The baby has arrived!

Yes, my first grandchild was born today!  4 and 1/2 weeks early, but healthy and cute as a little button!  I had started making him a snowsuit about a week or so ago (yes, I know, it's only August) but winter has a way of sneaking up on people and I wanted him to be nice and snugly warm. 

I saw this pattern on-line when I was searching for cute infant boys clothing.  Try saying that three times fast!  When I saw this adorable pattern, I knew it was my destiny to make it for him! 




I mean look at this cute little thing, how adorable, especially with the 'scales' running up the backside!  It doesn't help that the little model is impossibly cute either. 

Here's my best attempt at a description: bib coveralls with snap front opening that folds out of the way for easy dressing.  Hood has toggle type closure with elastic enclosed in the casing.  The entire coveralls are lined with terry cloth and all the seams are covered. 
So, I found my fabric at Fabric.com.  It was tough to find the right weight twill for the shell and a terry cloth that coordinated with it.  Since I couldn't see both together in person, I used their design wall feature and am pretty happy with the results. 

Tracing off the pattern is pretty easy to do with the 'real' magazine paper to trace from.  I remembered this time to add seam allowances.  For these little coveralls, you must cut the lining fabric a tad smaller than the shell and use deeper seam allowances as you want the lining to cling to the interior rather than bag away. 

The dinosaur applique is adhered first with stitch witchery and then I used a decorative straight stitch around the outside to keep it snugly in place. 

I made the 6 month size and given my little guy was early, he's pretty tiny and these coveralls look huge compared to him!  Luckily I know how fast he will grow! 

After tracing and cutting out, I promptly lost the directions for this pattern!  I took the magazine on a business trip with me and I can't believe I left the magazine behind!  I had to wing it when it came to putting this together--which by the way was pretty darn challenging given the way the child is put into this thing.  It isn't just a placket front, it has a rounded bib sort of thing with a separate overlapping front piece.  What is so great about this is that you open the coveralls up, lay the baby down, stuff his little legs and arms in with the easy access point and snap him up!  See what I mean by the photo?


I remember having a snowsuit for my newborns that zipped down the middle to the crotch and then flowed down one leg.  Talk about miserable when it came to dressing baby!  This way seems so much easier to me. 

Here is the basic order I constructed this:
1.  Appliqued the dino
2.  Sewed the scales down the backside and the hood, then sewed the center back seams
3.  Constructed the eyelets in the hood for the toggle and elastic closure
4.  Basted the lining to the front bib piece
5.  Attached self-bias tape (from a red cotton from my stash) to the front bib piece
6.  Attached the front to back, realized I sewed the front bib incorrectly, unsewed and tried again!
7.  Constructed the lining
8.  Attached the hood and hood lining
9.  Slipstitched the hood lining--I wouldn't skip this step.  The terry cloth lining rolled like heck!  This tamed it quite a bit!
10. Attached the lining to the shell and realized I shouldn't have sewn the center back seam the entire way so I could have 'clean edges' and hems!
11. Unsewed portions of the center back seam
12. Hemmed the legs and arms
13. Turned everything right side out so it all made sense! 
14. Topstitched the raglan sleeves, around the hood and in the ditch on the bias taped bib
15. Attached the snaps
16. Strung the elastic cord and toggle-type cord
17. Done!

Although that doesn't seem like that many steps, I spent quite a bit of time figuring out what I needed to do and unsewing what I'd done! 

I do think my finished garment looks like the magazine.  I do have to say sometimes it is rather disappointing knowing you can't get everything to coordinate without a lot of legwork prior to starting.  I didn't think about my elastic cord and toggle matching the shell!  I had to put up with the offerings from Hancocks. 

Directions--I know that the directions in the magazine don't have visuals and if you are an inexperienced sewer, I am not sure you could make this without visuals.

Alterations/modifications:
None that I know of, given I lost the directions!  I do have more snaps than the magazine shows and I didn't have quite enough of the yellow snaps, so I used some red ones on the upper part of the bodice. 

Recommendations:
This was such a fun and unique pattern for the new little man in my life!  It will be a lot of fun to see him in this!
I really don't recommend this pattern unless you've had some experience sewing.  If you are confident in your abilities, you'll love it!

Conclusion:
I really enjoyed making this without directions.  I think I now know what it must be like to use a Marfy pattern!  Lots of fun, unique, and I think very cute!

Thanks so much for reading!
Sue :)