UDATE* Pattern now available here
I’m a fan of simple, especially for wardrobe staples. I like my daughter to wear what I make even if that means that she’s going to run through the mud or roll around in the grass with her big brothers. So, I like to have projects for play clothes that aren’t going to take me ages to make. Both Sweet as Pie and Bare Necessities fit the bill. I can actually cut and sew up both in just a few hours. Now, she can play to her heart’s content and I won’t feel too bad about a stain here and there.
I love bloomers and ruffle butt diaper covers, but my daughter is getting a little old for those. Last year she stopped wearing bloomers and requested that I only make shorts. So, I drafted up a sweet little set of shorts that fulfilled my desire for a cute peek of ruffles and my daughter’s desire to look a little bit more grown up.
I made about 6 pairs of these shorts last year and my daughter wore a pair almost every day either with her tops or under her dresses. They were absolutely perfect for pairing with her dresses that were too short at the end of the season. These have three ruffles, but during testing, I discovered that three ruffles wouldn’t fit on the smallest sizes, so my pattern only includes 2. It’s an easy modification, though if you want to 3 layers of ruffly goodness!
Last year, I also sewed up a few trapeze style dresses for the hot summer days.
This has always been a favorite style of mine for little girls. I own a similar vintage dress and there are quite a few smocked dress patterns to be found in this style, but last year, Nelly Madison Clothing Co. hit the market and this style has made a huge revival!
I like it in a longer dress version, but I’ve shortened the pattern to make it easier to play in and to give a peek at the cute shorts paired with it.
I love this top length. It’s so cool for the hot summer days.
And this top length with ruffle gives that triple ruffle look that I loved in last year’s shorts.
And, best of all, the gathered, flared skirt is flounced, so it gives so much twirl without a bulky seam.
This pattern is going to be FULL of options, but more on that coming later!
I just think that this look is perfect for summer-so perfect that I wanted to do a pattern last year, but it didn’t make it through the approval process. Now that I’m on my own, I’m so excited to release these two patterns so that everyone else can fill their closet with girly, age appropriate basics!
Duchess and Hare 
That’s a shame it didn’t make it through the approval process last year, so excited that you get to release whatever you want to now!
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