Velveteen Rabbit Inspired Baby Outfit

This week the sewing theme over at Project Run & Play is Crafting A Story where everyone sews based on their favorite children’s storybook.  This is my Velveteen Rabbit inspired baby outfit.

Recently I had the privilege of sewing up some fabric designed by the artist, Bari J.  She is one of my favorite designers for Art Gallery Fabrics, and she asked me to sew some items with her newest collection of fabric for the Lookbook.  This collection is called Indigo & Aster, and the Lookbook is an inspirational magazine showing ideas of what to do with the fabric.  Today I’m sharing one outfit I made.  There are several more things to share, and I’ll also be sure to link the Lookbook when it’s published.

The first item I sewed is the Rosemary pattern by Violette Field Threads.  It’s a vintage inspired pin tucked pinafore, and simply perfect for this fabric.  It ties on the sides and has sweet little shoulder panels.  Because I only had 1/2 yard to work with, I made the skirt in the vintage (short) length.  I sewed the size 12-24 months for Baby, and it’s just the sweetest thing ever.

The main green fabric I used is called Lush Bouquet, and the side ties and bodice lining are Bonheur Fresh.  Both are quilting cotton, perfectly suited for this pattern, and super soft as are all Art Gallery Fabrics.  See the whole soon to be released collection here.

The dress underneath started as the Eeny Meeny Miny Moe Dress pattern by Peekaboo Pattern Shop.  I used my own tutorial here to create a gathered dress.  Then I added lace over the waist gathers, and at the end of the sleeves.

The fabric used for this is a double knit similar to this one.  Ponte Double Knit Ivory Fabric  And above is a shot of the dress without the pinafore.

It works very well for this purpose.  It’s stable and holds up to baby wear and tear pretty well.  Besides the fact that it’s white!  But the Rosemary Pinafore over the top helps protect it.

And you probably knew I was going to add a bonnet to the outfit right?  What else would someone with a bonnet shop do?  So I used what just might be my favorite fabric from the Indigo & Aster collection, Foliage Escape Lapis for one side, and some blue velvet for the other side.  And the bonnet ribbons are blue velvet ribbon too.  It’s reversible, of course, and both sides look similarly cute.

The bonnet pattern we use is the Evergreen Bonnet by Twig + Tale.  This time we used the bunny ears for dramatic effect.  I mean, come on, just look at her in the bonnet and try not to smile!  Use this link to get $3 off any Twig + Tale purchase of $10 or more.

Of course, the bonnet is the main part of the Velveteen Rabbit inspired look.  The pinafore is so old fashioned, and reflects the time the book was written (1922) when all little girls wore pinafores.  When I was a child I discovered The Velveteen Rabbit book by Margery Williams, and it has always been one of my favorite books.  The story of becoming “REAL” has so much imagery and so many applications in today’s world.  I think it’s a classic that should be read to all children!  Even as an adult, I feel like time is making me more REAL, and quite a bit of it is because I’ve been loved.  My hope is to help others become REAL too.

The beautiful photography in this post is the work of Delaney Aby.

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