sewing: toddler tops

Burda 9744 pattern that I used for tops a while back was pretty nice, so, I decided to adapt it a bit to make this cutesy tops for Ana.

I kept the same collar and puff sleeves from Burda 9744, but, instead of full front-open like in the pattern, I made it partially open (enough to fit over the head), and added a bit of shaping around the mid-riff with elastic, which gave it a rather pretty look, if I may say so myself :-)

I had wanted to make sort of fluffy, girly tops for Ana, with puff sleeves. Collar was optional in my mind. I had made other tops with this elasticized mid-riff, but, without sleeves or collar.

So, it was fun to adapt the Burda 9744 pattern to what I had in mind. It really helped to have the collar, neck, and sleeves ready to use from the pattern.

I am gradually working towards making some simple adaptation of peasant tops for Ana. I hope I can make it before this summer goes away... if there are any easy-to-follow instructions for peasant tops for toddlers, please point me to it, I'd much appreciate it.

sewing: boy shorts and cutesy tops

I finally caved in and bought Burda 9744 pattern on sale at JoAnn's. That's the tops pattern used here.

I can handle sleeveless tops, even plain set-in sleeves like I've done on the "toddler designer tees" on my own, but, making puff-sleeves proved a little annoying without a good pattern.

This was a very easy pattern to follow. I have little patience for several niggly steps which, of course, are essential to get the right finish.

But this time, I managed fine - used interfacing as instructed, ironed, and ironed again at each step; of course, I hate basting, but, pinned the pieces well enough to sew on the machine...

Best of all it took about 5 minutes to cut, and about 90 minutes to sew - including ironing, pinning, button-holing, removing the hastily done wrong stitch while attaching the collar etc ;-)

My skills and temperament being as they are, this tops would probably get a 7 on 10 from the QA inspector at a fairly good sweat-shop... er... clothing factory.

The nice thing about following a pattern is that the cutting, piecing and finishing instructions are all given, and using the same pattern, I can make many more tops and they will all turn out just fine, as long as I follow instructions correctly. No guesswork. No short-cuts.

That's my problem when sewing: I look for short-cuts and end up messing with the tried-and-tested techniques I picked up from my mom. Brilliant idea (not): why don't I sew the side seams on the pants before I do the inseam?

The boy shorts is not very different from the other shorts I made, I just cut it tighter and made it less flaring so it looks a little boyish - just to practice so I can make a few for my little nephew who recently turned one.

Ana seems to love this outfit. If she catches sight of it, she immediately wants to get out of whatever she is wearing and slip into this outfit. So far so good.

Now, getting her to pose for my photos has not been as easy. She is beginning to understand about the camera. When I click and show her the shot right away, she seems pretty thrilled, and states proudly, "Ana baby in Amma's camera"!

She is still not ready to follow instructions and stand at the right spot so the lighting is just-so and the angle is perfect... all in good time ;-)

Sewing: Toddler Shorts & Tops

Here's another one I made for the wee one. Too bad there aren't that many cute patterns for little boys - I was looking to make a few for my wee little nephew. No matter. I am glad I can keep making these little girls' clothes for Ana, for now.

The shorts is a tad big but I prefer making it a little bigger than her current size so she can grow into it :-)

For the tops, I skimped a little - I just had a 100% cotton fat quarter left from another quilting project and wanted to use it up. And, I had washed and ironed the fat quarter to pre-shrink, so, it just wasn't sufficient for the kind of smocking I wanted, so, I just lazily threw it together.

Same with the shorts, the fabric was leftover from a quilting fat quarter and was just enough to make the shorts. She seems to like them - airy, comfortable and lets her move around without much of a hindrance...

Sometimes, she is a temperamental model and wouldn't let me try on the clothes I made for her. Not this time. She couldn't wait to put them on, and went about playing in the yard all evening, and when it was time to get into her jammies, she threw a fit as she didn't want to take her new clothes off!

That should, theoretically, make me feel good, but, I know that with just the same verve she will refuse to put them on another day... so, easy-come, easy-go :-)

Knickers and Tops

Warmer days are here again!

Which means, I get to make pretty outfits for my Baby!

Alright, pretty is a stretch...

Here's one of the first few I have made so far: Knickers and Tops.

Now, I am not much of a seamstress and am not much of a pattern-follower either. As my model is within arm's reach, I just eyeball the size and try to make it loose enough to fit her. So, if I had to sew the same outfit again, I am sure it will come out differently as I don't have a pattern to use for cutting :-(

However, if I am making an Inverness or a Dirndl, I will certainly fall back on the trusted patterns.


I prefer mix-and-match, so, this outfit can work together, or separately.

I like the fabric - the print is quite girly and cheery; plus it is a t-shirt knit, so, it is light and cool for summer.

Knickers are only cute on little kids, imo. The tops doubles as a summer dress as I made it a tad longer than needed for tops so on really hot days, Baby can skip the knickers altogether :-)

thoweff, fant, eeppo

The patches I had saved from making a baby-mat-toy-tote were just so cute that I couldn't wait to use them on something for my wee tot.

Polar fleece is my favorite material for making toddler winter clothes. No worries about finishing edges as it doesn't fray. Quite soft. Keeps the wee one warm and cozy. Easy to wash.

The lilac fleece tops seems to have made an impression on the wee one: she asks for it by name - "Pig shette" (Pig shirt) - and is happy to wear it pretty much every day.

This red fleece tops now seems to have taken an equally favorite spot in her wardrobe :-)

I took the time to add some embroidery along cuff, hemline, and neckline. Also, zigzagged the seam edges together to keep them from getting bulky. Overall, the finish turned out much better on this one than the lilac one... it was fun sewing this tops for my baby doll.

The appliqué patches are prints of giraffe (thoweff), elephant (fant) and hippo (eeppo), a few of her favorite animals.

fleece tops with pig applique, and pants

I love Fleece. Soft. Light-weight. Cozy. Warm. Perfect for winter.

Since my wee tot has outgrown the ones I had made last winter, I decided to make a couple of fleece tops for her this year. This is the first one. I had some lilac fleece leftover from making a pair of lounge pants for her last winter and wanted to use it up this year...there was just enough for a top.

It didn't take very long to sew. I sort of measured her and made it somewhat bigger. The finish of course is a bit rough, but, she doesn't mind, I am sure. At least for another year or two, I can get away with my limited sewing skills:-)

But, the fun part was making the pig appliqué. It was not a random choice. She loves Cow, Pig, Bunny, Duck, Mouse, Doggy and Kitty. However, I only had pink felt handy and didn't want to go shopping to complete this project. The main idea was to use up my scraps.

I suppose I could have done a pink bunny. But, that sounded a bit blasé. Pig. Now, that would be an interesting conversation piece for her, with her toddler class-mates at daycare. Nothing like pointing to her chest and declaring "Pig!". It had to be a Pig. That settled it.

The pants, if it isn't already too easy to guess, was made from leftover cotton print I had used for a quilt project.

The work week was just too stressful and I needed to find a way to release all the pent up stress and frustration. This was the perfect antidote. I loved making it for her last night, after she went to bed.

Plus, I didn't get the chiding look from D for spending more on fabric than it would cost to buy her ready-made clothes.