As I mentioned in the past, I have been sewing for a very long time. After my daughter was born, I made most of her clothes and she was the best dressed baby in town!
My “little” girl is now almost twenty-four and I no longer sew for her, so any excuse to create pretty little outfits is seized – this cute little two-piece is for someone I will be visiting at the weekend.
I had some cute fabric left over from a previous project and there was just enough to make a little wrap over dress using this pattern. I used some coordinating pink checked fabric to line it, making it reversible, and made some matching pants (pattern here).
The back of the dress splits and shows off the adorable frills on the back of the pants.
Two lime green buttons are a bold choice to compliment the bold design.
Did I mention that it is fully reversible?!
Either for a different look or to get more wear out of it before it hits the laundry bin:)
Not the knickers. (Although I did once suggest this to No.1 Son when he ran out of clean boxers because he didn’t bring his dirty laundry downstairs).
Why aren’t more clothes this practical?
Imagine how much less stressful it would be if you stopped for breakfast before a meeting and you spilled ketchup all down the front of your shirt. Unless you keep a spare in your bag for just such an eventuality (really?), you could just turn it inside out and, hey presto, clean shirt!
No more struggling to pull a dress on over a wriggly babies head either – this one just wraps around and buttons up at the shoulders.
A contrasting pockets adds a bit of interest. Trimmed with coordinating lilac ric-rac, a flower cut from the main fabric has been appliquéd on and a bit of fun free machine embroidery added to finish it off..
In the words of William Morris; “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
I like things to be useful and beautiful so pockets fall under this category for me. And what’s the point in having a pocket if there’s nothing to put in it?
So I made a little pink felt bunny that will (hopefully) entrance the wearer sufficiently to displace all notions of filling the pocket with worms. (Yes, little girls do that too!).
Bunny has embroidered features so is perfectly safe for inquisitive hands.
And a bunny isn’t a bunny without a fluffy white bob-tail, is it?
So there you have it – a gorgeous little wrap dress and frilly knickers for a baby girl or toddler, which is reversible to boot!
February 3, 2015 at 4:21 pm
I’ve made one of those dresses and love it! It doesn’t have a pocket on though… Yours beats mine and your embroidery is sooo sweet! And those frilly knickers, wow! I can see how your daughter was the best dressed in town! And the bunny finishes the gift off perfectly.
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February 3, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Ooh, pictures please! The basic pattern just needed a bit of “oomph” really – I love to make it “mine” by adding the extras:)
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February 3, 2015 at 6:22 pm
I made it ages ago and it’s probably stained now haha but I’ll have a look! Your extras certainly make it more special 🙂
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February 3, 2015 at 6:35 pm
Ah, thanks Beth, but anything homemade is special really, isn’t it?
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February 3, 2015 at 4:35 pm
Oh,God,how cute this project is….. I’m still collecting myself from the ground since I melted like ice as I saw your post….
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February 3, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Hopefully we’ll soon have a grandchild to make more baby things for! Nothing imminent – just in the “planning” stage, or so we’re told:)
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February 3, 2015 at 5:32 pm
What a lovely news 🙂 🙂 🙂 I love love love love sooooooooooooo much to craft goodies for my nephews!!!!!
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February 3, 2015 at 4:40 pm
Such cute, beautiful work 🙂
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February 3, 2015 at 4:51 pm
Thanks Roma – making baby clothes is so much fun:)
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February 3, 2015 at 5:57 pm
So cute! My six year old just spied the rabbit in the pocket detail over my shoulder and now wants one too 🙂 Inspired touch. Love this!
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February 3, 2015 at 6:40 pm
If you make her a tiny rabbit, a tip when making anything too small to turn, is to sew round the stitching line BEFORE cutting it out. It’s much easier to work with a square of fabric than try to sew with tiny seam allowances:)
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February 3, 2015 at 9:20 pm
Aha! Will keep this is mind 🙂 Thank you!
