Sweet Dreams Baby Hat

This hat pattern is a very special one for me. When Benjamin was born, the hospital staff gave him a handknit hat. It fit him so perfectly, not nearly as tight as all the hats I had knit him, plus the ribbing was long enough to cover his ears. That's an extremely important feature to have in Wisconsin when you're born in February!!

So when I joined a Hat Swap for other babies due to be born in October, right around the time I'm due, I knew right away that I wanted to share this wonderful hat. I searched high and low for a pattern that would create a similar hat, but I could not find one. Finally, I reverse-engineered Benjamin's hat to create a hat for my swap partner's baby. Although Benjamin's hat had a pom-pom on top, I opted not to put one on this hat. I'm always a little wary of removeable items on baby clothes, and a pom-pom on top makes it a bit difficult to use a head support when in a carseat because of the added height to the hat, so no pom-pom for us! (It is a really cute feature though, so go ahead and make one if you'd like!)



Materials
Yarn A: Variagated sport weight yarn
Yarn B: Matching solid color sport weight yarn
Size US 4 (3.5mm) double pointed needles

Guage: 6sts/9rows = 1" in stockinette stitch

Directions
In yarn A, cast on 72 sts using the long-tail cast-on.
Join to work in the round.
Work K2,P2 rib for 3".
Purl next round.
Switch to yarn B, knit in stockinette stitch for 2 inches.
Switch back to yarn A, knit one round.
Purl one round.
K one round
*K6, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times.
K one round
*K5, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
K one round
*K4, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
K one round
*K3, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
K one round
*K2, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
K one round
*K1, K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
K one round
*K2tog, repeat from * 9 times
Cut yarn and thread through remaining 9 stitches. Weave in ends.

Infant/Toddler Pillowcase Dress

Materials:
2 pieces of 18” x 16.5” cotton fabric (I used two fat quarters for this dress)
14” of 1/2” knit elastic
1 package of 1/2” double fold bias tape (great tutorial here!!)
matching thread

Normally, one would use a pretty patterned, embroidered, or vintage pillowcase to make this dress. However, I wanted to make my daughter a dress that would match Mommy's dress, and I certainly couldn't fit into a pillowcase! You can still use a pillowcase if you would like, but just ignore steps 2-3 since the pillowcase will already have that completed for you. (When measuring the 18” on your pillowcase, use the opening as the bottom of your dress. Then you won't need to hem!) This dress should fit from 6 months – 18 months (finished length is 16.25”).

Step 1:

(click on each picture for a bigger view.)
Lay the two pieces of fabric on top of each other, right sides together, and cut edges matched (or turn your pillowcase inside out). Fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Lay the armscye (armhole) template on the upper right-hand corner of the fabric, and cut along the j-shape to create armholes. Below is the template. It can also be found here on my Flickr page. Download and print the Medium(640) size. (I added 1" to the top and 5/8" to the side of my template after printing but before cutting so that I didn't have to measure once placed on my fabric.)



Step 2:

Unfold the fabric. With right sides together, pin along the side edges (from the bottom of the “J” down). Sew a 5/8” straight seam. Go back and sew another straight seam in the seam allowance, 1/4” from the first one. Trim your fabric close to the second seam. Do this for each side. Press seams flat towards the back (which side is the back is completely up to you).

Step 3:

Hem your dress. Fold your fabric up 3/4” inch and press. Fold the raw edge down towards the pressed seam, hiding the raw edge on the inside, and press again. Stitch a straight seam 1/4” from the bottom of the dress. Stitch a second straight seam 1/8” above the first.

Step 4:

Create your top casing. Along the top of the dress, fold down 1/4” of the fabric and press. Fold down an additional 3/4” of the fabric and press. Sew a straight seam 1/8” from the edge of bottom press (leaving a tube-like hole above it). Do this for both the front and back pieces.

Step 5:

Cut your elastic in half so you have two 7” pieces. Using a safety pin for help, guide one piece of elastic through each casing. Leave 1/4” of elastic hanging out each side, and pin. Sew down the side of the casing, tacking in the elastic. To remove extra bulk, stretch the elastic ends and clip near the fabric.

Step 6:

Cut two 26” strips of bias tape. Find the midpoint of each piece and pin to the dress armscyes at the seam under the armpit. Place as many pins as you need to in order to attach the bias tape smoothly to the armholes. There will be around 10” or so of bias tape hanging from the top of the dress. This extra bias tape will become the shoulder ties. Starting at one end of the bias tape, stitch along the open edge, continuing through the armscye and up the other side. Repeat this on the other armhole. (I found an invaluable video tutorial on how to sew bias tape. Without it, there may have been lots of swearing. Not good for toddler ears.)

Step 7:

Put this nifty little dress on your favorite little girl! Tada! Beautifully (and safely) made!

Sometimes, you just have to give in...

I finished a summer (maternity) dress for myself this morning. I haven't sewn any clothing for myself while using a pattern since I hit puberty, so I'm still learning how to fit for me. I should have added at least 2" to the bust area because my boobs pull the back so far forward that the armholes cut a bit into the back of my arms, and the boobs are a bit squished in there. Pattern is McCalls m6074.


(Yes, this is me at 28 weeks pregnant! I'm in the home stretch!)


Then, because I had about 2 feet of fabric left, I decided to make my gestating daughter a matching dress. I made a pillowcase style dress, but without the drawstring. I didn't want her to get a shoulder strap caught on something and end up choking herself! So I put some 1/2" elastic in the casing instead. I've got to run to the store and pick up some bias tape binding, which I'm going to put around the armholes and use that for the shoulder ties. I hope to find some matching fabric to make bloomers out of too! This dress is suggested to fit 6 months to 18 months (though likely as a shirt by 18 months).


(Tutorial to follow when the dress is all finished!)