Blue Star Sundress

I made a few changes to the sundress pattern. I also copied and shortened the pants pieces to make shorts. To be active and running around she definitely needs the shorts! I like this one so much better for several design reasons. I lengthened the back two inches and moved the straps some. The front underarm of the bodice is still a little weird -- but I'm not sure what or if to do anything with it. It is size 2 (so was the other one) so she will be able to wear it for a while as she is just barely fitting her 18 month clothes still and moved on to mostly 2T clothes.

some things I love lately..

Esme can grab something at a store or garage sale and give it a good look over and not HAVE to take it home. That is so nice after seeing my sister's kids freak out over the concept of not having everything they touch. And - she did it mostly herself - it's just not in her nature to want to take everything home, unless it is really really interesting. However, if I take something away before she gets her thorough examination of it done - she does cry and scream. Once her examination is done she will hand it back to me and sometimes say 'all done' or 'bye bye.'

Esme is getting to her next language spurt so every day she repeats something new or puts something together in a new way.

We went garage saling again today and she has to wave 'hi' and 'bye' to all the friendly-looking people. We shared a shake again on the way home as it was very hot out. Later she saw her sippy cup and tasted the water and said to me over and over '*slurp* shake! sha--sha-shake! *slurp* (hopeful look)* HAHA not all of the time kid. Yet she drinks all her water and milk fine for the rest of the day - was asking 'just in case.'

Sewing toddler clothes for Esme again

Most of the patterns I make now I get on Ebay or at the thrift store. Some of them are older than I am - but if all the pieces are there then I can work with it. Some have summer and winter versions in the same pattern (dresses that can be long sleeved or shorts and pants). It really is possible and affordable to make your own toddler clothes! It does take time though, these 'easy 1 hour' usually take longer than that. Also, use recycled old clothing and cheaper 'clearance' rack cloth as you start out so you have the willingness to scrap a project or two along the way and start over. Mistakes are learning opportunities. When you are sure of yourself then spend a little more on the fabric to get character designs etc... Also it's never a bad idea to take a size larger for a children's pattern.. but a size smaller may end up in a garment that doesn't fit by the time you finish it!


In this case (33 months old) a modern pattern was used but the sizing chart showed her measurements as a size 1!


A size 4 vintage dress pattern seems to fit her well at 39 months.

She fit size 3 vintage patterns for more than a year, much longer than she fit size 2 patterns.. always check the 'inches' measurements. Now at 3.3 years she is 'ok' in a size 4 with a size 3 being iffy depending on the cut of the arms. I really don't think kids are that much larger than they used to be... she looks normal three-year-old size to me!

My lens on vintage patterns


March, 2010

In contrast, this was a vintage size '4' when she was smaller. I purposefully made it with some room to grow in. This dress still fits her now. Sometimes I also take pictures of her in the dress after it is made to 'analyze' later and decide what might need to be changed about the pattern. The light blue dress with long sleeves above was one of those - and five more were made similar until I got a great working pattern. Of course... she could grow out of them before long but I count it all as a learning experience.

Link: step by step directions on how to construct a dress

Link: pictures of how to finish facings

I started out making her clothes when she was 5 months old - and have improved greatly since. Now I make about half of her clothes, and the other half are garage-sale or clearance rack. She really loves to pick out her own fabrics for the handmade clothes, and to watch me sew.

Buttonholes and zippers were something I avoided for a long time - but have now mastered by hand since my machine is tough to work with on those regards. I found it best to work a few patterns the size she was - to perfect my technique, then start working on similar patterns one size up because she will grow into it.

I really prefer older pattern from the 1970s.


1971 pattern that has short and long sleeved tops and pants.

The designs were simpler and more practical. Some recent patterns that don't cost a lot have simply drawn instructions but depend upon a lot of notions, elastic or specific fabrics. They often care more about the 'look' than the practicality of putting the child into the clothes - or washing them. A pretty dress is not worth a thing if your child's arms can't fit into it easily, and they cry every time you try to get it on/off.


homemade shirt and pants for toddler
the shirt pattern was 'combined' from two patterns
one was raglan sleeve but not the right size.

You might need to try quite a few times to get something 'just right' - a shirt that buckles at the neck, like this:



might need to have the neckline on the pattern cut a bit deeper, and then try again. I took seven tries on this raglan sleeve pattern until I got it 'useable' and still have trouble with some of the thicker fabrics on the neckline, mostly when she raises her arms like this... but she can still wear them and they still look cute and wash well.

