Sewing Projects

As I posted several months ago, I started sewing! I made more burp cloths than I needed, enough blankets to get us through a Texas "winter" and then got bored because I felt like I couldn't make anything else, but didn't have the time to learn. 

Well, after my sister in law came over a few weeks ago to show me what she had learned in sewing (pants, ruffles, buttons, etc.), I got excited to sew again. I had been wanting to make some cute little things for Savannah since all of the homemade things I find on Etsy get more expensive every time I look. Specifically, I had my eye on a pair of ruffled corduroy pants for Savannah that sell on Etsy for $24.00. 

I set out to make them myself. I have a nifty little sewing machine foot attachment that makes ruffles and was super excited to use it! I bought the material for less than $5.00 and tried to make the pants without a pattern. I just traced a pair of Savannah's pants, that she wears, on to a brown paper bag and followed the step-by-step instructions that I found on YouTube for sewing ruffle pants.

Well, my first attempt was a huge fail. I didn't leave nearly enough room, overall, for the seam allowance, so the pants were several inches too short and the waist was extra tiny. So, I made a few adjustments and tried again. Pair of pants #2 fit much better. A little short (really nothing that most people would notice) and more narrow through the leg than I planned. BUT, they fit Savannah! 

Being the perfectionist that I am (not always the most handy attribute), I made yet another pattern of my own, making sure all my measurements were just right, and was determined to make these pants just right. And the third time was the charm and I still saved money compared to buying them on Etsy! The pants are the exact right length, the waist just right, the legs were the right fullness and the ruffle was ruffled just enough. I was SO excited! 

Savannah had been gone with Caleb on their weekly "daddy-daughter date" when I completed this "perfect" pair of pants, so I anxiously waited for them to come home. I tried them on her first thing and I could not be more pleased with how cute she looked in the pants that I had made!

Yes, she wore them to Thanksgiving. Don't they look so good?

Now that I've tackled the pants, I intend to make a few Christmas outfits for her. I've already made this skirt:

The skirt is SUPER simple and I can make it in less than 30 minutes. I plan to make a few more skirts and shirts to match. I'll post pictures of them soon! Now that I'm able to actually make clothes that fit Savannah, I'm hoping to get a serger soon to give the clothes a better finish.