handmade for baby: all sorts of baby clothes

As I discover with each new clothing project---sewing with knits is not so bad (I'm starting to love them actually) I've been definitely shopping around for cotton knit fabrics to add to my previously non-existent stash. So far I've cranked out a few (okay, maybe more than a few) little shirts since they are so tiny and quick. I started by making one that had a pattern instead of having to draft my own. I discovered this treasure trove of a website that has lots of nice (free) patterns on it. I made an envelope neck long sleeve shirt in the 6 month size. It came together quite nicely and I moved onto making this size 9 month shroomy shirt that has 3/4 length sleeves (because I wanted to make the most of the 1/2 yd of cute cute fabric). I'm making clothes in a variety of sizes so that everything isn't immediately outgrown. This pattern and tutorial were well written. (I highly recommend it!)

Then I moved on to the world of drafting patterns using an existing shirt (now that I had one!) I found this adorable tutorial which produced my most favorite garment to date...an offset raglan tee with snaps! Again, this one was incredibly thorough and I liked doing the binding around the placket. I chose jersey knit for the body and sleeves and a baby rib for the binding which worked like a dream. I chose to set in snaps even though putting in buttonholes with my Husqvarna is so easy, I don't like the idea that a button could fall off and get eaten. My downstairs neighbors did not appreciate the hammering involved with setting snaps. Oops.

With all this new confidence in my sewing with knits ability, I've started to play around with patterns a little more. I saw this pattern for a kimono shirt and knew that I wanted to make newborn sized shirts like it. So with a baby size chart with measurements in hand, I drafted pattern pieces to make tiny tees! They go very nicely with the tiny pants my mom has knit for the baby.

I've even become confident enough to start making my own original patterns! The first is a baby romper with two different neck styles and sleeve styles. I started by making the envelope neck, long sleeve version and was so pleased I started dreaming up other possibilities. Then, this raglan sleeved romper with a snap placket was created which has upstaged the offset shirt as my fave. It was my first time making a placket and certainly not my last--I have already been scheming other uses for my newly learned skill. I'm hoping to get my act together and offer the pattern in my shop (soon!!).

Oh and then one last project to share for today-- A sleeper sack made from some seriously adorable fabric that says "les amis de la foret" with lots of little woodland creatures. I found this tutorial to be quite well written and I've already cut out another one that my mom is going to sew up.

I've also shared all of these recent projects over at Kids Clothes Week--are you sewing along this week too? It's my first time participating and I love how inspiring it is to see everyone's projects!
xo CBB