Lina and Vi: Toddle Girls Handmade Shirt and Jean Shorts

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Toddle Girls Handmade Shirt and Jean Shorts


Today I am sharing a recent sewing project that I worked on for my niece's upcoming second birthday. In a couple of weeks, we will be celebrating with her at her Minnie Mouse-themed party, and when my sister said she could use some 2T summer clothes, I thought I could spend some time sewing up an outfit for her rather than heading over to my local Carter's shop again. I'm glad I did, and I wanted to share how her handmade outfit turned out.

In a couple of hours, I sewed up this breezy, pink cross-back cotton shirt and dark jean shorts. I found the free patterns online, both in size 2T which was the sizing I needed for the summer. The cross-back shirt pattern can be found here and the jean shorts pattern can be found here. I would describe them both as beginner level sewing patterns, and the difficulty will change based on the fabric selection and any optional trim.





Speaking of fabric, I had all of these fabrics in my stash and wanted to give them a new life. The dark jeans fabric is a thick, non-stretch jean fabric. I love how the shorts turned out but the heavyweight jean was a pain to work with at times to be honest, especially when trying to thread the elastic through the waist casing. As mentioned earlier, the shirt is a lightweight cotton that I backed with a gray leopard print on the inside to provide some contrast. The tank-top style will work great to keep my niece cool during the hot summer months this year. I found some extra floral trim I had on hand and sewed it like an applique right onto the cross-back top as the finishing touch, and I love how it gives the top a bit more interest.

In a couple of hours, I was able to use to materials I had on hand and prepare a handmade gift for my niece. It can sometimes be difficult to find children's clothing patterns online for clothing that does not call for stretchy material, because most children's clothing is made from knit so that it fits growing bodies easily. Admittedly, like adults love their leggings and t-shirts, children love the comfort of a soft, stretchy knit but it doesn't mean that there are times, like in the summer, when a knit can even be too hot and heavy.

I hope that my niece loves the outfit, and that I can see her wearing it in the summer this year. If you have made a similar toddler outfit, I would love to see it - leave a link in the comments!

Have a great weekend,
Erica





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