Matching Outfits!

I LOVE coordinating what I am wearing with what Lydia is wearing.  I don't usually get too matchy-matchy but we have similar coloring and often are able to wear complementary colors.  Siblings, however, can go a bit further, especially if mama can sew!  I'm sure they will roll their eyes at me later, and I promise to try and keep it in control, but I am a little excited about making a few fun matched outfits for Lydia and baby Joshua.

It all started with an article of clothing that I was convinced Lydia would NEVER wear.  I LOVE teal and bought this top because it was a super soft fine sweater knit in a pretty shade.  I have since realized that I buy a LOT in this color and its hard to get it all worn in a season.  I also have discovered that sweaters, especially with hoods, just don't make sense in short sleeves.  It is either warm enough for short sleeves and, therefore, too warm for sweaters and hoods OR it is cold enough for hoods and sweaters and, therefore, too warm for short sleeves.  We never end up wearing this type of a shirt and, even at thrift store prices, that is a waste!  So this top was in a pile of clothing that I was hoping to re-make during the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge a while back.

So were some plain white onesies and this really boring pair of plain white pants.  Maybe you can already guess where this is headed.  Lydia has lots of clothing in this color, but Joshua doesn't.  It is REALLY soft fine knit that would be perfect for a baby.  AND the length of the smooth front is EXACTLY the same as the length of the pants.  I used the white pants as a pattern, only making the legs wider at the bottom instead of tapered.

Somehow I managed not to take any pictures along the way, but I think I sewed the inseams first, then the crotch seam, then the side seams. Here is Joshua's teal outfit, next a teal dress for Lydia.  They aren't an exact match in color and they need some details.  I have been wanting to make a onesie with a tie appliqued on the front for a while now.  When I saw this grey polka dot fabric at Walmart, I thought it would be a nice accent to all that teal.

I cut the polkadots on a diagonal to make it easier to work with as a trim on Lydia's dress (the bias will bend and give more than a straight cut).  Then I laid out the outfits to get an idea of where I wanted to add the trim.

Here is the basic idea without anything being sewn.  I was able to sew one edge of Lydia's trim on the machine, but then the rest had to be turned to the inside and hand sewn. I decided to hand sew all of Joshua's tie because I wanted it to look more like a real tie and less like an applique.

Here is an in-progress shot.  Lydia's dress was finished and so was the bottom of the tie. I did not sew the very top inch of the tie to the onesie because I wanted to be able to tuck the edges of the "knot" under the tie for a more realistic look.

Here is the finished tie and until Joshua comes along, here is the only view I have of the matching outfits minus his pants.  There should be a picture with the teal pants somewhere, but for now, I think you get the idea.