Free Little Owl Toddler Top/Baby Dress Pattern

Everything old is new again, or so the saying goes, right?  It blows my mind that it's been over 10yrs since I originally made this little pattern.  

I was still relatively new to sewing back then and did this as a jumper-style dress for my then new baby girl.  Who is now thirteen.  Wow does time fly!  The roomy fit worked well from about 3mos-12mos as a little dress.  I saved it for my next daughter who was born in 2020.  I found it at the back of the closet recently and I was thrilled to discover it also make a perfect toddler top for her size now 2T body, so this really is a grow-with-me DIY item!

It's a relatively simple sew - just 4 pieces to cut out.  Totally easy to whip up in an hour or two with basic sewing skills.  Not bad for an item that can be worn for 2yrs and then passed down to another kid!

You can use any woven fabric and it only takes 1/2yd.  I had this adorable corduroy:

And it looks so cute from the front and the back:

 Just excuse the ancient, so-so quality step-by-step photos (taken before I had a decent camera or any photo editing skills).  They're basic, but I think they do the general how-to job.

Materials:

- 1/2yd woven fabric (cotton, corduroy, etc)

- 1/2yd double fold bias tape

- 2 snaps

Notions: Iron, pins, tailor's marking pen or chalk 

Click Here For FREE Little Owl Dress/Top PDF Pattern

Printing the Pattern:  Print at 100% (actual size) no scaling.  

Cutting: Front body (1 cut on fold), Back body (1 cut on fold), Front collar (cut 2), Back collar (cut 2)

Mark all pieces with front and back notations and start & stop points of collar.  Put the front and back pieces together with right sides facing and pin along side seams.  Stitch with a 3/8in seam allowance.  To easily keep the raw edges from fraying I trim them with pinking shears, but you could serge them too.  Press seams open. 

 Encase the raw edge of the underarms in bias tape and stitch in place:

 With right sides facing, put together the flat short end of a front and a back piece of the collar and stitch together.  Do the same with the remaining pair and press seams open.  When complete, that seam will go over one shoulder and the open end will go over the other.

 Pin those collars together (again right sides facing) and stitch together starting on the outside at one marking point and stitching all along the inside and back over the other end as shown:

Trim the seam allowance down and clip around the curves to make it easy to turn right side out.  Press the flat.  Then take the raw opening edges and press those under, toward the wrong side of the collar fabric.  Insert the raw edge neckline of the top's front and back in the collar openings and pin together.  Top stitch close to the folded edge, making sure you sandwich the top between the collar's inside and outside edges. Go all the way around the entire collar edge to attach everything together on the front and the back.

Fold the hem up 1/2in and fold again and stitch in place.  Attach the snaps and the shoulder opening.  Back then I didn't have a snap press so I did the old hammer & setting tool:

It's been really rewarding seeing this little item get a second life and for so long.  It seemed like a good one to pass onto others here so they can enjoy making some too!  Happy sewing:)

Fairy Friends Knit Fabric Dress

I'm finally sewing more again and it feels so good!  Partly because I need a mental break from everything else right now and partly because it's slim pickings from stores thanks to the 'rona ridiculousness.  Less selection, more hassle filled shopping experiences and smaller budgets mean a lot of us have to get more creative with clothing the kids.  The good news is that it's forced this fabric hoarder to actually turn to my stash more regularly.  Prime example: this Fairy Friends Knit Fabric Dress.

 I'd bought this knit fabric from a custom fabric group called MK Designs a few years ago and had been hoarding it big time.  I just loved the colors & original fairy design and the quality was exquisite.  Finding the right project was hard, as I didn't want to waste any bit of it since it was kind of pricey.  I did a whole post about buying fabric from custom groups here.

I wanted to mix it with a quick sew project to make something for my daughter's 11th birthday.  She's now at the tricky tween stage & size so coming up with the right item was key.  I decided to repeat a pattern hack I'd tried before when I made this Boden Style Dress:

You can see the full how-to in that post, but the gist was I took this knit fabric top pattern, the Provincial Top Pattern by Terra's Treasures (now called New Horizons):

 

And extended it to make an A line dress, made a casing neckline instead of lettuce edge shirring and added longer sleeves with cuffs to turn it into a cute & comfy dress.

  

The elasticized neckline makes it easy to wear and also adds pretty shape to a basic design.  It also means you can totally sew the entire thing on a regular sewing machine using just straight & triple stitches:

I used the patterns biggest size (girl's 10) and the full length of my fabric (which was a yard with a few bonus inches).  Despite this being an incredible, versatile pattern that I've used many times, it doesn't look like Terra offers it anymore:(  Maybe with some requests she will again.  Alternatively, a basic girl's pleasant top pattern could be used.  

