More children’s clothes
Kids grow fast, don’t they? And when you are 120 miles away from them, and don’t get to see how fast they are growing very often, then making clothes for them can be a bit hit and miss.
My children’s clothes making is based on a few basic patterns, which stretch from 6 months to 5 years. Almost all of my weekend sewing has used fabric found in Mum’s fabric stash. There’s not much of it in big enough pieces to make adult clothes, but with some creativity, there is some scope for clothes for a small child.
Weekend sewing
Mary pinafore by Bobbins and Buttons.
This is the second one I have made. It uses a twill cotton from Mum’s fabric stash, which has a bit of body, but will, admittedly, probably crease quite easy, and need ironing. Sorry Lorna. That’s littl’un’s Mum. I have a bag of lining fabric. Goodness knows where it all came from, but there is always something suitable for a child’s dress lining! I bought the trimming at Guthrie and Ghani ages ago, with no particular purpose other than it looked lovely. And it looks lovely on this pinafore. Note the self covered buttons. Making time : too slow for Sewing Bee!
Geranium dress by Made by Rae
Littl’un isn’t two yet, but I have lost count of the Geranium dresses and tops that I have made. It’s such a versatile pattern, and the design is such that as long as it fits under the arms, its likely to be comfortable elsewhere. Littl’un chose to wear a Geranium dress on her first birthday; a rather special dress squeezed out of one of Mum’s tops. Well this one is from Mum’s fabric stash; cut from two widths of stripy fabric. I was planning to cut across the grain for the top part anyway, and its probably the only way I could have got it out of the strips.
Its the first time I’ve used the flutter sleeves. I’m not sure that it works. The fabric is finished on the overlocker. It was hard the sew either end of the sleeve section, and would be very fiddly if you used any finishing method other than the overlocker. I think there is still a good chance of the sleeves fraying. Time will tell.
The blue cotton lining was also in Mum’s fabric stash, and the cotton lace trimming was in my trimming box, which is a bit like my lining bag; sources unknown, but I can usually find something!
I quite like this dress; its nicely finished, but it wouldn’t pass Esme’s (Sewing Bee judge)scrutiny, as the stripes don’t match up under one sleeve. Other than that its’s good!
This is Aged 2. I need to know how well it fits, as I have plans for another… watch this space. Anyway, net cost – almost nothing, for a lovely dress.
Leggings by Oliver and S
This is a bit of a risk, because last time I made this pattern, the leggings didn’t fit very well, and were probably never worn. But kids not only grow quickly, but I presume they change proportions along the way. I compared Oliver and S with a McCalls leggings pattern, which littl’un has outgrown before I had chance to make anything… Oliver and S are bigger, but its interesting that the two patterns are completely different shapes.
These are age 3. Despite not being two yet, she is quite tall, and I know that some of her bought clothes are age 3. If these don’t fit, then i’d say that the pattern and fabric bought specially for making leggings, have been a bad buy, but that’s all part of the risk that I mention at the head of this blog post. And of course, the fact that the didn’t fit my relative doesn’t mean that they won’t fit your relative…… The pattern is very easy and worth a try in a spare half hour.
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 