my niece just turned one, and i decided to make a comfy little outfit for her to wear this spring and summer as she transitions from crawling to walking. inspiration struck late on this one, so i ended up making it the morning of her birthday party while O napped and my husband took ballet class duty with Em!
the shirt is rae’s flashback skinny tee pattern in 12-18 mo. it was my first time making it, and now i’m kind of in love! it came together SO quickly and turned out great! it’s made with an old but not-worn-much jersey knit shirt of mine from old navy (i think it was one of those shirts that i got early in my pregnancy with Em – too big for non-maternity, not big enough for maternity). the lighter purple trim is a tank top that was too small and also never worn, and i added a little heart appliqué to the chest for extra cuteness.
i took rae’s tips and sewed most of the shirt with my walking foot, using a narrow zig zag stitch. the walking foot made sewing jersey muuuuch easier. i’m a convert.
to go with, i made a simple skirt with the scraps of the original sweet tartan dress. there’s just one seam in the back, an elastic waistband, and I added a double stitched hem. dana has a simple skirt tutorial here if you need instructions – a toddler skirt was my very first sewing project, and probably one of the easiest things to make!
and, um…i happen to have a 12-18 month size person in my house, so he got to model this soft and comfy little outfit for his girl cousin! i’m calling it a “utilikilt” while he wears it. 😉
for a kiddo that doesn’t prefer to wear clothes at all, this skirt seemed to give him a bare-legged “free” feeling that made him very happy. he was really digging it. the funny thing is, he’s a total boy with a big pot belly, and his cousin is a string bean with delicate features. this outfit just made him look like a boy wearing girl clothes rather than a girl…even though he’s just a baby! it was cracking me up.
he’s very proud of his tummy, as you can see. 🙂
i had to work on some sewing projects so the tutorial for Em’s sunshine easter dress is hopefully coming later this week. i’m so excited to show you more pictures of it!
skirt as top 
omg, I am totally cracking up over your son gleefully wearing the outfit. how adorable. my 19 month old prefers to be naked, and I’ve had to unearth some onesies lately as they are the only thing that can keep her from ripping her diaper off and peeing everywhere *facepalm*….good thing she still fits into a 6 month size onesie!
haha, that’s awesome. he WILL NOT keep shoes or socks on, even if we doubleknot the laces. we look like terrible parents – every time we arrive somewhere, he’s barefoot, even when it’s 40 degrees and raining.
hehe…i wondered right away that was a little boy modeling a girlie outfit! he’s adorable- what a sweet smile and a happy belly!! my son has now started to wear his sisters dress-up shoes (think pink fur and diamonds). cute outfit!
oh that’s cute. i love it that they don’t care yet. who wouldn’t want to wear sparkly dress up shoes? 😀
That is so funny! Before you said it was O, I saw the first picture and thought, “wow Kristin’s poor niece is kind of a manly baby huh?”
Super cute outfit!
okay, it’s not just me speaking as his mother then. he never has been mistaken for a girl. but HA!!!! “manly baby.”
so cute! Love the tee and the mentioning of the legs free feeling of wearing a skirt…and of course I love him modeling for you and being oblivious to the girls clothes!
it flies for now, anyway!!! hehe.
you have quite a little model on your hands there! okay, i think i need the skinny tee pattern AND a walking foot. thanks a lot! 🙂
you can borrow my walking foot if you want to give it a try!!
he is adorable! so funny. that outfit is too cute.
Utilikilt!! Hahaha. Love it. I mean, those parts need to breathe, right? Super cute. I am planning on getting that skinny tee pattern in time for the big kids’ sew-a-thon (KCWC) going on later this month, and whip out a bunch of them for my lil’ guy. I’ve been loving sewing knits with my walking foot too. It really makes a difference!
A utilikilt? That’s hilarious! Although he does seem to love the new outfit. Perhaps he will need a utilikilt…
My boy is nearly four and still never wears clothes! Oh dear! At least it cuts down on laundry:) I love the flashback pattern! I love how fast it is, I can pump a couple out during nap time. Instant gratification!
Wear it like you own it, O!
Ooh, I love that shirt! Another pattern I need to buy?? And while utilikilt is a creative name, it’s still a skirt, Kristin – just call it what it is ;).
lol! love the model! and the outfit too.
perhaps a pleated kilt *is* the way to go on toddler boys!
Adorable!
he is adorable! I LOVE the model!!!! so cute:)