Since the original design only had short & 3/4 sleeves, I extended the length.  I'd planned to do an elastic casing for the sleeves to have them gather at the wrists.  Of course I realized after I cut them that I should have factored in the neck to shoulder measurement too, since raglan sleeves include that. Mine were going to be a bit short.  What to do??

I grabbed some rib knit I had (that thankfully was the perfect shade of turquoise) and cut some extra long cuff pieces.  I made them 10 in long by 8 in wide, since my sleeves were 14 inches around.

I folded them in half width-wise and stitched along the long side.

then I folded them length-wise, matching up the raw edge,

then pinned the cuffs and sleeves in quarters to evenly stretch the cuffs enough to stitch them to the sleeves.

It gave a nice gathered effect and, at her current size, she can wear them either extended or fold the cuffs up.

Since I made it below the knee and the dress has a forgiving gathered style, it should fit for quite some time too, so an afternoon's sewing was well worth it. 

Most importantly, it was a great way to finally use this precious fabric and she just loves wearing it.  Big win for this mom! 

Stashbusting Girl's Raglan Shirt

This summer my sewing & crafting output has taken a nosedive.  With so many personal and business demands on my time, making things for fun just hasn't been possible and, truthfully, my crafty mojo has kinda been on empty too.  Thankfully necessity stepped in and a bit of sewing finally happened!  It started with this girl's raglan top for my daughter's birthday this week.

Budget, time and uncertainty of how well store bought stuff would fit were all factors in making this top.  She's had a big growth spurt this summer & we're entering the challenging-to-please (and fit) tween zone.  Like shopping wasn't hard enough with 5 kids & Covid insanity?!?  I decided to just try to make something with what I had here.  Luckily I remembered how much she loves the wearing hand-me-down raglans I'd made for her brothers with McCalls 7379, so I knew the style & sizing would work for her.

I also lucked out with sifting through my fabric bins and re-discovered several beautiful knit prints that I'd been hoarding.  This pegasus mom & baby fabric by Znok seemed just perfect.  It's still sweet for my mommy's girl at heart, but it's a nice larger scale for older girls & the colors aren't babyish:

I only had a yard, so I needed to search my stash for a good color match for the sleeves and neckband.  I found a boucle fleece remnant left from making this dolman top for myself several years ago.  It looks a bit purple-y outdoors but it's actually more of a wine color.  

Side note: the pattern is by Seamingly Smitten.  I'm glad to not be pregnant again this fall so I can finally wear it
- I forgot how much l liked it until I saw this photo!

The color match was ideal and it was medium weight so it wasn't too heavy to pair with the lycra knit:

The only downside was the amount of stretch was a bit lacking for the neckband.  I usually use rib knit, which is ideal to fit the neck hole, but this fabric wasn't as cooperative so I had to cut a 1 inch extra piece to sew in to enlarge the band enough to fit.  It's a chunky textured fabric so you can't see the additional seams at the back and it should hide the neckband not laying as flat when it's worn.

  

I'm excited to give this and hope she like it.  Until 2 1/2 yrs ago she was my youngest, and the only girl and really liked being both those things.  Now with 2 more little ones, she's smack in the middle and entering that awkward, wanting to be like the older kids, but still wanting to be small sometimes phase.  Maybe a cozy shirt that reminds her she's still my special girl will help with this transitional time and make this age a more fun one for her ❤️    

Easy Any Size Baby Bubble Romper

 I'm so excited to share this latest project with you - I've been busy working on it for a couple of weeks and am so happy it's finally ready: the Any Size Baby Bubble Romper!

 This sweet & comfy outfit is just what the little ones need for keeping cool now that the heat's turned up outside.

 I've been trying to save money this summer by sewing up clothes for my kids from my long neglected fabric stash. When there's 5 of them the $ really adds up when buying clothes - especially for the baby & toddler who grow crazy fast!  So I came up with this simple sew romper for my baby girl that's got a flexible fit, easy to get on & off, and uses little fabric, so it's very economical.  

The easy sew design is ideal with favorite cotton prints.  I used woven for my first few, but cotton knits work great too.  After the custom sized pattern is made, they are so quick to crank out too - I've already made 4 and am addicted because they look so cute!

I even made this one patriotic for the Fourth of July with the red, white & blue
 Count Your Blessings Cream fabric from my shop.

The gathered top and elasticized straps give the perfect fit so I know they'll last the entire summer:

The bubble body shape is breezy for baby (and perfectly roomy for cloth diapers like mine wears), while the elasticized leg holes add a cute ruffled edge:

And of course it's got the all important snap crotch so diaper changes are still easy too:




My sweetie loves wearing them as much as I've loved making them.  For a mom who's short on sewing time, it's a total win:)

Use my free downloadable 3-6 month size PDF pattern or follow my step-by-step instructions to draft whatever size desired.

