Sewing For Little Girls

Laminated AMH and Echino

One thing I always look forward to in January is finally being able to share all the projects tackled as gifts for the holidays that are no longer top secret. I'll start with this batch of items I made for my three nieces and friend's baby girl first—I secretly (or maybe not so secretly) loved indulging in some frilly girly sewing!

If only everything were as easy to make as these bibs with laminated cotton—I think the most difficult part was just working up the chutzpah to finally cut into the precious stuff. Using one of the Martha Stewart patterns and pre-made binding tape, I bound the edges and made ties all in one go with contrasting topstitching (a nice trick that makes for something that is still aesthetically pleasing for when you don't have thread on hand that matches your project).

Soft flannel polka dots for the inside and Kona cotton for the outside

Next up were the Barbie sleeping bags I made for my niece who loves playing "sleepover" with her dolls. These were fun to make with some fabric I already had on hand from my stash. I found a tutorial here that gives you the basics and then added a stuffed pillow and ribbon ties for closure so that they could be rolled and stowed like real sleeping bags. Just try and overlook the creepy photos of the dolls playing in that link...whaaa?

Dress your child in corduroy and velveteen
(Get it? Such a clever old man pun, I know. Any DS fans out there?)

Last but not least are the two skirts I made for my youngest niece, done up in a heavier polka dot corduroy and AMH velveteen for the cold winter months. I have never made skirts before so I was proud of these, even though I made a slight goof with the elastic on the AMH one (you can see in the picture it doesn't lay as flat as I was about a milimeter short on the room needed for the 1" elastic waist...so close!). Chalking that up to lessons learned for next time, especially since they are still very wearable despite that.

I was able to find a free pattern online here. It's really well done although I wish I would have had the luxury of taking in person measurements to double check and customize it as my niece is very tall and could have used the extra length. I added trim to each using some rick-rack and cotton lace which really gave them a nice finished look.

Again, I was surprised by how quick and easy these were to whip up once I got over my own trepidation. No matter how simple the project, when you make something new, I've found it's always good to just take a deep breath, read the pattern as many times as you have to, and follow the old adage of "measuring twice, cutting once." Or in my case, measuring and rereading a bajillion times to combat the silly mistakes I tend to make when I am just way too enthusiastic about a project, haha.