The cutest kitty baby Hula Hoop dress

Who can resist something so perrrrrfect? I mean its a tiny dress with colourful jolly cats on it!

I was inspired to make this dress by one that I saw in John Lewis. It really was a beautiful dress but I just looked at it, and I looked at the price label and I just thought meh, I can do that. So the search for the perfectly cute kitty fabric commenced and I came across these cats in cotton by Dashwood studio.

The pattern is another from my very favourite children's pattern designer and its the Hula Hoop dress from Puperita. This pattern is so classic and yet modern for little girls. The shape is pretty timeless with the high waistline and gathered skirt but the square neckline make it feel much more modern and interesting.

The sew itself was very straightforward. As usual the instructions from Puperita were clear, with good photo's to help you along the way. The facing on this dress was probably my favourite bit, it was just so satisfying. After I stitched it it lay so perfectly with the top pattern it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The sleeves were a bit fiddly, but they went in easy enough and the rest of it was easy as. I managed to sew the whole thing together (with all the associated ironing, god I hate the ironing!) in one short evening.

I love the little bow on the front, its such a cute little detail. I did think about adding some piping to the waistline but I didn't want to risk ruining it so I missed it off this version. I definitely would consider adding it if I make another, it would help draw attention to the waist detail. This is such a lovely pattern for woven fabrics. The gathered skirt design means that it copes well with a more structured cotton like this. It is also easy to pair with a long sleeved top or cardi for the colder months.

I made this in size 0-3 months, its so dainty! I hope Miss Fox will be able to get some wear out of it before she is crawling around.

So, which are your favourite cats? I think for me it has to be the pink and yellow one, mostly because of the colours. It needs to be more common for adults to wear clothes like this!

Llama Llama Baby Dress

Hopefully you all remember my amazing Llama Llama dress, well obviously I saved the very small amount of leftovers I had from that dress in my box of fabric scraps which can only have been called the 'just in case I ever have a little girl' box of sewing supplies! Thankfully that box of scraps is now getting its very own lease of life again and this is one of the first makes from it.

Its ok for mama and baby to wear matching dresses isn't it?

The dress is the Puperita Mini Tulips dress which I have blogged about before. The dress is reversible but I have only lined it with a grey cotton as why would you ever wear it any other way round than this?

The pattern is for an overall type dress, so ideally worn over a tshirt or baby grow, but its such a simple pattern. Very easy to sew, easy to adapt and perfect for using up odds and ends of fabric you have collected. I made this dress in 3-6m so it will be a while before we are wearing it, but I think its a pattern better suited for slightly older children than tiny babies.

Just look at those happy little llama faces!! The fabric is Michael Miller 'packmates' and its 100% quilting cotton. Sadly its no longer listed on their website so you will have to do some digging if you wanted to try and blag yourself some of this fabric.

The fabric type isn't ideal for baby clothes as its very rigid but this pattern lends itself so well to a sturdier fabric as it doesn't call for much drape.

I don't really have much more to say about this make, I'm just going to let those little llama's do all the talking instead x

Sam's Monkey

Recently I got back into some plushie making and it felt really good to get back in the saddle, I really enjoyed this little project monkey. Sam's Monkey was made for a little boys first birthday present, and I really hope he gets lots of love and cuddles in his new home and I hope you all like him too.

Being a new parent, completely clueless and with only a small few supportive friends with babies, I took to a forum of babies with a birthday close to Master Fox's for advice, support and generally someone else to talk to. All new parents will understand the desire to share every new thing their baby does, but also the worries about 'is this normal', 'am I doing it right' and 'help, I don't know what to do'. This group of mummies have been absolutely amazing (and slightly mad) but I am so proud we have come through a whole year together and it has been amazing to watch all the babies grow and share in their milestones (as well as the MANY sleepless nights!).

We decided to do a secret santa type thing for their first birthdays (I can't believe they are all 1 already, where has the time gone?). As well as buying a gift I couldn't resist the temptation to make something for my chosen baby. Rather than making clothes which are grown out of/risk not fitting, I decided to make a little cuddly toy. This is where Sam's Monkey was born.

I do like him a lot, he is very cute, and I love the long flimsy limbs which are perfect for dragging around and giving a good chew when little one is teething. I also love his big monkey ears, they are very characteristic. In hindsight the fleece fabric is a little dark for the black eyes and they are lost a little bit, especially in the pictures. I think they would have been better on the lighter fabric but I don't think is too much of an issue.

I'm sure this won't be the last plushie I make, they are one of my favourite things still. I think I am just a big kid at heart! Have you make your little ones soft toys before, or made one as a gift? I would love to see them all. I love a good plushie. Also, is it just me or does everyone else get a small glow of delight when they finally come to life!

 

Felt Dinosaur

 

This is Mick the Felty Dinosaur! Hello Mick. 

Mick is another pattern which I got from the second issue of Simply Sewing magazine. As soon as I saw this pattern in the mag I just new it had to be done. I mean it appeals to all my sewing whims. Plushie, cute, quick, perfect for the boy. He just had to get made. 

He is made from pure wool felt. When I saw the pattern I knew I had the perfect piece of material to make him out of. The body is a hand felted piece of fabric in teal and green, I hear you, its like it was made for this project. I've had it in my craft room for years and you know when you can't bear to use something because you know the perfect project will come along... well here's proof it does in the end. Because its hand felted real wool as well it gives it a gorgeous texture, its almost scaly just like a real dino!

The pattern was really easy. Its thankfully mostly machine sewn which just a few sections of the feet being hand sewing, perfect! The instructions were really clear and easy to follow. I also love the way the feet are sewn on so that it makes the dino stand up.

The Simply Sewing magazine, whilst not always being chocca full of things I would make, has at least always had really clear instructions, and with the pattern pieces provided this makes things a lot easier. I hate it when you have to upscale pattern pieces, I mean we don't all have access to a copier do we, and the idea of doing it on graph paper is just too much of a chore. I have had issue 3 through the door now, and this one is a little lacking in projects which interest me personally, but I suppose you can't please everyone all the time. It comes with a lovely felt pack, but again i'm not inspired by the projects included so need to rack my brains for a different one.

Anyway. I think I'm rambling!! I hope you like Mick (he was named by Mr Fox, don't ask me why Mick). I would definitely suggest giving him a go if you have a copy of the mag. If not, get googling for some felt dinosaur sewing patterns of your own!