V turns 1

My new baby niece isn't a new baby anymore. She turns 1 tomorrow, the first day of spring. She lives over 900 miles away from us, but thanks to modern technology we have FaceTime on a fairly regular basis, and her dad-o (my brother) shares photos and videos with us. One recent video was of her standing, doing a little dance, and shaking her head "no no no no no" before plopping to the floor. He tells me she took her first wobbly steps a few days ago and this turns me into a puddle.

I miss her.

And in lieu of seeing my little niece in person to celebrate her first birthday, I sent her a whole pile of handmade gifts (and a few board books because I'm also told this babe loves to be read to).

I started making these clothes in January. (I actually thought I'd be able to send a care package shortly after the new year, well before her birthday, but it always take me longer to finish making things than I think it will, especially with sewing. I have to be in the right headspace for that, which doesn't happen when I'm busy and stressed like nowadays.)

Anyhoo, Miss V now has a lap neck tee (pattern by Brindille & Twig): 

...two new Flashback Skinny Tees:

...three pairs of Big Butt Baby Pants:

... and two hand knit sweaters (links and more info on those in a bit) headed her way.

One challenge of sewing for a growing child who lives halfway across the country is sizing. I just hope these things fit during appropriate seasons. I'm also perplexed by the sizing on the shirts vs. the pants.

I used 12-18mo for everything, and the pants look huge in comparison to the tees, despite being from the same pattern maker. This makes me wonder if they'll fit her at different times. Honestly, that's not a big deal because even though I chose fabrics that coordinate somewhat in the hopes that she'll have complete outfits to wear, it's ok if she wears the tees now and the pants in the fall. The Brindille & Twig tee was sized better compared to the pants. In fact, I had to cut off a couple inches from the bottom because the original was so long.

The neckline on this tee overlaps at the shoulders, and it calls for a bias binding. I decided to try fold-over elastic instead when I found some at a Big Box Craft Store. It was certainly easier than fiddling with knit bias binding. I was slightly nervous that it would be a little too stiff for the neck, but it actually turned out pretty nice. I'd do it again. 

As you can see in the photos, I used a variety of fabrics. Most of it was leftovers from other projects, though the cat print on the tee in the first photo I saw at the store and got it specifically for V because I pretty much couldn't resist. 

Now for the sweaters! I had fun with these. I think I'll save all the extra photos and a longer write-up for another post because this is already fairly picture-heavy. Here's a teaser, though, and pattern links!

First up is the Lush Cardigan:

 Next is Crazyheart:

I have plenty more to share about these, but that will have to wait until later this week. I'm tired, peeps, and tomorrow is Monday.