My sewing area is now officially packed up. I used 20 boxes! I did run out of medium boxes and had to use a bunch of small boxes, but I'm still amazed at the total amount of stuff in this room! I do plan on going through my fabric when I'm organizing my new room and destashing some, but for this week, I just wanted to pack things up.

I am recovering from a long day traveling back and forth from the new house (1.5-2 hr drive) and three kid dentist appointments, but if I don't occupy myself I will end up napping, so I am writing the next post on my Flashback series. This is a compilation of some of my favorite kids clothing I've made over the years. I had it narrowed down to my top ten favorites but since I first made this list several months ago on my computer, I had to add a few!

First, one of my very beginning sewing projects. My mother-in-law bought me several baby patterns and this was the first one I tried out. I had to call both my mom and mother-in-law several times, but the result was super cute. I made one in green and one in pink, and my daughter wore these for months!

The next project was made for my second baby. He was a winter baby and I made these cute little booties. I used fleece backed fabric. They actually stayed on his feet! He wore them for months. I tried this same pattern for my next baby and they fell off, so I did something right for this first time. I believe I used this tutorial.

Next is a cape I made for my daughter. She was around 3 or 4 and this cape still regularly gets used! I basically made a reversible circle skirt, then took in some darts at the neckline until it fit around her neck. I'll also add three other capes I made several years later. Those were from an actual cape pattern from Twig + Tale. I made the longest lengths for each kids and even extended the length when I had enough fabric. They were perfect for our Harry Potter Halloween party.

Next I picked a pair of shorts that my daughter loved and so did I. The combination of fabric and pattern was so cute, and since they were big when I first made them in this picture (it took me awhile to start going by my kids' measurements and not their store size!), these shorts lasted 2 summers, and she would have worn them a third if I had let her. These are from the Star Shorts pattern from Flosstyle.

For my daughter's 7th birthday, I offered to make her whatever dress she wanted. She sketched out a general idea. She wanted a tan top with overlay, and she wanted the skirt to be blue and green and teal. I could tell she had a mermaid theme in mind! I ended up using the Savannah Pleated Party Dress pattern from Peekaboo Patterns. I bought some dotted tulle in white, green, and blue, and layered them for the skirt. She also wanted the front higher than the back. After I made it, I added a green sash. She's 9 and her torso hasn't grown a ton in the last two years, so she can still just barely button into this dress.

Next is another dress pattern. I tested a few times for New Horizons Designs and this was one of those tests. It's the Evening Primrose pattern. I ended up making three versions of the pattern, two for my youngest daughter and one for my oldest. They loved them.

For Christmas that year I made my kids pajamas. They were really excited about a show called PJ Masks, so I made them each pajamas in their favorite character's color, and bought masks from Etsy. The bottom were the Fancy Pant Leggings from Titchy Threads. For the tops, I used two patterns I already had, the Bimaa Hoodie from LouBee Clothing and Omni Tempore pattern from Sofilantjes Patterns.

I participated in another test and made the Girls Lisse Sweater from New Horizons Designs. I loved this pattern for my girls. They both liked them too, and plus, since I was testing, I have nice photos of these as opposed to normal blurry cell phone pics from inside my cave of an apartment!

You may notice that a lot of my favorites are from the last couple of years! I've been making my kids a lot more clothes in that time and have really improved my techniques. The next project on this list is possibly my favorite of them all. My daughter was baptized last year and I wanted to make THE perfect dress, of course. I showed her different patterns and we found one together. I think I picked the fabric myself, though. I wanted a fancy dress but I also wanted it to be very sweet and innocent, so I picked an eyelet cotton instead of a more formal satin fabric. I used the Sunrise Dress pattern by Ellie Inspired. I actually didn't like the pattern very much, for a few reasons, but after I made a bodice muslin and made the necessary alterations, it turned out great. I also hand-sewed on a bunch of pearl beads. I usually avoid hand-sewing, but for this project, I was willing. I'm so happy with the final product and it was perfect for her special day. She wears it still regularly.

Last summer I made my kids all bathing suits. I used to be intimidated by sewing swimsuits, but not anymore. I enjoyed making these and the fact that my kids matched (it made finding them in the pool super easy!). First I made my youngest daughter the Aloha Burn Blocker suit from Peekaboo Patterns. I wanted something that would make it easier to hold her without her slipping from my arms! The extra coverage was a great bonus, plus the zipper. To my surprise, my son wanted one too, so I made him one from the same pattern. My sewing machine went on the fritz and had awful problems making these and then my backup machine had issues too. Both had to go into the shop at the same time! When I had my machine back, I was able to make the third suit, the Agility Tank and Riptide Shorties from 5 Out of 4 patterns. My oldest loves it. A year later, I wish I had done the t-back, because she still needs help getting in and out of it, and the tank overlay always flies up, so I'll probably make her a one-piece next time, but this is definitely one cute suit!

This past winter I got tired of the old hand me down jacket my youngest was using and made her a super cute fleece and flannel jacket (with added batting layer) with Sweetie Jacket from Puperita patterns. I'm not sure I can adequately convey how incredibly cute this jacket is on my daughter. However, it is not a carseat friendly jacket, and while it is quite thick, it's not winter thick. So it didn't get as much use as I hoped for. But wow, it's cute!

The last project on my Favorite Kids Clothes list is also a Puperita Pattern. I chose the Tiger Hoodie as a mid-weight jacket for my kids, who all needed a new jacket. I made these a little long on purpose so they will last well. All my kids love them. I used a fairly stable french terry fabric for the outside and super soft minky for the inside. As you can imagine, all my kids love wearing them because they are so soft! And the minky is slinky enough that the jackets go on easily over long or short sleeves.

So that is my list of my favorite clothes I've made for my kids! It represents just a small list of the total projects I've done. Next in the series I'll return to the business end and share some of my favorite custom orders.

Flashback Series: Favorite Kid Clothes