Child mittens - review of free PDF pattern

Bringing my grand-daughter home from nursery one winter's day, I realised she had left her gloves at home. I thought I'd try and make her a quick spare pair, which could stay attached to her coat. That way, they'd stay with her!

I found this free pattern on the internet from Fleece Fun. It comes in 3 child sizes, as well as two women's and two men's sizes. The smallest sizes is supposed to fit ages 4-6, so I thought it would be perfect. 

To find out how I got on, read on.

Baby sleeping bags foir hot summer nights

This has been such a hot and dry June and July in my part of England. And stifling hot at night, too. So when I delivered a little romper for my youngest grand-daughter, my daughter asked if there was any chance I could make a thin sleeping bag for her as well. She's just turned a year old, and settles much better in a sleeping bag than not. But all her sleeping bags are warm and cosy, so she's been sleeping (or not) just in a nappy.

I wanted to be able make it quickly, as the weather was still very hot - not point in waiting till it gets cooler again. So I looked out the pattern I'd used to make sleeping bags for her older sister, and decided it would be just the right size, at 6-14 months. This was the free PDF generously offered by Small Dream Factory. (There are other sizes, available to buy.) There is a very good tutorial, too. I made two versions, one thin and one ultra-thin.

To find out how I modified the pattern to make thin hot weather sleeping bags, read on.

Variations on a simple A-line dress for girls' summer dresses

A basic A-line dress is a very good starting point for many variations, plain or fancy. This year, I've used one simple pattern to make a 3 different dresses.

For more about how to ring the changes on a simple pattern, read on.

Holiday Sewing

Before our family holiday, I had a mad few weeks of sewing for the holiday. First there were all the 'quiet books' to entertain the little ones while travelling. Then there were the beach cover-ups and a hooded towel for the littlest one. And lots of shorts and skirts. You could say the sewing machine was on fire. For once, because we were all on holiday together, I did actually get a few photos of the clothes being worn - although, these kids move so fast, it's hard to get shots in focus, and a lot of them are back views as they run around. I'm not complaining,  l love to see the things I've made being worn.

Here are a few examples - a small fraction of the total. Three pairs of shorts, and one skirt:

(I told you I get mainly back views!)

To see more, and find out about the free patterns I used, you'll need to click through to these pages.

Summer skirts for little girls Part 1
Summer skirts for little girls Part 2
Summer shorts for little girls
Beach cover-ups and baby beach towel
A-line variations on summer dresses.

Summer shorts for little girls

Summer time, and time for shorts! For one of my grand-daughters, some of her sister's shorts from earlier years have been handed down and are getting a new lease of life. But the older one has outgrown all of hers. This is one of my new pairs for 2018 (on the right), and, on the left, a pair she had originally, that have now been passed down to younger sister. 

As I did last year, I've struggled to find free PDf shorts patterns for the girls now they're older, but by making some patterns myself and adapting others, I've managed to come up with a few pairs.  You can find out more about making shorts for little girls below.