Tag: baby sewing

Superhero Germanium

On By iswimlikeafishIn clothing, patterns, sewingLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe that two years ago I made my first Germanium in an online sewing class hosted by Notion Fabric. Harder still to think that the pieces I traced and cut for my niece are now the right size for our daughter. Time is a funning thing, it just keeps going.

I was originally going to add ruffles to this dress like I did with my niece’s, but then I realized I couldn’t bother finishing the edges and things fell apart from there. That being said, I think the sleeveless version of this dress looks a lot better than it would with a ruffle. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself to justify the decision.

It’s so fun, I cannot stress that enough, the final result of this dress is so fun. It’s long and loose so she’ll probably get two summers out of it, and rugged enough to keep up with her. Plus, she loves wearing it. From the colorful masks to the skirt having enough room to twirl in, our kiddo is all about this dress. Which is definitely motivation to make another one.

There’s also something to be said about the fact that I’m a better sewist than I was the first time I made this dress. I have more patience with the finicky parts (minus the ruffles) and understand the overall construction. I snagged fabric to make another one using the expansion pack during the same trip to Affordable Fabrics, it’ll be interesting to see how my gathered sleeves skills are these days. If my previous Emery Dresses are any indication, I definitely need the practice.

Outfit Win: Zion Leggings and Henry Sweatshirt

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment
Matching shirt and leggins made out of blue with yellow, teal and orange sharks in a size 18 months laid on a run. The sweatshirt is laid flat and the leggins are neatly folded.

I have joined the ranks of sewing moms who discovered that sewing for toddlers is satisfying. This is for a few reasons, the first being that kid fabric patterns are fun, the second is that even the more complex patterns are fast and the third is that once you know your kid it’s easy to make them excited.

I first purchased Oh Me Oh My’s Zion Leggings and Henry Sweatshirt patterns because my coworker gave me somewhere around a yard of two different leftover fabrics in a dinosaur print and a unicorn print. Other than the fabric requirements, the choice really came down to I had enjoyed making a pair of overalls and a couple pinafores (plus these) from the designer previously so I knew the patterns would be an easy win. Oh Me Oh My also has a “normal” knit shirt, but I liked that the sweatshirt cuffs would match the style of the leggings.

Oh. My. Goodness. These whip up so fast and are so functional! The leg, arm and neck holes are a breeze to get onto a moving target and the clothing is clearly comfortable. Over the last couple of months, I’ve made 6 (one completely out of fleece which was a bit of a fail, I should have used something different for all the cuffs) and definitely see more in our future.

There is still a lot of practice to be had when it comes to my sewing skill set, and I think that this little outfit is a great way to continue to practice (I’m thinking about you stretching neckbands with knit fabrics!).

Two sweatshirt and legging outfits. The black with bright dinosaurs is laid slightly behind a blue ensemble with unicorns.

Lua Sleep Sack

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment

We had to stop swaddling cold turkey earlier than many sites predicted because our little overachiever taught herself how to roll early. We had a few hand-me-down sleep sacks to get us started, but the more I looked at the construction the more it felt like a missed opportunity to make something. Funny how quickly your brain takes you there once you start crafting. Surely I can make this and surely someone has thought about how to improve the store-bought design.

Dark blue sleep sack with forest animals riding in hot air balloons printed across it.

Enter the Lua Sleep Sack. Originally written to be a wearable quilt, the buttoned straps and side zipper (which as a bonus also means you’re not slicing a beautiful design in half) make it so easy to get little ones in and out of. Plus, it was so easy to use knit fabric instead of woven so that the sleep sack wasn’t as heavy. Combine that with the fact that I made two in less than an hour, it’s hard not to start buying fabric simply to crank them out.

Faux patch quilt sleep sack.

I have a third sleep sack in the works using a gauzy hand-me-down swaddle blanket. With any luck, the mod I used to make the knit sleep sacks (only the upper area is lined) will work for the gauze fabric and we’ll have a light/airy sleep sack to throw her in. If nothing else, it’s more invisible zipper practice.

Real talk: I don’t have a lot of time to sit down at my sewing machine these days and I don’t have the headspace for a lot of complications in my crafting. This isn’t to say that I don’t like to challenge myself, it’s more so that whatever I’m working on needs to be a project that I can pick up, work on for 3 minutes and then put down again. Generally speaking, knitting fits the bill because there isn’t a lot of setup time. Sewing projects tend to sit cut out on my craft table because so much prep work goes into getting ready to sew. The Lua Sleep Sack is the perfect project if you find yourself in this situation and wanting to sew for a little one. I cannot recommend it enough.

Hippo Baby Bunting

On By iswimlikeafishIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Pattern envelope for Simplicity 9215 showing a baby in a fleece bunting.

While I spend more of my time knitting than sewing, it’s safe to say that I tend to reach for both with a mentality of either “this will be fun” or “I could make that”. While perusing baby patterns last fall, I stumbled across Simplity 9215 which offers the sewist the ability to transform fleece fabric into a jacket, pair of pants or baby bunting. Combine that with Joann Fabrics having a sale on fleece during the upcoming weekend and it felt meant to be.

