Burdastyle baby/toddler ruffle blouse

While I do not post every single item of clothing I make for my daughter (it probably takes longer to photograph and write about baby leggings than actually make them), I still feel a bit guilty that I don’t sew her things more often, especially because there is no lack of suitable fabric scaps in my stash.

Burdastyle 09/2013 #146 or “Baby’s Ruffle Top”.

The fabric of today’s blouse started out as a wrap dress that I made ages ago. Once finished, I realized it just wasn’t my style. In a desperate attempt to make it more wearable I tried turning it into a short-sleeved wrap blouse. I never hemmed it, though, and recently decided to use the leftovers for other projects. As I had already cut it up, none of the scraps were big enough for an adult-sized garment, but the pattern pieces for a size 92 Baby’s Ruffle Top from Burdastyle 09/2013 just fit.

Two versions of the top, in size 68 and 92, the smallest and largest size the pattern comes in. For the first I used African wax print, for the second viscose (blend).

This was the second time I made this blouse for my daughter. The first version, which was a size 68, dates from spring 2014. I used a remnant of wonderful African wax print. In hindsight the fabric was perhaps a bit too stiff for a baby’s garment, but I still think it would have been difficult to find a better project for it, as it was such as small piece.

My first rendition of the top. This picture was taken in the summer of 2014 when my daughter was about half a year old.

After making the blouse I only had a few strips of fabric left that I used for the cuffs of a matching pair of jeans shorts, based on Burdastyle 07/2012 #144. These are very basic shorts with an elastic waistband. I added two back pockets taken from a Knippie pattern. Perhaps I’m just sentimental because this is the first outfit I sewed for my daughter, but I do think I like the first version of the top better than the recent one.

The top closes in the back with five or six buttons depending on the size.

The second version came together much faster, though. Despite the generally uncomplicated construction I remember struggling to attach the miniature sleeves and finish the neckline. This time around I set in the sleeves flat, which was a time-saver. Perhaps set-in sleeves look just a bit neater, but I think the wearer cares more about comfort, colours and print than construction. Instead of finishing the edges of the ruffle with a narrow zig zag I folded the fabric, so the raw edges are encased by the bias binding. To reduce bulk caused by the extra layer of fabric, I shortened the ruffle, so it’s less full.

My daughter inspected the blouse and then said: “Blommor” (“Flowers”). It would have been more impressive if she had said: “Paisley”. Or if she had noticed that there’s no green dye in the left sleeve and the right half of the back.

This top is from the same collection as the dress I made last spring. I must obviously like this collection, because I’ve used both patterns twice now. Even though I was happier with the previous version, the fabric I used this time is probably more suitable as it is softer and not as prone to wrinkling as the wax print. I don’t know its exact contents – it was thrifted – but I suspect it’s viscose, possibly a blend. Funnily, only when putting together the top I realized that the fabric is faulty; some parts lack the moss green print. It is not very obvious, but it does make me feel less bad about cutting up the wrap dress!

Bad mobile phone action shot of my daughter wearing the top. The size seems to be about right for a 2-year old.

In the beginning of this year I vowed to finish five projects before cutting into new fabric and this top is # 5/5. Now, I may have bent my own rules a bit, as I started this blouse only a couple of weeks ago and finished it last week. On the other hand, the dress that provided the fabric for this blouse was a long-time UFO, so technically speaking the fabric had already been cut, right? Oh, and in case anybody’s wondering, # 4/5 is another children’s garment: a corduroy pinafore. It’s still too big for my daughter – the bib comes up to her chin – so I haven’t bothered sewing on the buttons yet. I might post about it some other time.

Sneak peek of a pinafore based on a pattern from Stoff och Stil.

Materials
Top no. 1 and shorts
African wax print and lightweight denim: thrift store
Mother-of-pearl buttons: flea market

Top no. 2
Viscose (blend?) with paisley print: thrift store
Buttons: flea market