Toddler Dress and Bloomers

When an outfit makes you feel goooood

My mom made the top and bloomers for Harlow when she was a toddler, and now Elodie is wearing the outfit. I made the headband when Harlow was little.

The outfit pattern is Simplicity 2375. I realized after the pictures that I should have ironed the top before she wore it, but oh well.

Open Back Tank Top

I’ve been wanting to make a top with this hand-me-down fabric for awhile but couldn’t make up my mind on what to do. So I made my own pattern.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, because it’s what I think when I see posts about self-drafted patterns— that doesn’t help me! How am I supposed to make that without any instructions or patterns? Well, if you want to make something similar, go check out Jenna Phipps’ YouTube video DIY Summer Dress. It has a similar look, can be made into a shirt, and is a bit more simplified in that you don’t have to curve around your armpit or have buttons like I did. She’ll walk you through the process. It’s a good beginner project.

Back to what I did…. I wanted the top to be somewhat fitted at the bust, so that meant I needed a way to open it to put it on/take it off. I did buttons in the back. If you go with a looser fit, you can just slip it over your head and skip this. I didn’t have enough fabric to do a ruffle all the way around, so I did a ruffle in the front and left it flat in the back. I also left the back open, because it is really hot here and all the airflow is needed to keep cool. I didn’t do a lining, but I did use a serger to finish all the seams and edges.

I drafted a paper pattern for this so I could get the fit just right and use it for future projects. Making a pattern takes a little more time in the beginning but saves a lot of time in the end when you want to make more of the same top. Making adjustments and changes is easy when you have a base to start from. This garment is my wearable toile and will help me get the pattern just right for future garments. I think I want to do a front button top and no ruffle layer the next time.

Core T-Shirt (Free Pattern)

Here’s a free sewing pattern! This is the Core T-Shirt from Closet Core Patterns.

I made the shirt with linen fabric. The pattern calls for fabric with more stretch, but it worked just fine! The only thing I would change if I made it again with similar fabric is enlarging the neckline so it’s easier to slip on and off since the fabric doesn’t stretch. I also found that I had to cut the neckband on the bias. I made the pattern according to my measurements. It’s very flowy and a bit boxy. I think I could size down, but it doesn’t feel too oversized as is.

I hemmed the bottom of the shirt and finished the sleeves using Sweet Red Poppy serger technique from her free dolman shirt tutorial (which is on my list to make).

This is a quick, satisfying project, and I would definitely make it again. It also comes with a cropped version and long sleeve version.

Halloween Dress from a Tablecloth

I’ve been thinking about making this dress for a year now!

Last year Keiko Lynn posted a pumpkin tablecloth dress she made, and I wished I could luck out and find the same fabric. While shopping for dining room chairs on the Kohl's website, I found this tablecloth!

I followed the same DIY Daisy tutorial that I used to make the yellow floral dress. I changed the neckline to a square neck with facing. I went with big sleeves and shortened the skirt a bit. I made the measurements smaller than last time but still felt it was a bit too much fabric for my small frame. I saw someone else added straps to tighten the dress at the waist, so I did the same. This dress is liking wearing a lightweight blanket!

This was a fun project. I had to work in small increments since I don’t have a lot of uninterrupted time (one-year-old baby constantly on the move). Without distractions, this is a good day project. 

I checked, and this tablecloth is sold out now. But buying a tablecloth, especially on sale, is a great way to save on the cost of fabric. This is a jacquard fabric, which would be more expensive at a fabric store. If you see tablecloth, sheet, or curtain patterns you like, you can turn them into clothes!

Gathered Skirt from a Men's Shirt

I made this skirt and then worried that the colors were too springy to be able to wear it for the fall. Then I realized you can put a cardigan over anything to make it work for autumn!

This skirt is similar to the idea of the plaid skirt in my last post. Instead of being fitted, though, we’re getting a bit of volume with some gathering at the waist.