Now, the pattern envelope claims that this is an easy project. Having just curned out a wonky looking baby bunting I think it’s safe to say that the pattern pieces were finicky and the instructions left a lot to be wanting. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the indie patterns I’ve been working with or perhaps I’m simply not in a place where I can picture how what I’m about to do will translate into the finished garment. Either way, I will aknowledge that my beginner sewing status played a role in the wonkiness of the finished garment as well.

For starters, the zipper is one of the first items that you sew on rather than the middle or last steps as I’ve previously worked. This is tricky because the instructions have you working with the front and back piece without the extentions in one step and then add in the extension in the following step. Honestly, it would have been easier to either attach everything together and to attach the zipper after sewing the shoulder seams and inserting the sleeves. In the end, I skipped the extensions (I’m still unsure how they fit together with the final grament, which is ok because I opted for a contrasting zipper on purpose) and was able to manuver my sewing machine around the extra bulk caused by installing the zipper so early. Also, my 14 inches zipper was a little smaller than the length of the body, I should have opted for 17-20 inches.

Another modification to the instructions I would have made (and highly recommend) is sewing the toe piece to the front before attaching the front pieces to anything. The area you’re manipulating is so tiny that any reduction in bulk is going to make it easier. Then, while I would like to think I could try pinning the bottom of the foot in such a way that I could sew around the foot and then up the side seam, the reality is that the bottom of the foot really can’t be attached until both leg seams are completed. So this step would indeed need to wait until closer to the end.

Finally, I couldn’t wrap my head around how to attach the mittens to the sleeves in a way that would make them usable. Now that the project is over, I think I would be able to if I were to rework the pattern? The directions here left a lot to be desired, but I’ll chalk this one up to being a newbie.

Would I make S9215 again? Perhaps in a larger size than 0-3 so that the manuvers are easier to make, but I also don’t see myself making this as a gift for anyone until I’m a little better at sewing. Luckily our little one will be small enough that the sizing won’t really matter (the feet in particular didn’t work out quite right). All in all, happy that I worked through the pattern (I learned a lot!), but a little bummed that one foot is smaller than the other and the larger foot is a weird shape.

A hooded baby bunting made of fleece with a hippo pattern on it.

Firefighter Knit Overalls

On By iswimlikeafishIn patterns, sewingLeave a comment

A while ago now, I stumbled across a firefighter-inspired print on Spoonflower and purchased a yard of it in their organic cotton knit. The theory behind this purchase was twofold: it’s a super cute pattern to make something for a baby and it would give me the chance to work with their organic cotton knit without committing to an adult size project.

Sewing with this fabric is like sewing with butter. Seriously, there were parts of this project that were 4-5 layers thick and my machine didn’t even skip a beat. Plus, it’s softer than I was expecting and one can’t help but imagine a pair of pajamas or an everyday dress being made with a different print.

In terms of choosing a pattern for the fabric, I knew that I wanted something on the gender-neutral side. As much as I love the Germanium Pattern as a dress workhorse, even using the sunsuit hack limits the sewist to a more feminine garment. Not that baby cares! Let’s be honest, baby will wear anything that you dress them in at this stage of the game. It’s really the parents that you’re sewing for at this stage of the game and, even though my husband and I are the parents for this one, I really wanted to add another workhorse pattern to my arsenal.

I don’t remember how exactly I stumbled upon OhMeOhMySewing Patterns, perhaps a Pinterest search for baby sewing patterns put them on my radar? While they have many patterns that have quickly earned an “ohh I want to make that someday”, I knew I found the pattern I was looking for when I saw their Knit Overalls Pattern. Cute little pocket on the front, the ability to choose between snap or button closures… it was perfect for filling the hole in my pattern collection. I also love that it goes up to a size 5 years!

Initially, I meant to sew the 9-12 month version in pants because it’s going to be chilly by the time our little one can wear that size, but I wasn’t paying attention when selecting pattern pieces to cut out and ended up cutting out the front and back pieces for the shorts instead of the pants. Completely my fault and not a reflection of the pattern.

All in all, these little overalls came together super quickly and I’m thrilled with the final result. I may modify the bottom closure next time in order to incorporate snaps for easier diaper changes, but otherwise, the only change to the pattern I made this time around was to add topstitching to the top edging in order to help the lining stay in place after washing.

Having sewn the pattern using a knit fabric, I’m confident that the shorts version of this pattern could also be used when working with woven fabric (and you could probably lengthen the legs to turn them into a pants version). That being said, if you’re someone who works more with wovens than knits, OhMeOhMy also has a Woven Overall Pattern.

In case you were wondering, I’m already jonesing to make this one again. Perhaps another shorts version for my niece’s upcoming birthday?

Toddler sized overalls with yellow buttons and a firefighter pattern printed on them that includes hoses, fire extinguishers, hats, boots, axes and fire hydrants.