997 our pastor's wife had a little girl. She soon became anxious for ways to cover her little girls bottom and diaper. I told her I could help her make bloomers. We made quite a few pairs and I realized I too thought it was so much nicer to not show off diapers.

I didn't have a little girl until 2004. When I did my former pastor's wife brought me a bag of bloomers she had saved from her little girl. I will admit that due to health problems I was unable to do much sewing and Cecilia didn't always have bloomers on.

4th of July weekend 2005 we were at a friends house when she made a comment about the culottes her daughter was wearing being more modest than my daughter's dress at that age. I realized that she was right and that Cecilia needed to have bloomers on everyday. I made a commitment to have her wear them everyday since.

My husband doesn't care for culottes as they tend to be cut off pants or long shorts. And they still do not cover bottoms when little girls go tumbling around the floor. I agree and as we have talked we decided if an area arose where my girls or I couldn't do it in a dress we would wear culottes, a split skirt that looks like a skirt when you are stand still. We have yet to find a situation.

I really feel guilty as the bloomers I have been working on are from my mother. She sewed the first 10 in the spring and they were too small for CC so I put them away unfinished. She sent 10 more with the Christmas/Birthday box. She then apologized for not getting all the sewing done. She had an aneurysm burst in her brain in November and is apologizing to me. Talk about guilt. So I sat down and put elastic in all 20 pair. Now Cecilia and Elsie have plenty. The too short ones Cecilia have been wearing are now Ruth's.

Bloomers are part of our everyday dress. They are considered underthings that we do not show off to other people. I even wear a form of them as I have children and find myself tumbling around the floor on occasion.

I also find them helpful as I did not have a Christian upbringing and as my little girls grow up they have to learn how to sit properly in their dresses.