Here was my process in turning my husband’s old shirt into a skirt for me:
•I didn’t take any width out of the shirt. I decided to use it to have some fullness.
•I used a seam ripper to remove the shirt pocket and cut off the top of the shirt to get the length I wanted.
•I used the top of the shirt to make a waistband.
•I gathered the skirt to the waistband. I really just folded and tucked it in place every couple inches.
•The skirt wound up being fuller than I wanted, so I took it in at the sides. It would be best to do this at the beginning, but sometimes we just roll with it.
•Men’s shirts don’t button all the way down, so I sewed another button hole at the bottom. The great thing is men’s shirts do come with spare buttons, so I didn’t have to find a matching one in my stash.
•I didn’t have to hem the bottom since I left and used the shirt hem.

I think I’ll be able to make this skirt work year round with different tops and shoes!

Also, these pictures are reminders that I need lipstick to bring a little color to my face!💄 

Dressing My Edema

I have a condition called idiopathic cyclic edema, and when it flares, it makes me feel pretty self-conscious. My arms get swollen, my face fills with fluid, my tummy pokes out, and my legs get covered with dimples from the fluid that takes over. We won’t talk about the physical pain that comes with it. Whew. Kind of a downer, huh?

Let’s talk about how I cope with dressing myself when all this takes over. I try to cover my arms so it’s one less thing for my mind to worry over. I wear a shirt that has some flow in the middle for comfort. I no longer try to cover up my legs just for the sake of covering dimpling, because pants can be painful. My body expands as it fills with fluid, and clothes that don’t move and expand with my body can cause even more discomfort to my aching joints. Bike shorts have worked wonders for me this summer around the house.

I made this shirt to meet some of my edema needs and to be easy to nurse my baby. I made a rough pattern from a t-shirt that was flowy. I cut up one of my husband’s old linen dress shirts. Then I reassembled it according to my pattern, used French seams to keep the dress shirt look, went with short sleeves, and added some interest with the hem. I plan to wear it buttoned up with skinny jeans and a cardigan in the fall. If I’m wearing high-rise pants, I like it half buttoned. It’s a simple shirt, but it accommodates my needs. 

I guess I share all this to say I understand if you have some insecurities and if you have some physical ailments that really carry over to emotional burdens you fight each day. Thank God that He sustains me and teaches me through it all. 💛

Video: I Made a Sun Hat

 

I made a sunhat while I chatted about the movie Singin' in the Rain. My Cinema + Sewing Series Lydia Naomi Hat Tutorial Sweet Red Poppy Bias Tape Tutorial

Video: I Made a Dress from a Curtain

 

Video Tutorial: Reversible All-Seasons Blanket

3XL T-Shirt Turned Into Toddler Tunic

Turning an adult t-shirt into a shirt/dress/tunic for a child is not a difficult task.  It takes beginner sewing skills, some patience, and the mindset that you're okay with not having absolute perfection.

We ordered some shirts for our college group at church, and a 3XL shirt had a bleached spot on the front.  The company refunded us for it, and I pulled it to make a shirt for Harlow.  I knew that I wanted to make the shirt a little big so it could grow with her.  I also wanted to keep it long so she could wear it as a dress or a tunic with leggings.  As she grows, it will become more fitted and short enough to be a shirt.  If you wanted a more fitted shirt for your child, you can follow these same instructions to achieve that.

This shirt is not going to be perfect.  I don't have a serger, which is necessary to completely recreate a shirt.  My measurements are barely even measurements.  This is more of a fun project that you can do in a snap.  Have an old band tee that would look adorable on your toddler?  This is the perfect way to get that rock-n-roll, easy style.

You just need a pair of good scissors (buy some fabric scissors...they're not expensive, and they'll make your job easier) and a simple sewing machine.  You might also want some elastic.

Let's get started!  Click the photos to make them larger.

 

The front of the shirt has a pocket, and the back has a large design.  I want the back of this shirt to be the front of the toddler shirt.  I'm not going to be using the pocket in this project.

   

To make the toddler shirt, you could take your toddler's measurements, asking her to stand still and to stand up straight and to let you measure everything needed to make a custom shirt.  You go right ahead.  I grabbed two items out of her closet to use as guides.

