The Itty Bitty Baby Dress

I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever I go shopping, there is one thing that can, without fail, make me smile and go all mushy inside, exclaiming “aww” and cooing at all those around me - and that, is baby clothes!

Now, I don’t have any babies of my own, and since the beginning of my sewing adventure, no one I know has had babies either – until now! My boyfriend’s sister has had a beautiful baby girl, and I finally feel confident enough in my sewing to tackle a new teeny, tiny (literally) project for someone else. Cue the Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made by Rae!

 

 

This pattern is just adorable, and do you know what else? It’s free – yes, FREE! It comes in two size variations, one for a small newborn weighing 7-8lbs and a slightly bigger (though still miniature) 9-11lbs. I went for the slightly bigger size, as although she is only a very small baby; I don’t want her to grow out of it too quickly.

 

 

Even in the larger size, I was stunned at how little fabric was needed – I had leftover from ½ a yard of the main fabric, and the lining was leftover fabric I had from my Miette skirt. Throughout making the project, I kept pausing to swoon over how cute (and quite frankly, mind bogglingly tiny) it was. I also love the quirky, cutesy Paris fabric, I bought this on ebay months ago, and although I have always longed to include it in a project, none have seemed quite right, until now!  

When it came to finishing seams, I chose to use French seams (great tutorial here) so that they would be soft against her newborn skin, I didn’t want the dress to be at all rough or uncomfortable for her.

 

 

 

Assembling the dress was really logical, though Rae’s notes were handy to read through as this was my first baby garment. The pattern itself is so beautifully simple, that there is so much scope to customise it in lots of different ways. I chose to create the pattern as it was intended, as it is just so lovely, though I must say, I have lots of ideas for further incarnations!

 

This project was an opportunity for a couple more 'firsts':

• Making a baby garment
• Making my own bias binding (great tutorial)

 

Just to give some perspective on how tiny this is, here it is hanging up next to one of my dresses!

- People in my life; have more babies please!