Moon Rabbits and Glass Onions

Just a quickie post today, I have a backlog of older makes that I'm trying to document and as a lot of them are clothes for the girl, I'd like to get them on here before she grows out of them!

I've made the Glass Onion Top pattern by Shwin Designs before and loved it - I just didn't love my fabric choice. I used a quilting cotton from JoAnn Fabric and it didn't have the drape this top needs for the curved hem on the back and the neckline facings - and I had to iron it every time it came out of the wash.

I decided, oh, 2 days before Easter that I wanted to make Nola something new to wear, and as this beautiful, drapey, covered-in-bunnies fabric was in my stash, I went with it. Yes, it's black and not particularly Spring-y or Easter-y, but I really love it and she looks adorable in it, so there. It is Moon Rabbits from Yuwa's Cotorienne collection - I think it's a lawn. I've used fabric from this collection before, and there's an adorable sheep print I've been eyeballing, so I'm sure you'll see it again.

It was chilly and overcast on Easter Sunday, so I put a long-sleeved onesie under it. I went with the elbow length sleeves this time (I made up the cap sleeves last time) and stuck with the non-pleated back. It's actually a very light and airy shirt and I think it will make a cool and breezy summer shirt for her. I really love the way it looks on its own without anything underneath, but I haven't managed any pictures, so this will have to do.

There are quilts in the works, one almost finished, so hopefully that'll be the next post!

Handmade Toddler Wardrobe

I realized the other day as I was looking through pictures that I made a bunch of clothes for Nola, but haven't shared a single thing. Since I'm in the thick of Christmas sewing and can't *quite* share my latest wedding quilt yet, how about some adorable toddler(!) pictures with some handmade clothes?

This was my first make of the summer, See Kate Sew's Pippa Peplum in Heather Ross's Strawberry knit. I actually made a few of these, but this is the only one I photographed. I love this adorable pattern, but it does get too short pretty quickly, so in subsequent versions, I added about 1 1/2" in length to the top piece.

Next up is the Shwin & Shwin Glass onion top. I used some Cloud 9 fabric I found at Jo-Ann's and sewed up the most simple version: cap sleeve and regular lapping back. I love this shirt, but since I used quilting cotton, the lapped back always has to be ironed. I'm going to try the more voluminous version in some double gauze in the spring.

I've made half a dozen of Craftiness is Not optional's Nessie Top pattern. This is the first one and it's actually the best. I used a cotton jersey from GirlCharlee and she still wears it (over a long sleeve onesie).
 

I used this beautiful Charlie Harper knit for this version. I love the fabric, but I think it's an interlock? I've found that most designer knits don't work well for this shirt, which is unfortunate since there are so many cute ones! I wish they'd add some lycra to them. I've had some difficulty getting the collar right with this pattern. But you can really see the high/low hem in these.

 

 And this last pattern I Love with a capital L. It's the Bimaa top from LouBee Clothing. I want to make a ton of these, but I've only managed two. The first she wears ALL the time, the fabric from GirlCharlee is so soft. I was worried the cowl neck collar would bug her, but it doesn't. It does, however, catch a lot of food!

 

I used the hooded version for a last-minute Halloween costume. It was a use-what-I-have situation, and the white fleece I used was not nearly stretchy enough for this pattern. When she recommends 4-way stretch fabrics, she means it. The hood was also a little large for the size, which apparently she fixed in the updated version, but it worked well for what it was. I hacked the ears into the hood and added a pompom for the tail, and voila, bunny!

 

Well, there you go, my daughter's mostly handmade wardrobe. I hardly bought any clothes this Fall and I love it!