[isewstuff]

This may not be the correct place to ask for insight, maybe a family therapist would be better suited for this question 😉

How can I give my daughter freedom to select fabrics for her clothing without her looking like Rainbow Brite or Mimi from the Drew Carey Show?

[Emily]

What I’ll do is pick out 5 or 6 fabrics that are appropriate, and then ask her to pick from those.

The other thing you can do is let her pick something bright that she likes, and pair it with a neutral that will tone it down. Use it for hem facings, lining, or other small parts rather than for the whole garment.

Take a look at the Principles of Fabric Selection posts for some great pictures and helpful ideas.

[Nicole]

I do what Emily does, let them pick from what I have chosen. I always admire their choice, and might say ” wow, that would make fab pj’s” or , I feel the fabric and whisper ” Oh dear , feel the texture , very cheap and nasty”. This works well with the Twins, they nod wisely and move on!

[claireabel]

I am just starting to encounter this problem. My 2yo is all of a sudden OBSESSED with pink! I have started to give her two options, both of which i am happy to sew with anyway. When she spies something pink and ghastly, it gets made into a hat, or a hair clip, or a pencil roll etc. That ways she gets her fabric choice, and i don’t have a butcher an O+S pattern with bad fabric!

[Sarvi]

It’s not pink I fear, it’s obsession. A little bit of Pepto goes a long way. I’m still recovering from the flood of baby gifts stuffed to the gills with ribbons and lace and ruffles, all in pink, pink, pink. If that day comes for me again, I will heed the advice here and offer a choice from within a smaller set of acceptable items.

[ckcsbella]

I always give a choice of certain things if I’m letting them pick. And I have said no, outright (I’m not sewing with character fabric. Or stuff that feels horrible.) And a couple of times, I haven’t been crazy about the fabric, but the kids always wore what I made! I also know my kids well enough, I can give an educated guess on what they’re going to like. And if all else fails, and I’ve had to veto the fabric choice for whatever reason, I let them pick the buttons. They like picking the buttons more than the fabric!

[isewstuff]

Thanks everyone. My daughter loves to go to the fabric store. She seems to always fall in love with some sort of hideous, over the top, busy fabric. So far, I’ve gotten away with saying things like, “Let’s leave it here on the shelf so other people can admire it,” “It’s not washable” or “It’s not the type of fabric we need.” Sometimes I give in and buy a small amount for some lesser project. But there are times I’d like to give in and let her feel like the item really is hers. She’ll pick from the choices I give her, but never as enthusiastically as the bolt she loves. She likes what she likes I guess, and we certainly have different tastes.

She chose the lining for the school days coat I’m making. It’s not what I would have picked, but everyday she asks me if her coat is done yet. I’m afraid she’ll want to wear it inside-out she loves the fabric so much. It’s nice to see her so into what I’m making, even if I don’t love the fabric combination.

[kmgsc]

I so relate to this post. My daughter and I also have very different tastes and it always seems to be a struggle picking out something we both like. I made her an ice cream dress with HR pink/purple unicorn fabric and pink linen thinking it would be home run and she refuses to wear it. So frustrating! Maybe it will help if I let her pick the fabric directly instead of guessing what she will like. I may give up sewing for her though if I keep making things she doesn’t want to wear since it just makes both of us unhappy. She picked out the new music box pattern for fall so I’m hopeful:)

[janimal]

This is a whole new world for me.

On a recent shopping trip, my 2 year old went crazy over a print with ladybugs on it. I had them cut a yard, and wrapped it around her like a cape. She wore it all through the store, in the car, and to go grab a meal. I told her I would make her a dress with it and she was pleased as punch. She’s TWO!!!!

I really thought I would get to choose her clothing a little longer. Rookie mom mistake?!

[ckcsbella]

Oh, janimal, you have no idea! My DD#1 has kicked up a fuss about her clothes since she was 2! I dragged her screaming to church in a dress for a long time before I figured out if I let her wear pants, she went quietly! DD#2 wants everything to be a dress. I figure as long as they are decently covered, I will only fight with them about clothing the three times a year it’s really important (picture day, Christmas and Easter.) BTW, ladybug buttons are as cute as punch, too.

[mela]

{sigh!} DD is 18 months and currently doesn’t care what I put on her, but I take great care and pride in the outfits I make her. I think I might cry when she starts prefering loud character prints to my lovely linens and voiles! oh, and worse if she refuses to even wear the stuff I make. I’d better sew up a storm until then!

[sayiamyou]

I’m fearing the ‘character’ stage too and honestly praying that it by-passes us!

[Rebecca W]

My daughter is about to turn 3 and she is starting to get a big more choosy about what she wears. Some days more than others. And she loves pink. We didn’t know that we were having a girl before she was born, so we didn’t get flooded with pink gifts, so I am still enjoying pink- well, that and I just like it. 🙂 I am trying to avoid characters, and so far we are doing ok. She has some underwear with characters, but only because that is all I could find when I needed them! Otherwise, she doesn’t watch TV, so I think that helps. She does watch the occasional movie, but they tend to be older movies (101 Dalmations is a favorite) so you don’t find those characters in the stores as much.

As for the stuff I make her- I try to to pick fabrics that she will like, but she isn’t interested in helping me pick fabric yet. I also find that talking about it and showing it to her as I am sewing it helps get her excited about whatever I am making. I will also make a big deal about the pockets, if there are some on the dress. She likes pockets. And I will let her pick her accessories- whatever ridiculous loud tights she wants- I am happy as long as she is wearing what I made!

I wish us all luck in navigating this delicate phase with our little girls! 🙂

[Anonymous]

My daughter also chooses the craziest, tackiest fabrics if I let her choose. I’ve made some things with it because I figure she’ll only be little once and if you can’t wear tacky crazy colors when you’re 4, then when can you? For a while now, I’ve chosen all the fabrics without her and I’ve found that if I include any sort of motif or animal (especially animals!) even as a simple applique or tiny decorative stitch somewhere on the garment, she is very happy with it. I also show her the little details I’m adding as I sew and she gets excited to wear it. I do take both kids to the store with me to choose fabric for jammies. They can choose any print they want with no comments from me. They love it.

[janimal]

Ladies, I have discovered something far far worse than having your child pick out ugly fabric.

For Mother’s Day this year, I asked my sweet husband to choose some fabric that I would use to make a dress for our daughter. He was totally up for this and happy that I gave him a specific request for a gift.

He spent A LOT of time searching in Joanns for what he wanted. And he came up with some pink glittery fabric with skulls, knives and hearts on it. Seriously weird. I will take a picture and post it if you like. It’s hideous!!!!

A deal is a deal so I made the dress. I took it to my neighborhood sewing guild to marvel in the horror of it. She can wear it when she spends the day with Daddy – perhaps when I am far far away out of town.

Next time I will send him to Whipstitch Fabrics instead. I swear I could have bought EVERY fabric in that place, Deborah has lovely taste. (Whipstitch has an Etsy shop too!)