Many of our good Oliver + S friends are having babies! Cherie, Kristin, Rae, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say one or two other friends who may or may not have announced. So I’ve had babies on my mind. And I’ve always wanted to do a layette pattern. I mean, what’s more fun to sew for a baby shower or new baby gift than teeny tiny baby clothes?
So here it is, the Lullaby Layette Set pattern–our first collection of patterns for babies, from newborn to 24 months. This collection is intended to function as a core wardrobe. It includes a cute little bodysuit (apparently in the U.S. no one can call them onesies except Carter’s, but you know what I mean), shirt, pants, and a jacket. Of course we had to include some wonderful details in these pieces, but the shapes are still simple and easy to construct, and the pieces work really well together.
The bodysuit and shirt include a fun partial snap placket with a cute detail. I love the pleat because it feels simultaneously modern and classic. The bodysuit is plenty roomy to allow for diapers (or nappies, or whatever you like to call them), and it snaps at the bottom for easy changing. I think you’re going to love how the casing for the elastic and the placket for the snaps are created on the bodysuit because there are no extra pattern pieces. Everything is just folded and stitched in an interesting, simple way that makes the construction really easy. I think it’s pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself. And the short and long sleeves are interchangeable, so you can decide which style to add to the shirt and the bodysuit. You can also change the shirt or the bodysuit to be sleeveless, and we’ll do a blog post soon showing this soon.
The pants are so much fun! We shifted the seams and changed it up from basic pants, so the front of the pants is a single piece with no front rise seam, and the side seams are shifted toward the front for a cute design detail. The pants include lots of room for diaper/nappy again. This is an easy pull-on style, so no snaps on this one. This makes it much easier to sew, too, and it’s a really quick sew.
The jacket is so simple and cute. It’s reversible so you can choose coordinating or contrasting fabrics and have a lot of fun with it. The raglan sleeves and simple darts at the shoulders give it a great fit, and just imagine making this in a cozy flannel or fleece! The jacket is finished with bias binding, which makes it really easy to sew. Soon we’ll show you a cool trick for sewing the sleeves. (You’ll be familiar with this trick if you’ve sewn the Firefly Jacket or followed our flannel-lined trousers tutorial.)
So there you have it! I hope you’ll have fun with this pattern. I think these are those baby clothes that get saved and passed down, but they’re also practical pieces for everyday use. I can’t wait to see what you make with them! You can get the pattern now in both paper and digital format.