It has been 5 months since I last shared any tops I have sewn for Harvey. This is good and bad.
Good, because it means that the clothes I am making him now will be worn for a much longer time.
Bad, because he isn’t growing as fast which means that he isn’t a baby anymore. I had to title this post “Baby Tops” because I fear that it won’t be long until we are referring to Harvey as a toddler more and a baby less. Boo hoo.
The growing baby required some more tops though. I managed to squeeze the front and arms of this top out of a little piece of this favourite left over cloud fabric that I had. Because I didn’t have quite enough for the whole top, I used a little left over piece of solid grey (from this dress) for the back. I like the look and think I will be using it more in the future. A good way to stretch out your favourite fabric that little bit further too!
This pattern is one that I have used a lot in the past. From Ottobre 1/2011 called “White Rabbit”. I used some solid grey ribbing for the neckband and sleeve cuffs.
And this slouchy top was added to the collection too. I used a new pattern for this one – from an older Ottobre magazine: Spring 1/2009. The design is called “Muksis” jersey tunic and top” – you can definitley tell the way that trends and styles have changed over the years of Ottobre magazines. The older styles are much more slouchy and baggy. I don’t mind how this top is nice and loose fitting though. It will definitley fit for a long time – particularly becasue the sleeve cuffs are folded over.
I don’t love the envelope neckline though, I never have really. It doesn’t ever seem to sit right and tends to stretch out of shape. The ribbing I used to bind the edges is quite thick too so was a bit tough to sew to the shoulder seams and ended up pretty bulky, but nothing too noticeable for a baby’s top. The little pouch pocket is very cute too. Unpractical, but cute!
SUPPLIES: Grey cloud jersey knit Charcoal jersey knit Hilco campan knit in lime/blue
Well here we are – 12 months! Bittersweet for Mama…I love little babies and would have many more if they stayed little forever – the real hard work starts when they are moving and talking and wanting. Harvey was such a lovely baby too, full of snuggles and smiles (the memories of constant spew and bad sleeping are quickly fading…) and now here he is, a big one year old.
A big one year old with two front teeth! I love it when babies get teeth later, it seems so much easier when they are eating and chewing foods to soothe their sore gums. I didn’t even notice Harvey was teething until they popped through one day! And then two weeks later we noticed four teeth at the top were making their way down too. Now we have a cute, toothy one year old.
A couple of weeks before Harvey’s birthday he mastered walking – he got it so quickly too, in the morning he started taking a few wobbly steps and by that evening he was toddling from one end of the house to the other. And he hasn’t stopped since. We call him The Destroyer.
In the last few weeks Harvey has destroyed more things than any of my other children have in their lifetime! A full bottle of Jaron’s aftershave smashed all over the bathroom floor, a remote control in the toilet, deodorant in the toilet, ceramic platter smashed, cake stand smashed, melamine bowls broken in half, massive container of rice tipped onto the kitchen floor multiple times…it goes on. And he always follows with a cute little “uh-oh” and I can’t help but smile.
We have a family chant where we sing “Harvey, Harvey, Harvey…” over and over again and Harvey will stop what he is doing, drop to his knees or all fours and rock back and forth like he is dancing. Now, he calls the shots and has started singing the chant to us until we join in then he starts clapping and dancing.
Harvey was born with big lips and I have always been expecting them to slim down as he get bigger, but they are still there and still as kissable as ever. And his chubby cheeks that get rounder and wider when he smiles. I love them.
Little boy, you are a pure delight. Thankyou for choosing our family and bringing us so much joy x
(Rocket top sewn from an Ottobre pattern. It comes from Ottobre 4/2011, Baby Basics T-shirt and the fabric is Rocket Boy knit by Lillestoff.)
I’ve mentioned before how much I like to sew cold weather clothing, especially for the kids, and this jacket is no exception. It is extra warm, and soft and snuggly.
I purchased this star-print french terry lycra from Miss Matatabi at the beginning of the year with no plans for it’s life (all sold out, but a few other prints here.) I tend to do that when I see a boy-friendly fabric – especially one that will work well for all ages. They can be hard to come by so I like to stock up the stash when I find them.
Then soccer season started and we found ourselves out in the cold on Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons and Harvey had no jackets that fit him anymore. I still carry him in the ErgoBaby a lot, so knew that a jacket made from a knit fabric would be a lot more comfortable that one made from layers of quilt cotton and batting.
I sized it up so that the jacket could be layered over other clothing and with the hopes that it will still fit for next winter too. It certainly is roomy now, but I think that adds to the snuggly charm.
So, the pattern…from Ottobre of course! From issue 4/2013: Stardust Hooded Jacket with Diagonal Zipper. I loved the quirky feature of the diagonal zipper down the front and the only zipper I had that kind of matched was this bright green one, but it’s fun and adds a pop of colour to a dreary day! There is one circular pocket on the side too which is pretty cool. The only thing I did differently was to add sleeve cuffs instead of binding on the sleeve hems. The sleeves were extra long with the intention of being rolled back, but I didn’t like the thick band of navy blue showing so I cut a bit off the sleeve hems and cuffed them with the ribbing instead. The sleeves were quite wide to start with also, but the cuffs tighten them up a bit and keep his arms warmer too. You can see the original sleeves in the photo below:
The jacket is lined with a soft navy blue jersey and bound with some bright Hilco ribbing. I did have to shorten the zipper, which was much more difficult to do than I imagined, but we got there in the end!
