Matchy matchy

Have you seen the mom with her toddler out with the pair dressed in matching outfits?  Yes.  You know this scene.  Everyone has encountered this at some point. Well, I have become her.  And, I feel quite certain that I have earned this right.  I'm asked nearly every week if I am the grandmother.  Therefore, I feel entitled to some homemade matching goodness for me and my little man at this stage in our lives.

I wanted to experiment with making King Diaper an outfit.  So, I made him a little outfit for our first home football game.

Patterns can be very expensive.  Purchasing patterns on sale or from a second hand shop is a great way to save money.  Also, you can go through vintage patterns of your mom or grandmother.

If you don't have access to vintage patterns or hand me down ones, New Look has really reasonably priced patterns.  Pattern 6198 is an easy pattern that I really enjoyed.  It contains a pattern for a girl and a boy.

You can customize this pattern with your choice of fabrics, optional pocket on the font, and appliqués.

One note about this pattern is that it calls for snap tape to place at the bottom where you would open for diaper changes.  I just made my own by creating a piece of matching bias tape from the fabric of the romper.  That is entirely up to you and your sewing skill level, but it was very easy to do.

  

 

I was able to complete this romper in one afternoon.  I did have to have some help for daddy duty.  But, I think it turned out great.  Its just a simple one piece with buttons on the shoulders and snaps at the bottom.  It is not lined and the bias tape is the make the leg openings and arm openings more finished.  

To make things more fun, I decided to make myself a matching/coordinating outfit to wear as well.  My mother has lots of vintage patterns that she no longer uses.  So I went with the dress in the blue to the far left.  It's sleeveless and really comfy in hot weather.

The only downside to vintage patterns is that they are made for super models.  And the sizing is what I consider to be way off.  I had to do some resizing to fit this pattern to fit me.  You can find instructions for this online.

As I have stated in a previous blog post, I'm a big fan of simplifying the shopping process.  So, I purchased everything for this online at Fabric.com.

Anything over $35 qualifies for free shipping, and I used this as opportunity to purchase some fabric for another project.



Here is the finished product for both!  I think it turned out just fine.

The total cost for this project was:

Nights in Barcelona Branches and Berries Fabric @ $4.78 x 3.5 yards = $14.34
Invisible Zipper $2.48
Thread $1.78
Bias Tape $1.89
Sew on Snaps $1.68
Interfacing $1.80
Buttons $.80

$24.77 Total

I think that is pretty awesome for an outfit for each of us to wear.  You may be thinking about the amount of time that it took to make these is worth something.  And yes, it is, but that really isn't the point of sewing for me.  I select simple projects that I enjoy.  The time I'm spending at home making a dress that I'll enjoy wearing is worth it to me.

And yes, I plan for each of us to wear these outfits again.  I doubt we will wear them simultaneously.  It was fun for the day.

Sewing Tips:

• Allocate enough time for cutting out the pattern and fabric.  Don't rush this step or it can ruin your whole sewing experience.  
• Do things in steps.  One afternoon or evening, cut out the patterns.  The new day, cut out the fabric. Then moving forward, do one step in the pattern at a time until you are finished.  Pacing yourself will keep you from becoming frustrated.
• Use online resources, instructions and videos to help with steps that you don't understand or that seem complicated.
• Accept mistakes and little irregularities.  Your project doesn't have to turn out perfect.  It is part of the process.
• Enjoy sewing and having a finished product at the end!