Dandelion Cardigan and Simplicity 2461 Dress

I've had the goal of making myself a completely handmade capsule wardrobe for a while now, but ever since Evelyn was born, I've noticed I have a stronger desire to make clothing for her, instead.  In fact, for our last day of MOPS, I decided that she should have a brand new, handmade outfit.  I was so proud of how it turned out, that I decided I needed to come back to my blog, and tell you about it!

Her cardigan is the Dandelion Cardigan by Along avec Anna in size 2T, and it's made out of Malabrigo Sock in the colorway Ivy.  It's a 100% superwash merino, and I have to say, I really love this yarn.  I've used it in several different projects already, including a sweater for myself, and I keep coming back to it.  The cardigan pattern was pretty easy to follow.  You start by making the sleeves in stockinette, and work the cardigan from the bottom up until you reach the underarm.  Then, the sleeves are added, and the raglan shaping begins.  The dandelion design running throughout the body of the cardigan may look difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it works up incredibly quickly, and I'm a little obsessed with it (check out my Mabel and Mini Mabel socks).

Then, there's her dress!  Now, I'm very much a novice when it comes to sewing, so there are a lot of mistakes in this dress, but there's only one way to learn, right?  The pattern is Simplicity 2461 in size 1, and was made out of Cotton + Steel Lawn Lawnquilt Wildflower Cream Fabric.  It's not very stretchy, which makes lining things up easier, and it's pretty lightweight.  The general construction was fairly simple, though there are a couple things I'll change when I do this again - yes, I am definitely making another of these dresses for her!  The back zipper was definitely the most difficult thing for me, and I have no problem admitting that I had no idea what I was doing when it came to that part.  I've since talked to my mom about it, and I think maybe I get it now.  Maybe.  The collar calls for fusible interfacing, which would have likely been easier than what I ended up doing, which was using tear away interfacing, and sewing it directly into the collar.  However, I do like the sturdiness that it gives, so I might do that again.

Although there are plenty of little things that I would do differently, I am so happy with how her outfit turned out, and if you like these kinds of "here's what I made" posts, let me know, and I can do more!  They won't all be clothes for Evelyn. :)