Gray crawled into my arms this morning with a big smile on his face and gave me several of those softest of baby kisses. Then he gestured towards the window where the light was just turning grey. As if to say, “Look, it’s not black outside anymore. It’s morning! Time to get up and explore!!” How anyone can wake up so full of energy and ready for the day after waking up so many times during the night is amazing to me. But well, ok, sweetheart. Let’s go tackle another day.
I thought today I’d focus on one of the nicer aspects of having babies (unlike the sleep deprivation) because really, there’s so much to love isn’t there? So let’s talk about cute baby clothes! And no, these did not get sewn this week;)
My fair-skinned, red-haired children need plenty of sun protection during the spring and summer time. Audrey had a number of hats that still fit her when the weather started warming up, but Gray was sans hat. I repurposed an old pair of linen pants and plaid shirt my dad gave me and used the bucket hat pattern from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. It’s a great pattern (like all her patterns). I made him one last summer from the baby size. This year I went with the 3T size. His head has grown a lot! And I wanted it to fit him during the entire warm season.
Now if I can only get him to keep it on…
His pants are Positively Organic baby yoga pants (which I just noticed are on major clearance. Hmmm, I think I’ll pick up another couple of pairs). These ones are hand-me-downs from when Audrey was a baby. A friend gifted me a six month size and we liked them so much that we got a few more in larger sizes. They’re maybe my favorite style of knit baby pants. They have extra room for cloth diapers and everything. The knit is sturdy, not flimsy. And they’re super soft.
His shirt is repurposed from another adult t-shirt my dad gave me (he passes on a lot of things for me to repurpose) and the ribbing is from one of my old maternity tank tops. It’s the Growing Up Sew Liberated baby envelope t-shirt pattern again. But this is one I messed up on. I somehow managed to sew the back as the front and the sleeves inside out and didn’t notice till I had finished the entire shirt, hems and all (a lesson in why not to sew while your children are chasing each other around your sewing desk;). But I still have him wear it. It’s pretty cute until you start looking at the mistakes. He thinks it’s a perfectly good shirt for exploring. I tend to agree.
Have any favorite styles of baby/toddler clothes? Patterns or bought? Please share!
Your sewing projects are impeccable (apart from the inside-out backward shirt, LOL). Oliver + S patterns are just sweet. I love their innocence. What sizes does the hat pattern go to? I have fair-skinned 5 and 8 year olds who are currently sans hats….
You’re in luck! It says it goes up to a size 6-8, with an inside crown measurement of 21″.
you have amazing sewing skills! the hat is perfectly adorable!
Loving that hat! And he’s just the cutest little model for it, too!! Great work. I think it’s awesome how you repurpose the clothes for your little ones.
Thanks! I think he’s a great model too. Although taking pictures of him with the hat on is tricky. Have to move fast :)
Awesome work as always, Amber. So wishing I knew how to sew better. I feel like it’s a major battle every time I approach a project, but you inspire me!! And yes, your kids are the perfect models for your clothes!!
My mom taught me the bare bone basics, but mostly I learned to sew by sewing new patterns and often struggling through them. I’m a big believer in just jumping in and doing it. That’s how I learn, through making lots of mistakes. And then trying to learn to correct them.