Hello!
It’s Rosa here and this is my first blog post ever for Lamazi Fabrics.
I was so excited when Liana and James asked if I would like to collaborate with them this year and I hope you enjoy seeing what I’ve made from their gorgeous fabrics.
If you follow along with my sewing adventures, either on my YouTube channel Sewn or my Instagram @rosabella.angelica, you’ll know my current obsession is making baby clothes. I’ve made lots of hats, tops and leggings for lots of lovely babies in my life, and my godson, Fox, loves his handmade wardrobe.
As much as I love making clothes for myself, there is something so special about seeing him, who I love to pieces, happy and comfy in clothes I’ve made for him. And as an added bonus, baby clothes are the ultimate stash busters and can be put together in no time at all!
Fox’s mummy had let me know that he has outgrown his handmade leggings I made a few months ago so this seemed the perfect opportunity to make some more.
Before I start any project I like to look around for inspiration and I put together a mini moon board.
For this project I was inspired by Cornwall, which is where baby Fox lives, and the bright colours and graphic prints of 1970s. Images are from Boden, John Lewis, Little Bird for Mothercare and Folksy.
My next step in this project was choosing a fabric and, my goodness, this took me ages! There are so many adorable children’s jerseys on the Lamazi website but I finally chose the ‘Cute Crocs’ and ‘Ocean Life’ jerseys:
These also come in a couple of other colour ways which are equally adorable.
I love the way these prints combine classic, nautical stripes in bold colours with sweet and fun graphic animals. The fabrics are also super soft and stretchy on delicate baby skin.
I decided to use my favourite pattern for the leggings which is the Petite Pegs pattern from Patterns for Pirates. This is actually a FREE pattern and it comes together remarkably quickly and seems to fit very well. I particularly like the waistband which is soft with no elastic to dig in.
I cut a size 9 months as, even though he is only 5 months old, Fox is growing fast and his mum wisely wants them to last. Jerseys are the perfect pick for baby clothes as they stretch to fit for longer. I cut them full length and there are only two pattern pieces: One for the leg and one for the waistband, which you have to measure out yourself (this is super easy to do with a scrap of paper).
As the fabrics are striped, I made a decision to cut them out on a single layer of fabric. This ensures the stripes go around the legs completely horizontally with no twisting.
If you choose to do this for a striped project, make sure you remember to flip your pattern piece when you cut the second leg so you don’t end up with two left pieces, or two right pieces, when you need one left leg and one right.
I used pins to match up the stripes which I would really recommend to get a professional finish on striped projects, and is also super satisfying to do!
Many people ask how I make jersey projects without an overlocker, and the truth is I just prefer the finish you get on a sewing machine. My Singer Confidence 7470 has a brilliant stretch stitch that is very strong and I have tops I made on it years ago which are still going strong. When making baby clothes, I also trim the seams to ensure they are super soft on the inside. As these leggings are so tiny, trimming the seams takes not time at all.
My Singer Confidence 7470 Machine and Stretch Stitch Type
Altogether I used 50cm of each of the fabrics, and I have enough of each left over to make either a little baby tee-shirt or baby hat, or a pair of baby leggings in a new born size.
The leggings came together in a snap and I am so pleased with how they have turned out. I hope you like them too!
Drop me a line if you have any questions and I can’t wait to see you again soon!
Rosa x