First, I grabbed an oversized tank.  Harlow wears a 2T and is almost fitting into 3T items.  This tank is a 4T, making it very large on her.  It fits her like a tunic.  I used the tank to get all the measurements.  I want this shirt to fit her like the tank.  Second, I grabbed a dress.  I want this shirt to be a little longer than the tank so she can wear it as a dress.  I grabbed a dress that hits her a little below the knee to use as a guide for the length.

First, I traced the top and sides of the tank.  Then I made a mark where the bottom of the dress fit and freehanded the length across the bottom.  I made sure to trace away from the tank and dress a bit to leave room for a hem and seams. You can leave 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 5/8 inch, whatever floats your boat for seam allowance and a hem.  You do you.

Now cut that tank out with some good scissors, making sure to only cut into the back of the shirt-- don't cut the front yet!

Since tracing a tank doesn't insure perfect measurements, I folded the shirt in half and trimmed any material that didn't match up.  This doesn't make the measurements perfect; it just makes them match so your finished product isn't crooked...or any more crooked than necessary.

Now that the front of our shirt-in-the-making is cut, we're going to use it as a template to make the back of the shirt...that we're cutting out of the front of the shirt.  Got it?

Lay the freshly cut shirt down on the front of the shirt, and trace around it as closely to the shirt template as possible.  Then cut out what you just traced.  Now you have a front and a back!

Place right sides together, and pin in place.  Get that sewing machine ready.

Sew the sides together (photo 1).  I just used a straight stitch, but use a zig zag stitch or serger if you prefer.  Somebody get me a serger!

Be sure not to sew the neck opening, arms, or bottom.  Just the sides!

Next, fold and pin the bottom of the shirt to make a hem.  I just folded it once, but folding it over twice would mean you wouldn't have any raw edges showing on the inside.  Or you can use a serger...which I don't have.  Sew up that hem! (photos 1, 2, 3).

At this point, I went ahead and "hemmed" the arm holes in the same way I sewed the bottom hem.  Somehow I didn't get a picture of it, or I deleted it.  The original tank that I used for measurements had the armholes sewn with a serger instead of hemmed.  Oh, a serger would be nice.  Except that's one more machine I'd have to switch between.

Now comes the part that seems like would be really intimidating, but it's really not!  Let's put a collar on this shirt!

I got out that tank again and measured where the neck started at the shoulders on both sides and where it came down on the chest.  Make those three marks with a sharpie.

Cut the collar off the shirt we're destroying (photo 1).  Use the tank to measure what size the collar should be (photo 2), cut but leave room for some overlapping for the next step (photo 3), then sew the ends of the collar together, folding over the raw ends (photo 4).

Lay the collar right side down (face down) on the shirt.  Use the three marks (2 shoulder markers and 1 chest mark) as guides to where the collar should be pinned.  Pin the collar around the neck of the shirt (photos 1 and 2).

Sew the collar to the shirt (where my nail is pointing in photo 3).

Once sewn into place, trim away the excess fabric sticking up out of the neck, trimming close to the collar but not cutting into the collar (photo 4).

You just put a collar on a shirt!

This last step is optional but is something you'll want to do if you're making the shirt oversized like I did.  I didn't want to the shirt to completely swallow Harlow up or to fall off her shoulders.  I added some elastic at the upper back.  In my opinion, a thinner elastic works better, but I used what I had in my stash.

Mark where you want the elastic to go when it's fully stretched (photo 1).

Sew one end in place.  Then stretch the elastic to it's next mark, and sew that end in place (photo 2).

Sew down the center of the elastic, stretching it as you go (photo 3).

When you let go of the elastic, it will cinch back up, cinching the shirt with it.  Again, a thinner elastic will "ruche" a bit more and give the look I was really going for.  I may replace the elastic once I can run out and get the thinner elastic.  Can you tell I'd rather have used thinner elastic?

Now you have a completed shirt!  This top should last Harlow for a few years!.

I hope this gave you some inspiration of making some KEWL (the kids still say that, right? 😂) clothes for your kiddos.  It's a fun project that doesn't require perfection!