Another episode of "I suck as a blogger"

So, clearly, I am not so good about updating this thing. I have been posting my makes on Facebook and completely forgetting I should post them on here too. So, if you want to see some of the stuff I have made in the last year and a half, check out my Instagram feed or my Facebook page. LOL

Anyway, I have a new grand baby now. She was born the Monday before Christmas and I have made several cute things for her. My latest make is an outfit for her first Valentine's Day. 

This is the pattern I used. It is Butterick B4110. I used View D, but did not make the hat as my daughter felt like it would just not be worn. So I made her a headband to wear instead. No pattern for that, just me trying until I came up with something I liked.

I used a cute Valentine's print from Joanns for this outfit. I liked the soft pink and the little heart roses. Very girly and perfect for our little princess. 

The first thing I did was wash my fabric. I always wash fabric before beginning a project to remove all the chemicals, sizing, and other stuff that gets on fabric as it travels from manufacturer to fabric store to my house. It also preshrinks the fabric to prevent problems with that after construction. While the fabric was washing and drying I cut out my pattern pieces and ironed them. Then I laid out my fabric for cutting.

 

I found most of the pattern fairly easy to follow and easy to assemble as well. The ribbon is applied prior to assembly, so make sure you have that ready first. The finishing was nice too. I hand stitched the lining down and I also pinked the edges after assembly to prevent fraying. I usually would use my serger, but the pieces are small and with the gathering necessary, the serger has a tendency to get jammed. The pattern calls for single fold bias tape for the casing for elastic on the sleeves and legs, but I think I may use ribbon or seam tape next time since the bias tape is a little stiff. This pattern has a lot of ease in the design so on a smaller baby it will be very voluminous. It also would not fit a newborn even in the smallest size. (My granddaughter is only a month old and it's going to fit her for a while.) Other than that, I think this is adorable. 

I didn't get pics of the steps I used to make the hairbow, but it turned out adorable and is a great addition to the overall outfit. Anyway, here is my adorable granddaughter in her Grammy made Valentine's outfit. 

All in all, I will be using this pattern again for sure. I already have plans for another make of this for a niece's baby. Happy sewing everyone!