Spring/Summer wardrobe for Olivia

Boom! It feels so good to not only reach a goal, but smash it! One of my dreams when I started sewing two and a half years ago was that I would reach a stage where most of my children's clothes are made by me. This year I set out to achieve this with Olivia's wardrobe, with a reasonable goal of fifty percent store bought and fifty percent mama made. After an audit of her clothes I am so proud to say that, apart from a few irresistible deals at some of my favorite stores, I have bought very few clothes for her and have made more than eighty percent of her clothes this year.

I started working on her Spring/Summer wardrobes a few months ago. I would start a garment when feeling inspired, leave it incomplete, and then start a new one - and before I knew it I had more than ten pieces needing finishing touches. I enjoyed making every single item, and with each one I either learned a new skill or improved one I already had. I was so enthralled with this project that I even made one of the dresses between contractions the day I went into labour and gave birth…surely one of the best distractions ever!

I love making these clothes for Olivia - not only because of the finished product, but also the funny discussions and disagreements we've had when choosing fabric and designs. It took many such chats, not to mention a little bribing, to convince this little miss that not every item of clothing should be pink with a twirly skirt and flutter sleeves...or "pretty shoulder wings" as she calls them!

The photo shoot left us both exhausted hence the funny faces and out of focus and unedited pictures! She's a trooper this girl of mine, so are her little brothers who had be patient for a while!