Matchy, Matchy Easter Outfits

The kids' 2013 Easter outfits. 

When I decided to start sewing at the beginning of the year, I had no idea how much I would love it and how much I would be able to do in such a short amount of time. I am pretty famous for doing things for 3 weeks and then giving up, well it is now March and my list of sewing projects I want to do just keeps growing.

As a sewing mommy, I believe that it is right of passage to make matching Easter outfits for your kids. With Calan and Maisie so close in age, it just had to happen. I am positive when they are older they will complain that I made them wear them, but I can't help but think they will be pretty adorable all dressed up.

I first decided to make Maisie's dress and at the time I had no intentions of making anything for Calan, but as my skills have improved and my idea in my head of what I wanted him to wear was not matching anything at the store in our price range, I decided sewing was the only option.

The front and back of Maisie's
dress. I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern
Shop's The Natalie Dress.
The skirt fabric is
KeepsakeCalico Circle Daisy Navy.

A few weeks back, my favorite sewing blog and pattern shop had an adorable dress on sale. I knew that would be Maisie's dress. She posts discounts every Thursday. Then last week, she had a 25%-off pattern sale that included her new spring line, which included a cardigan that would be perfect for Calan's Easter outfit.

For Maisie's dress, I wanted something that looked spring-ish, but wasn't too pastel or flowery. I fell in love with the skirt fabric. I just choose white interlock knit for the top, and got to work. It was my first time sewing knit, so there are a lot of mistakes on the top, but it looks fine on her. I have gotten a lot better since I've sewn this dress. A part of me would love to re-do it, but I want to do more projects, so the top stays as is. I made the dress more empire wasted than the pattern calls for. I think it looks better on a toddler that way.

The pleats were pretty easy to do. I had a few seam-ripping situations, but overall the project fit well within my beginner-sewer status.

I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's
V-neck Cardigan and
Delia Creates' Lil' MisterBow-tie
for Calan's outfit. 

With Maisie looking adorable in her dress, I knew that I couldn't leave Calan out. I love how the cardigan and bow-tie turned out. I am matching it with a white dress shirt I bought at Kohl's and a pair of gray cordaroys he already had. I can tell by looking at the cardigan just how much better I have gotten at sewing knits. I am still not the best, but I can tell from my first time on Maisie's dress to my fourth knit project of Calan's cardigan, I have much better control. There are a lot of tips on sewing knits online. Using a walking foot and a double needle has made sewing them look like I have been doing it for years instead of just months.

The patterns I followed were The Natalie Dress and V-Neck Cardigan from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shops. The patterns are great because they go from 3 months to 8 and 12 years, repectively, so I can use them for years to come.  For the bow-tie, I followed an easy tutorial from Delia Creates. (The tutorial was easy, but it did take me a while to figure out how to tie a bow-tie; those things are adorable, but tricky.)

Now to figure out what I am going to wear. Decisions, Decisions.

And my not so willing models showing off their outfits. Toddlers and pictures do not mix.