the summer edit: kristin’s picks

The best (and worst) thing about sewing for our kids is that they grow!  It’s great because we constantly get to make new things for them, which is fun, but not so great because they grow so quickly out of our beloved handmades!  It takes a lot of sewing to keep up with those little legs that seem to gain inches overnight.

My post today is probably every sewing mama’s fantasy. Given unlimited time, fabric, and Oliver + S patterns, what would I make for my three kids?  It’s almost overwhelming, but I’ll give it a whirl.

For my 6 year old daughter: 

A sleeveless Playtime Dress with hi-low hem.  I sewed this pattern once before for film petit, and of course my daughter immediately reimagined it as an “Elsa Dress.”  She loves it, but it’s dress-up only.  I’d love to make another Playtime Dress for summer, this time with a modern (and washable) cotton + steel peridot solid bodice and moonlit butterflies skirt.  Here’s Cherie’s tutorial to make the dress sleeveless. I like how the playtime has a bit of a natural cap sleeve, so I’d leave the length as is.  And a hi-low hem just seems fun!

My daughter reaches for her Roller Skate Dresses all the time, but the first one I made is getting too short!  The Roller Skate is the perfect pattern to show off an amazing fabric, like this sparkle flower metallic border print by Melody Miller.

Swingset Tunic + Class Picnic Shorts.  As she has gotten older, my daughter has gotten more into mix and matching her own outfits.  Plus after a three year “shorts strike,” she will now wear them again!  The Swingset Tunic is going through a bit of a revival lately (I credit Tara) and the Class Picnic shorts are so feminine and cute (Gail’s are my favorite).  They’re magic!  I’d use this pretty Bari J voile for the tunic with mauve cotton couture flat piping and straps, and this great stretch chambray for the shorts.

For my 3.5 year old son:

All my preschooler son wants to wear are shorts and t-shirts.  It started last winter which was mildly annoying, but it’s perfect in the summertime!  I’ve been steadily chipping away at adding shorts and tees to his wardrobe, but he always needs more.  A gray striped School Bus Tee (maybe with a freezer paper stencil graphic?) + a pair of Sketchbook Shorts in pumpkin chambray would be great basics to add to his “uniform.”

For my 6 month old son:

I confess I haven’t sewn much for my infant son yet.  He’s got quite a few hand-me-downs from his big brother and cousins, and babies grow so fast it’s hardly worth my time.  However, he is a bit short on summer clothes and it would be fun to make him a little summer romper from the Lullaby Layette pattern.  I’d make it in an adorable organic elephant knit with a bright binding like this yellow.

Now the fun part. In the time since I sent my list to Liesl so she could put the graphics together, I’ve actually made two of the items posted here in the exact fabrics shown!  I’ve posted one today and another will go up later this week over at skirt as top.

Can you guess what I sewed?  No peeking!