Sundresses and hats for 6 month old
 

Hi,

I was prepared to make a quilt for my new great niece. I actually had the top finished and was deciding how to quilt it...

...but then....

...let's just say that so many people are members of the throw away society and I'd rather just keep the quilt.

So, I'm thinking I would like to make some floppy hats for the little girl and maybe a sun dress. I bought some very cute tossed Seuss fabric for the quilt backing and think maybe a sundress and matching floppy hat combination out of this fabric would be cute. Fabric has a white background, and would be light and airy for summer.

Baby girl is TALL, parents are 7' and 6'9" and the child is definitely their offspring...so I would probably need to make the sundress without a pattern. I have never made such a thing, but think it wouldn't be painfully difficult. I would need the mom to take measurements before I see them so I can get the proportions right.

Do any of you know of tutorials or have guidance on how to make a "custom" sun dress for a 6 month old, maybe with 9 month old height. And does anyone have a favorite pattern site for cute floppy sun hats? Oh fabric flower ideas might be nice too!

Or other ideas of things to make with Tossed Dr. Seuss would be welcome. Just nothing as substantial as a quilt :p.

Thanks!

Honestly, I would invest in a multi-sized pattern from Kwik Sew or maybe Burda. JoAnn Fabrics carries Kwik Sew. These patterns have multiple sizes printed on a single sheet and will show you where best to lengthen the pattern. If you purchase some inexpensive pattern tracing material (comes in a roll), one pattern can last you through quite a few changes in size.

Kwik Sew also has some books on sewing for children. Not sure they have a sundress, though.

I would get a pattern you like for the sundress and then adjust as necessary. If the baby's torso is long, you can slit the pattern at the center of the torso and then add the needed length with a piece of paper taped between the two pattern sections. Same process if the baby has long legs - split the pattern in the leg section and follow the same process I just mentioned. You might need to do adjustments in both sections. But this way, the overall shaping of the pattern is maintained and you don't have to work from scratch. Many patterns will have parallel lines in these areas to indicate where you need to make your adjustments. Conversely, if you need to shorten a pattern, follow the same process but overlap the section(s) you have slit and gradually re-create the shaping on the cutting edge.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the help.

Kwik sew patterns are great and there are plenty of hat patterns around as well. I have always loved to sew for my children and grand children. Have fun sewing and post us a picture when you are done.

I agree with Prism99, there are a lot of easy to sew patterns out there and they generally have instructions on how to lengthen or adjust the pattern for your great niece, I'm sure she will be thrilled to have them.

I have found so many really cute patterns for my grand daughters online and FREE! Just google! It is easy to adjust an infant's pattern because they really have no fitted parts. There is even a site that will tell you how big a baby's head is at what age so you can make a hat that actually fits which is hard to do. They grow so fast it is fun to turn out many outfits! I've found patterns at Goodwill too.