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February 3, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Oh my stars! My heart leapt when I saw your photos. I made little outfits like that for my two babies over forty years ago – forty years!!!!!!! The dresses weren’t reversible though so the pattern layout was slightly different. And the frilly knickers were so adorable! It has just made me ridiculously happy to think there is a little girl somewhere in the world wearing such an adorable and practical dress. The bunny in the pocket is the perfect final touch!
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February 3, 2015 at 7:18 pm
It’s lovely to be able to have little girls in the family again to make thing for, I used to so enjoy making unique outfits for my daughter. I must ask for a photo of her wearing it for the blog for you to see:)
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February 3, 2015 at 7:20 pm
I’ve almost gotten broody reading your post!
“Behave Thimberlina! I’m probably to old now anyway!!”
My youngest niece will be 1 in June, I think she may be receiving a cute little outfit that resembles yours. It is truly the cutest ever! I have already downloaded both patterns and added to my growing to-do list. Thanks for sharing 😀
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February 3, 2015 at 7:23 pm
You’re welcome:) It’s such a straightforward design too, so very simple to customise and make really special. Can’t wait to see your version!
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February 3, 2015 at 7:43 pm
Aaah that is beyond cute!!! Love it and little bunny too!!!
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February 4, 2015 at 8:33 am
It is such a sweet pattern, I couldn’t resist making it:)
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February 3, 2015 at 7:54 pm
Aha! One of the mysteries revealed..I might sleep a bit better tonight now….lol 😉 Your little dress is so lovely and extremely practical too. I wish I had known about that design when my daughter was little!
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February 4, 2015 at 8:37 am
Not sure how long before I can reveal the other mystery:) I wish I’d had this pattern when my daughter was little too. Thank goodness for the Internet – which didn’t exist back then!
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February 5, 2015 at 7:15 pm
Same here, almost 27 years ago I would never have dreamed a computer and the internet would be such a big part of my life now! It’s a bit different than having to trot off to the library like we did back then 😉
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February 3, 2015 at 8:14 pm
One a sweet little outfit. The felted bunny is just to die for. You are so smart thinking and designing just the right touch to make your project just perfect. The patterns of each fabric is lovely together. You rock Sheila! 😉
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February 4, 2015 at 8:39 am
Thanks Robin, you say the kindest things! I was lucky to have two fabrics in my stash that went well together so it was ‘free’ to make too:)
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February 3, 2015 at 9:41 pm
Just adorable 🙂
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February 3, 2015 at 10:23 pm
It IS cute, isn’t it? I hope her parents love it too:)
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February 3, 2015 at 9:46 pm
This outfit is adorable 😍 I am definitely someone who would benefit from reversible clothes haha x
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February 3, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Me too – if only to lessen the huge volumes of washing I currently get through!
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February 4, 2015 at 3:21 am
Oh my goodness. I’m not quite to the baby stage yet, but some of my friends are! I’m stealing this idea so cute!!! 🙂
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February 4, 2015 at 8:02 am
I’m sure they’d be thrilled with it – go for it!
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February 4, 2015 at 12:23 pm
These are adorable! I wish I had been sewing when my daughter was a baby (she’s 13 now). I was only doing curtains and cushions in those days.
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February 4, 2015 at 12:53 pm
She might look a bit silly in them now – you’ll have to wait for a granddaughter:)
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February 4, 2015 at 3:58 pm
This is super cute! Your stitch work looks impeccable!
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February 4, 2015 at 5:16 pm
Thanks Sherry! I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to details:)
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February 5, 2015 at 1:29 pm
Oh my goodness! What an a-do-ra-ble little outfit! Cuteness overload ….. Love the fact that it’s reversible (such gorgeous sewing * sigh *) and has pretty details like the pocket and the bunny!! Lucky recipient! Marianne xx
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February 5, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Thanks Marianne – I loved making it and the added details are a bit of fun, aren’t they?
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June 21, 2021 at 4:29 am
Absolutely lov this do you not make to sell I would absolutely lov this little dress and pants for my granddaughter x
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