[Kim]

My cousin is expecting twins February 8th and her baby shower is in October. She doesn’t want to know if they are boys or girls. I would like to sew two of these outfits in neutral color fabrics. I love Nicole’s outfit that she sewed for her new baby. I would appreciate some suggestions for fabrics and colors.

[Masha Richart]

I thought Nicole’s choice of gray was brilliant. I also like pairing two bolder colors together, one that is more “boy” and one more “girl”. Like a bright turquoise with a rust red, or a muted, dark purple with mustard yellow (I’d go heavier on the mustard I think). I think those are fun while also being gender-neutral. Much nicer than the typical pastel yellow/orange/green you see for store-bought g/n clothes.

[vothgirl]

I second the suggestion for grey. Nicole’s layette is the new benchmark for all other attempts! And the dotted Swiss fabric is just timeless. If you’re looking for something with more color, I think grey and yellow is a beautiful (& very “in”) color combo. Perhaps with pops of other bolder colors. I recently made my 5th layette outfit (it’s my favorite pattern!) using some Cotton + Steel prints – the lions on aqua background, and metallic gold dots on a bright coral, with some medium-dark grey-brown print to ground it and keep it from being overwhelmingly bright. It’s for a friend who’s expecting a baby girl, but I think the colors would work equally well for a boy.

Have fun with the pattern, I love it to pieces!

[Sarvi]

How about natural oatmeal linen in a hanky weight paired with a geometric print (or animal print) lawn? Light and easy on the skin for a sweet newborn. If you want stronger colors, how about a deep orange? Pairs well with every neutral and thankfully has not yet become gendered.

[needlewoman]

All your suggestions are lovely – amused about your 5th layette, vothgirl – I’m just about to cut out my first – 18-24mths in musk pink corduroy with pansies for lining. I love turquoise too. Kmac, I don’t think you can go wrong with navy and white – not pale blue. It always seems to suit babies wonderfully. I love blue and white spots, and red as an accent or even a strong aqua. Looks so fresh and perky. Look forward to seeing what you choose; you are very kind to think of your friend so carefully.

[Kim]

Thank you for all your help and I am now exploring your suggestions. I just visited the Cotton and Steel Fabrics website and they have a 7 minute video where they show the collections folded and then they spread the fabrics out lengthwise next to each other. I love that because it gave me a good visual of their fabrics.

[mkhs]

I feel like there are a lot of nice gray-green fabrics out there right now, colors like lichen and spruce. Persimmon is another favorite color that works for both boys and girls, and pairs well with neutrals.

[Nicole]

Aww Ladies, you are so lovely!

[Sarvi]

mkhs, love those suggestions!