bubbla shorts

A couple weeks ago, I had the exciting opportunity to test the Bubbla Shorts pattern by Steph at The Eli Monster. The pattern is what you would expect based on the title - fun, cute, classic bubble shorts. One of the most exciting things about the pattern is that it comes in sizes newborn through 12! So I think I'll be getting lots of use out of this one. The baby sizes are "bubblier" to accommodate diapers (and let's face it... for added cuteness!) and the larger sizes are slimmed down appropriately.

This is a QUICK pattern to sew up. Probably an hour or less, including printing, piecing and cutting. I must say I love a pattern with near-instant gratification!

I made the 3-6 month size for my 4 month old and it fits her perfectly. She is wearing 6 month size in ready-to-wear clothing, so the sizing seems just right. The shorts are super cute and fit her nicely, while still giving her plenty of room to move, move, move!

These little shorts are definitely a hit and I can see myself making lots more for both my girls. 

Verdict: easy and adorable. :)

spitty baby bandana bibs

My baby girl is a spitter. Seriously spitty. My other daughter was not like this so it is new to me and I am definitely still figuring out how to manage the constant mess.

I decided to make her some of the cute bandana-style bibs that are all the rage lately. I found a free pattern from See Kate Sew and used some of my favorite scrap pieces. Easy peasy.

The bibs fit well but next time I would probably make a couple changes. First, I would use a different absorbent material for the backing of the bib. I used chenille that I had left over from making burp cloths and it makes the bibs a little too thick and stiff for my liking. I think using flannel would help them to lay better. Second, I might add a bit more neck curve into the pattern so that it doesn't bunch up quite so much around the neck. 

Her new bibs look so cute... too bad they are basically worthless for the spit-up. It always goes everywhere but the bib or the burp cloth or whatever I am trying to catch it with. Ugh. Oh well, they will probably work great for when she becomes a drooly teething baby. :)

Summer Bucket Hat

I made another Oliver + S Reversible Bucket Hat! (See my others HERE.) 

My 3-year-old was growing out of the one I made her last year - it wouldn't stay on her head! So I made her the largest size... hoping it will fit for at least a couple years! I let her pick her own fabric and I have to say it turned out pretty cute!

I love the pattern (and of course I also love that it's free) but I still had trouble with the final step. I just couldn't get the inside to look nice, so it isn't really reversible in its current state. I considered picking out my stitches and trying again, but my daughter was itching to wear her new hat and I knew she would never wear the orange side anyway, so I just gave it to her. Oh well, next time I'll try harder. For now, we'll just enjoy the hat. :)

blackberry sally dress

I'm getting back into my sewing groove, hooray! Bedtime for my girls has been a bit of a mess lately, but things are finally settling into a groove and that means I have some time in the evenings to myself. Makes me feel like a human being again. Truly.

Anyway, my 3-year-old is loving dresses lately. She would wear them every day if she could. So I thought I would take advantage of that and make her a few new dresses for the summer. First up on the list was the Sally Dress by Very Shannon. I have had the pattern for several years - I purchased it as part of a pattern bundle awhile back. I've been meaning to sew it up for awhile, but the timing just never seemed right. You see, the really fun thing about this pattern is the huge pockets, and my daughter has never really been into pockets. She finally loves pockets... so it seemed like the perfect time to finally make this dress!

I chose the fabric "Raspberry Bramble" in purple from The Lovely Hunt by Lizzy House. Love it! The colors are so rich and vibrant in person. Also, the large print works really well for this dress. 

I made my daughter a 4T with a 5T length since she is so tall. It fits her perfectly and if she shoots up in height a bit over the summer it will still look great.

I had no trouble with the sewing... the dress came together quickly and easily with no particularly tricky parts. Just like the Bohemian Babydoll dresses I shared last week, this dress has no closures, so I enjoyed not having to add any buttons or zippers. I could definitely get used to that! My daughter loves her new "Blackberry Dress" so I call it a success!

Sharing for Kids Clothes Week! Even though I sewed it a little early, I have a 3-month-old at home and am lucky to get any sewing in at all. I feel justified in throwing myself a bone this time. Plus, for the last several Kids Clothes Weeks I haven't been able to get my projects photographed and blogged fast enough to share with the Kids Clothes Week community, which is kind of sad, so this time I am starting a bit ahead of the game. And that's that.

double gauze franklin dress

Here's another blast from the past...

