Baby cropped trousers

Here we go again with these baby trousers. For the sake of accuracy, I should call them cropped or capri-trousers, because this is what they turned out to be.  Front pleated cropped-trousers.

This time, they are the right size :-)

I went for a contrasting belt. I quite like the mix of the two floral prints. The fabric comes from a shop on Goldhawk road in London.  

And the elastic at the bottom allows you (i.e. the baby) to wear them at different length.

I think they will be the first in a series for my baby's summer wardrobe!

A little chat

With the Easter holiday (i.e. both kids at home), I had very very little time to make anything.  I tried to do a remake of the baby trousers, 1st trial still too narrow but second looking good - although not finished.

The good news is that I started a dress-making course at a community college here in London. I have been wanted to do that for a looong time and here I am!!! I do hope I will learn a lot of good sewing techniques. The thing is that I have to chose a pattern to work on and I just cannot make up my mind! It needs to be a bit challenging of course, and something I like.  For the moment, I have two (Japanese) pattern books which to chose from:

Any ideas anyone?

Finally, my friend Beebee has e-mailed me this picture, taken in Seattle:

I think I would lose my sanity in a shop like that, really!!

Baby pleat front trousers

I wanted to reproduce some nice pleat front trousers I had bought for my baby daughter.  Because it was the first time I made something without a commercial pattern and clear instructions, I used a fabric I did not like that much. I am not even sure why I bought it, the shop man talked me into it, sold it really cheap because it was the end of a roll (probably payed 2£ for over 2m).

I also sewed the hem with a bright pink thread, matching the designs on the fabric (part of the reason is simply because I ran out of brown thread).

The result is, I think quite nice. Surprisingly, I like the way the fabric looks in these little trousers. But ... I don't know how that happened, they ended up so narrow my baby girl's cute bottom cannot fit inside them!! Obviously, I did not draw the pattern right. It is perhaps because I did not take the pleats into account.
Did I ever mention this blog is the journal of a beginner seamstress?

What will I do with them?  Use them for a doll? Or give them to a friend with a smaller baby? mmmhhh ...

But I will definitely start again, hoping I get it right this time!

PS: my camera broke :-( all photos are now taken with my phone.

PPS: I have acquired this book yesterday (at a bargain)

Looks like I will like it!!!