Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Baby Clothes ~ Sewing with Designer Knits!

I've been playing Grandma lately, making little clothes for my grandkids!


For my 9-week-old grandson, In the Forest fabrics by Riley Blake Designs with its little forest animals.  Oh, so sweet!  


Riley Blake Designs' cotton fabrics are adorable in the first place, and many of their lines also carry limited selections of "Designer Knits"; soft, luxurious cotton jersey knits.  I love sewing with this fabric.  

I used Simplicity Baby Separates pattern #2291 for the long-sleeved onesie and pants, which were sewn with a solid jersey knit, also from Riley Blake Designs.  


The fabric has a 50% stretch and works great as self-ribbing, which is good because ribbing (super-stretchy fabric for necklines and cuffs) is not readily available these days.  I made most of my kiddo's clothes when they were little and used to have a stockpile of knits, but not so much anymore!  For my favorite tips on sewing with knits, see this TUTORIAL or download the tip sheet by clicking on the button below:

Hard to tell in the photo, but this little babyboo's eye color is almost the same color as the blue of his outfit.


For my eight-month-old granddaughter, I used  Blooms & Bobbins by Melissa Mora for Riley Blake Designs.  Sweet, pretty, and a little bit sassy.  Kinda like my granddaughter.


 Added a little folded ribbon at the center back so Mom can tell at a glance which way the leggings need to go on!




And finally, Under the Canopy by Citrus & Mint Designs for Riley Blake Designs.  I fell immediately in love with the SLOTHS!!  What?  So stinkin' cute!


I drafted a pattern from a little romper, and made matching outfits for both of our babies!  Six months apart in age, they're within a few pounds in weight, so these 3 to 6-month size outfits should work for both!


These turned out so cute!  I did find some ribbing that worked for baby boy, then I modified baby girl's neckline with some of the white jersey knit using this pattern.



And then... Oh, I couldn't resist!  I had to make a couple of accessories, right?  A hair bow for baby girl, then I crocheted a little baby sloth from this free pattern from @thetwistedcrocheter using some of Lori Holt's chunky thread.  So stinkin' cute!


So much fun - I loved making clothes for my own kids, and I've missed that! Teeny little clothes for teeny little people - it doesn't take much fabric or time.  And when you can find the cutest fabrics, it's hard to resist!  See?  Even the baby agrees!  He's dancing for joy!



Ask for these and other Riley Blake Designs'  Designer Knits at your local quilt shop or online retailer.  
Happy Sewing!


2 comments:

  1. I made almost all of my Children's clothes when they were growing up. My Serger was the best thing for making things with knits.

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  2. So cute! What lucky grandkids.❤ The little sloth toy at the end is delightful too!

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