ella's wardrobe :: sweet beginnings
crossover jacket :: ‘essential baby’ by debbie bliss, 0-3 month size
yarn :: debbie bliss baby cashmerino [2 balls] in dusky pink
pants | bloomers :: pattern from this book, with a ribbon-tied waist and elastic in the legs
fabric :: natural linen and ‘spring flowers’ in pink from superbuzzy
sizing :: for a newborn, reduce the pattern for the smallest size by 25% - with a drawstring waist and elastic in the legs they should fit as pants for the first month and then as bloomers for a couple of weeks after that {for a baby smaller than Ella - she's already 11lbs and very long, at only 26 days!}
There is something so sweet and so lovely about dressing a tiny baby in clothes that you have made, knowing that each stitch, knit or sewn, is formed with love and adoration. From the very beginning until the very end, planning baby ella’s wardrobe provided a place for my heart to go when things became that little bit too overwhelming or stressful. In my last few days of pregnancy, laden with anticipation, oh so uncomfortable and overcome with sickness yet again, I escaped one last time into the haven of ella’s wardrobe. The kimono-style top was a quick and relaxing knit, which I’d love to knit again in a charcoal grey, especially with those ¾ length sleeves. The pants | bloomers were also quick, although not quite as relaxing – by the time the pattern was traced, the fabric cut and the pieces pinned, my contractions were becoming more and more powerful. And that is why the ‘spring flower’ pants are tied on the side instead of the middle. I managed to sew the original opening for the ribbon tie closed and then sewed through my finger and fingernail. I was surprisingly calm throughout the whole thing – it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the contractions did and in an effort to put my husband at ease [after calling him over to help me get the needle out], I promised to finish sewing as quickly as possible. Which meant there wasn’t time for finding the seam ripper and some improvisation was needed. Ella arrived 48 hours later, her little outfit finished and ready to take her home in.
