Sunny Isle
It's not summertime yet. But here in South Carolina, where the expected high today is 90 degrees, I'm not the only one thinking about sunshine, bright colors and bare skin.
When Freespirit Fabrics invited me to play with some fabrics from their spring collections, I was excited to see a new collection by Jennifer Paganelli. She has a vibrant, decadent style that I love for little girls.
I was immediately drawn to these two large, open floral prints from Sunny Isle. After selecting a few supporting print options, I landed on the Boho Romper pattern by See Kate Sew for my project. The newborn size is free, while the larger sizes are available as a purchased pattern. I decided to make size 6-12 months for Rora. She's only 5 1/2 months old, but since she wears cloth diapers, she tends to need a larger size.
For sure, one of the best things about this project is that Lori Lace. I originally bought yardage for this project and then ended up using it for baby's Easter dress too. It's really easy to apply the lace, as you simply sew over it by machine with white thread.
But I was totally nervous about putting in the snaps! I have Snap Baggage. When I applied them years ago for baby bibs, I borrowed my mom's snap set up, which involves striking with a mallet. I was so terrible at it! I kept crushing the snaps or applying them halfway. I just couldn't get it right and ruined a few bibs in the process. Sad face.
This time I bought a $25 KamSnaps starter pack that came with the squeeze-activated pliers and a decent selection of snap colors. Score! Even my test snaps came out perfect. There was not a thing to it, really! I think the magic is in the squeeze, instead of the strike. It's less risky.
Now I feel free to explore the world of snaps! Very handy with a baby.
Here are the finished rompers. Aren't they sweet? I had to make two because I couldn't decide which colorway I'd like better. And I still can't decide which one I like most!
As much as I love them both, Rora certainly doesn't need two, nearly-identical rompers. Happily, I know just the baby to share with. And she has clear blue eyes, so the blue-trimmed romper must be meant for her.
A friend and I had our baby girls just 5 days apart. Here they are about a month ago at the tail end of a playdate. Rora had such a good time outside watching all the children play and socializing with other moms that she gave no hint that she was getting tired. I ran inside to get a camera to capture the girls and returned to find her wailing. So, it wasn't the photo I'd imagined, but it still captures the moment! Our baby friend looks perplexed at all the commotion.
Unfortunately I couldn't get us together in time to photograph the girls in twin rompers (oh!), but here's my little one to model for you.
This is the first time I ever put her down on the grass. She wasn't so sure about all that sensation, but it's good for her to widen her experiences.
And just look at those snaps! Totally working.
*In the interests of disclosure, this post and some others on my blog include affiliate Amazon links. That means if you follow the links to things like books or snap tools and purchase on Amazon, I earn a small commission.