Materials:

- 1/2yd - 1yd* cotton fabric (woven or knit)

- 3/4yd of 1/4in wide elastic

- 1/2yd of decorative elastic 3/8in wide or narrower (or ribbon)

- Scraps of stabilizer (or more fabric) 

- Notions: iron, disappearing marker, pins, rotary cutter/shears, ruler, measuring tape, safety pin, matching thread, pencil

- Large paper to draft pattern (tissue, wrapping, parchment or the like)

* 1/2 yd of fabric will make up to size 6 months.

If you're good with the 3-6 month size, use my PDF pattern DOWNLOAD HERE.  

Set printer to actual size (100%), then print, cut out and tape pieces together per the instructions.

 

Otherwise, start by making a handy paper pattern.

You'll need the following measurements (use measuring tape):

- Chest

- Length from shoulder to crotch

- Thigh diameter

- Shoulder width (measure from one across to the other)

To determine the top bodice width, divide the chest in this in half + 2 inches.  
My daughter was 16in so the top bodice width was 10in.

To determine the full romper length + 4 inches to the shoulder to crotch length.   
My daughter was 14in so the full romper length was 18in.

Take paper and measure out a rectangle that is the bodice width and romper height.  This is paper part A.  You'll need a second piece that is at least 10 inches wider than the bodice width for extending the sides to make the bubble shape.  That is paper part B.

Take paper part A: from each corner, measure inward 2 1/2 inches and down 3 inches and make a "J" shape on either side.  If doing a much smaller or larger size, (like an preemie infant or larger toddler) add or subtract a 1/2 inch, or more, to both these measurements.  This style is pretty forgiving since it gets gathered at the end, so it's ok if it's not exact.

Place paper part A over the top of paper part B, centering it so there's 5 inches on either side.  With a ruler at the top corner of the underarm area of part A, draw a diagonal line outward that is 5 inches wider at the bottom on either side.  This will create the necessary bubble shape.

Now make a line down the center of the paper and measure a rectangle at the bottom that is 5 inches wide by 2 inches high.  This will be the snap area.  From the outer diagonal lines, measure up 5 inches and create a curved line from the top of the snap rectangle to that outer 5 inch measurement on either side.  This will create the leg hole areas.  

Tape the papers together and then cut along the drawn lines.

If using my PDF pattern (which is a half width), fold the fabric widthwise so the selvages meet in the middle and there is a fold on either side and cut each piece, front & back, on the fold and open.  

If using a self-drafted version, where the pattern is full width, have fabric folded in half, with selvages on one side.  Cut out two pieces from the fabric (front & back).

With right sides facing, stitch the side seams together with a 3/8in seam allowance.

Encase the underarm area of each side in double fold bias tape, pin and then stitch together close to the open edge.

Create the neck casing by folding the top raw edge over to the wrong side of the fabric by 1/4in and pressing.

Fold again, down one inch this time and press.  Stitch down near fold.

To make the stretchy elastic straps I did, determine the shoulder strap length by measuring the distance from the center of one shoulder to another and double that + 1 inch.  For my 3-6 month size daughter, it was inches 13 long so I cut 14in from the decorative elastic I had.  If you're not sure or don't have decorative elastic, a piece of ribbon could be used instead, just make sure it's long enough to tie in a small bow.

With a safety pin, snake the elastic/ribbon through the front and back casings.  




Overlap the elastic ends about an inch and zig zag stitch together.  Pull the elastic so the stitched ends get hidden inside a casing and the gathering is evenly done on both sides.

For the snap up bottom, fold the end 1/4 in over towards the wrong side of the fabric and press. 

Now fold that bit up 1/2in toward the right side of the fabric and press.  Stitch down 1/2 inch inward on either side.  Clip the raw corners down and fold right side out.  

This creates a layered little pocket to put the interfacing or extra layer of fabric in that will reinforce it for the snaps.  This is key to keeping the fabric from wearing holes around the snaps since it'll get pulled on a lot with frequent opening.

Fold the raw edge of the leg area under 1/8 in, press and repeat to make the leg hem.  Stitch down.

Cut two pieces of 1/4in wide elastic that are 1 inch wider than baby's thigh measurement (Mine were 9inches for my chunky legged 4.5 month old).  Mark the center of each piece and match that to the side seam of each leg area. 

Starting at one end of a leg hole, stretch the elastic next to the hem and stitch down with a wide zig-zag.  This will create the cute gathering.  Repeat on remaining leg hole.

Set snaps along the crotch ends (make sure one snap side faces down and the other faces up).

Admire your cute new bubble romper and dress that baby for summer!