Harvey used to hate wearing hoods, but now when we put them on his head he giggles and moves his eyes upwards trying to look at it! So no more cold baby winter head! He’s cute, isn’t he? And now he is warm too.
{While I’m on the subject of Miss Matatabi (I know I harp on about her all the time, but her store is great – and so is she!)…did you hear about the month of June being Nani IRO month? Well it is, you can read more about it on her blog here and tomorrow I’ll be back to share one of my Nani IRO projects as part of the Miss Matatabi and Friend’s team!}
My Harvey sewing has slowed down considerably now that he isn’t growing as fast. (He turned ONE this week! I’ll blog about it soon, but you can see some pics on Instagram if you’re interested.) It’s kind of nice knowing that what ever I sew him now should fit for the next year and not just a few months! I pulled out the size one hand-me downs from the boys last month and found that most of them have seen their day. Funny how you think they are still good when they are packed away but realise how faded, stretched and worn they are when you pull them out a few years later!
I sewed this top using a pattern from Ottobre 1/2011 called “White Rabbit”. The neck is a bit tight though, if I can be bothered, I might take the binding off and widen it all a bit so that it isn’t so hard to put on and take off! Instead of using ribbing for the arm cuffs and neckband, I just used jersey.
I hemmed this top using a mock coverstitch on my sewing machine, love how it looks and because it is thicker than a straight stitch (I usually use a triple straight stitch for hems) it doesn’t seem to flip up as much as other hems do. The fabric is DinoBones from Lillestoff.
The little cord pants were really quick to make. They fit really well everywhere but seem a little bit short. There is a panel in the knee of the pants where the cord is cut in the opposite direction, creating a nice feature. This is important because, along with all the topstitching it makes the pants look a little less “homemade” and without it they would just be a basic pair of elastic-waisted pants and look a bit pyjamaish!
The pattern for these are from Ottobre 4/2011: Ever Grey Corduroy Pants. It is a really good, basic pants pattern for little boys and would look great made up in any woven fabrics – denim would be cute too! I’ve had this cord in my stash for a long time but think it was from Spotlight. It’s actually a little thin and not so good for a crawling baby, the knees are already a little worn but he won’t be wearing these for too long and I cut them out of a scrap of left-over fabric so not a big deal!
As usual, the Lillestoff fabric came from Crafty Mamas and I’m sewing with novelty prints as much as I can while he’s small enough to pull them off!
Do you love sleeping bags for your baby? All of my babies have slept with them and they have become a part of their night-time routine, Harvey needed a couple more to go on rotation so instead of buying a new one I thought it would be best to design a pattern of one and have the freedom to choose my own fabrics and thicknesses!
The Baby Dream Bag is essential to ensuring a good night’s sleep. You will sleep soundly knowing that your baby is covered all night long without kicking off blankets and waking themselves and everyone else up.
Baby Dream Bag includes a full-length zipper guard with generous chin protection, ensuring that baby’s soft skin and inquisitive fingers aren’t able to access the zipper.
Night-time nappy changes are made easy by zipping the bag from the bottom up.
By sewing your own Baby Dream Bag, you have control over how warm you want the sleeping bag to be. Whether you leave out the wadding for a summer-weight bag or make it with the warmest layers you can find, you will easily be able to customise the sleeping bag to suit your needs and climate.
Making these Dream Bags is so rewarding, it’s always satisfying to sew something that is going to be used over and over and over again…and at the moment Harvey spends about 14 out of 24 hours sleeping in his sleeping bag so I think it’s well worth putting the effort into! For our winter climate at the moment, I’m making his Baby Dream Bag using quilting cotton for the exterior, polar fleece or wadding for the warm layer and knit jersey for the lining. They are cosy and warm, but still lightweight, allowing him to move around as he needs to in his cot.
The great thing about making your own Baby Dream Bag is that you have complete control over what your bag looks like, how warm it is and how it feels…choose from any woven fabric for the exterior. For the lining you can use quilt wadding, polar fleece, flannelette, or even repurpose an old blanket! And the lining can be made using a woven fabric, flannelette or a soft knit fabric. If you want your Baby Dream Bag to be for Summer weather, you can leave the warm layer out altogether! Have fun experimenting with your own unique fabric combos and creating a sleeping bag different from any other!
The Baby Dream Bag is like a wearable blanket, it can’t be pulled up over baby’s head or get tangled up like a regular blanket can and will keep baby at a comfortable temperature all night long. I love using sleeping bags with my babies because they can wake up during the night, have a cry and move around the cot then fall back to sleep without me having to sneak in and make sure they are tucked in. They also become a part of the bedtime routine, which makes traveling and sleeping away from home so much easier.
My babies have all used sleeping bags from around 6 months (when I stop swaddling them) until 18-24 months. I know that many people use baby sleeping bags from newborn age right up until 3 years so the Baby Dream Bag pattern includes sizes from 0-36 months!
The Baby Dream Bag is available as an Instant Download PDF pattern here. It is on sale for $10 (usually $12) for the rest of this week! (Discount price offer ends on Sunday 25th May.)
Paper copies of the pattern will be heading to shops very soon if you prefer to purchase a hard copy of the pattern.