Original post:
As it gets closer to real hot weather and Esme gets closer to growing into size 2 clothes and out of size 18 months I've made some time to try sewing again. I was complaining just the other day I haven't been crafting much - so hopefully this breaks that streak.

Here is a little jumper I made today after work. The pattern was three dollars and Esme had grown out of the old pattern (plus I lost some pieces). I had made her some stripey pants last night that are already in the wash.




Esme definitely knows what a phone is for (has for a while) but this is the first time I've given her a 'real' phone in months. Usually she tries to call people on her blocks or a ring toy she has. She was wandering around Grandpa and Grandma's house yammering and carrying on a conversation with thin air.

tidbits

So cute tonight Esme went to hide behind the oven like she usually does but I didn't play along. A few seconds later I hear a singsong mimicry of 'Esme where are you?' from her (just the 'melody' - not the actual words) And I stifle a grin and ask 'Esme where are you?' and she comes running out and I say 'There you are!' while she giggles at me.

Silly girl.
She is such a cool kid.

A softies creator with little time and inspiration

I haven't sewn much in the past few months. I sat down to think about something to make today but no thoughts really came to mind. When I have the time I don't have any inspiration. The fact that the sewing machine is right next to Esme's crib and play area makes the time I do have short and usually full of pleas for attention.

I have been knitting a dinosaur, and that is turning out quite well. I have to solve how to knit his head now, which might take a few days still. I got a few new pieces of fabric today hopefully meant for Esme pants - but we'll see when that happens.

Most of the time I have off work I spend with Mark and Esme, just chilling, visiting or going to town etc... Sometimes I wish I was 'crafty' again. Maybe it just has to store up for a while again.

18 month developments

(Pictures are from yesterday)
We don't let her have the pacifier outside her bed usually but she was very cranky that morning before seeing Grandma and Grandpa and I let her have it for a while.



Pretty shoes - please?
These are the sandals she calls 'pretty shoes' as compared to all her other shoes which are just shoes. She is also pointing to some of her clothes she thinks are pretty and asking me about them, but usually after she is already dressed in something else.



We got this toy box and a push-around vacuum toy when out at garage sales again. Esme likes them so much. She was out playing in the mud today and got it all over both arms, in her hair and down her back. I called her a little Mud Princess. She got a bath after that and had a discussion with me about the water getting in her ears when it was too deep. It was really interesting - she doesn't have the words yet but still made an effort to explain to me (with hilarious expressions) that when the water is deep it gets in her nose and mouth and ears and makes her worried - so she has to climb up on me - and wants some water to go 'bye bye' before she'll play again. We tried to learn more about hot and cold in the faucet too - which is why the water got deeper than usual. Every time we get out of the tub we pull the plug and tell the water 'bye bye.' Sometimes she goes into the bathroom just to lean over the bathtub and say 'bye bye?'



We took her to town on our post office run and grocery store today. We got her a whole chicken leg of her very own at the chicken place and she was remarkably good at eating it by herself. In the store she also told me that Daddy didn't come with us out of the electronics section and we should go back and get him. That was funny because again she didn't use a lot of clear words besides Daddy and looking and pointing but I understood exactly what she meant. She tried to eat a sticker off the bananas I let her hold - and had a tantrum because I told her 'no.' On the way home with all that chicken in her tummy she fell asleep and was asleep again within about fifteen minutes of getting in the house.

Other things she has done recently:

• She learned to sign '1,2,3' on her fingers.
• She is playing 'peekaboo' with her hands over her eyes and not just a blanket.
• She is mimicing 'Achoo' if anyone sneezes and she thinks it's funny.
• She puts things in cabinets/boxes/containers and closes them and then is super-excited it is still there when she looks again
• She says 'owies ow ow ow' now everytime she stumbles or bumps into something and looks for sympathy
• I ask her 'you okay?' and she answers with a nod or crying
• She is almost nodding her head 'yes' at other questions, but isn't quite sure yet
• Using 'uh uh uh' to tell the animals not to do things
• She will look through cracks and mesh nets in see-through cloth and tell me 'I see you'
• Getting the concept of her 9 piece puzzle more but still unable to put more than one piece in the right place

I'll post more as I remember it...