I spent a lot of time in early December debating what dress to make my daughter for Christmas and I finally landed on the Franklin Dress pattern by Brooklyn Pattern Co. I'd been eyeing it for awhile and the 3/4 length sleeve option meant that it would be warm enough to wear in the (Texas) winter without having to go find a matching cardigan to wear with it.

I bought some coral-y red colored Cotton + Steel double gauze to use for the dress. It was my first time using double gauze and I do love it. It is so comfy cozy. Plus it looked Christmassy enough to wear for Christmas but no so Christmassy that it couldn't be worn year-round, know what I mean?

Since I sewed this six months ago, I don't really remember much about the process of making it. The pattern was clear but not quite as detailed as most of the pdf patterns I have used. This may have been a problem if it had been the first dress I had ever sewn, but since I have some experience it was very easy for me to figure out. Also, I always find it interesting how different patterns recommend doing things in different orders... some start with the bodice, some with the sleeves, some with the skirt. This one was out of order for me so I would probably switch things around a little next time, but that really has no bearing on the final project, just how my mind works. 

I did end up hemming the skirt a little higher that the pattern calls for because the dress looked rather pajama-y. I think it was due to the double gauze. It helped a lot to shorten it, but I left the extra fabric in the hemline in case I want to lengthen it as my daughter grows. 

I finished off the dress with a few vintage round faceted black glass buttons. I had originally intended to use gold buttons but the red fabric is kind of a funny shade and the black just looked better. Love how it turned out, though! I am looking forward to sewing a few more Franklin Dresses with different sleeves and fabrics. It is always so fun to see how the same pattern can yield such different results depending on materials and finishing choices.

pink tiger bohemian babydoll dresses

I've been wanting to try out the Bohemian Babydoll Dress by Elegance and Elephants for a long time... ever since it was released, actually! I've seen so many cute examples online, plus one of my friends who loves the pattern has been encouraging me with all of the adorable dresses she has sewn for her daughters. I finally sewed some up and I'm so glad I did!

Ever since baby girl was born in February, I've been dying to make some matching dresses for my daughters, and since this pattern includes sizes from 6M-9Y it seemed like the perfect fit. 

I used an adorable pink tiger fabric by Cotton + Steel for the skirt and a dark denim for the bodice. Denim is one of my all-time-favorite fabrics to use in clothing because it pairs with everything and it helps tone down all the busy prints that I always seem to buy! 

The dresses came together easily and turned out beautiful. I especially love the flutter sleeves (with pink tigers peeking out from underneath!) and the facing detail on the hi-lo hemline skirt. I also have to say that I really enjoyed the fact that there are no closures on this dress, so when I was done sewing it was finished... no buttons to sew or buttonholes to agonize over. So nice!

I made a 6-12 month size for my baby and it is still a little big so I haven't taken a photo of her wearing it yet. I also just realized that I should really make a matching diaper cover. I'll add that to my project list! My 3-year-old got a size 4T since she is pretty big for her age. It fits perfectly but I was surprised at how short it is on her. She's tall so that's nothing new, but it made me realize that I should start lengthening her skirts from here on out so that they will last longer.

All-in-all, we love the new dresses! I especially can't wait to get a photo of the girls wearing them together sometime this summer!

doll cat costume

Another thing I made for Halloween last year was a costume for my daughter's doll, Pretty Baby (the doll is actually an American Girl Bitty Baby but she has always called her Pretty Baby instead so we just go with it). A few weeks before Halloween, my daughter announced that Pretty Baby was going to be a black cat. She also announced that I was going to dress up as a knight... but that didn't happen!

Anyway, I thought that it would be cute to make an outfit for Pretty Baby, so I went looking for a pattern. If I had designed something myself I probably would have just made ears or a mask and been done with it, but luckily I found the Catwoman Suit pattern by Cole's Creations and it worked just perfectly. I cut up one of my old black t-shirts and the outfit came together very quickly. The pattern was simple and well-written, with tips on how to make a better, more durable doll outfit for those of us who haven't before. I can see how making doll clothes could become addicting... they use such little fabric, are easy to sew and don't require nearly as much perfection or attention to detail as an actual article of clothing does, so there's lots more wiggle room for errors. Plus tiny things are generally just plain cute.

I sewed the pattern as written (minus the catwoman mask), except that I added a tail. Unfortunately, Pretty Baby was sleeping in her crib in my daughter's room so I didn't get to try the cat suit on for fit before adding said tail... and I sewed it on way too low. Like in the crotch area. It looked great until I put it on the doll the next morning. Oops. But my daughter loved it and that is all that matters!