Fall & Winter Sister Set - Flutterby Playsuit Blog Tour

I used the Flutterby Playsuit pattern by Little Kiwi's Closet to make this cozy, cold-weather appropriate sister set. Today I am part of the Pimp That Pattern Blog Tour with Little Kiwi's Closet and I'm excited to share this pattern with you and the changes I made to create this set! Be sure to check out the other participants in the blog tour for more great ideas and inspiration, purchase the pattern in Little Kiwi's Craftsy store for 30% off, sew your own playsuit or romper, and enter the link-up for the opportunity to win two free patterns of your choice.

The Pattern
This is my first time sewing a pattern by Lydia at Little Kiwi's Closet. As soon as I saw the playsuit tester photos start popping up on the PDF Patterns Facebook Group, I knew it was a pattern I was excited to try. With several options for the sleeve length (flutter to long sleeve), an optional neck ruffle, a sewn or snap closure between the legs, and a size range from newborn to 4T, the pattern is quite versatile. I found the pattern pieces very easy to layout and cut, and the instructions were clear. Plus, it's not a difficult pattern and great for beginners. No zippers or buttons or plackets. And if you don't want to insert snaps, you can do the sewn version. The neck easily stretches enough to get the garment over an infant's or child's feet, hips, and body. I was able to sew both version in about 4 hours. If you were making just one, I bet you could get it done in an hour and a half, even if you aren't the speediest sewist.

My Versions

Traditional Playsuit (a,k.a bodysuit) in newborn size for new baby using rolled hem for edge of longer sleeves, snaps for the closure between the legs, and adding pockets and embellishments. Designed for cold weather months using longer sleeves and corduroy fabric.
Playsuit-Turned-Dress using modified size 2T for big sister using a rolled hem finish on edge of sleeves and hem of dress. Also added pockets and embellishments. Designed for cold weather months using longer sleeves and corduroy fabric.

Being just about two weeks away from the arrival of baby number five, I knew I wanted to sew a traditional playsuit (a.k.a. bodysuit) for her and also a matching version for big sister. And, since here in the Midwest of the USA we are fully into the fall (and soon winter) season, I decided to design my garments to be suitable for the colder months. Big sister is entering the potty training stages and tends to complain about clothing that snaps between her legs, so I wanted to make her version a top/dress. To do that, I skipped cutting out the leg whole curves on the pattern, and instead drew a horizontal line from the bottom of the Front Playsuit piece (the part of the pattern that would snap between the legs). This makes for a cute shorter dress that can also transition to a longer top as she grows. Additionally, I chose the longer sleeve option for our cold weather months, and skipped the elastic option. In order to pick up on the golden mustard color of the polka dots in my corduroy fabric, I used a rolled hem on my serger to finish the edges of the the sleeves and the hem of the dress, as well as for the tops of the pockets that I added to both the playsuit and dress. Hand-sewing the embellishments took the most time - after the ease of following the pattern, sewing the embellishments seemed tedious! If you are wondering about snaps, I went in with a friend of mine several months ago and we each bought Kam Snap Press Pliers and a large set of snaps which we split up between the two of us. I've been really pretty happy with it.

Next Time I Sew This
I am pretty confident this pattern will be a staple over the next several months and years - its easy to follow, versatile, and I like the results and flexibility. I don't see a lot of changes I would make next time, besides customization. I might shorten the neck and leg elastic some next time. Not a big deal, but I'd like to see how I like it with smaller openings. I also did shorten the long sleeves a decent amount for the size 2.

I can't wait to post pictures of the girls wearing their coordinating outfits once little sister arrives and settles in to life. I also can't wait to see what others make during the blog tour and Linky. Plus, I haven't tried the romper version yet, so I'll have to add that to my list one new baby brain is gone!