Smocked Rattle Romper

 This little romper is one of the outfits I made for Andy during my pregnancy. It was supposed to be a coming home from the hospital outfit, but it ended up fitting him around 2 months old instead! I used Maja's Heirlooms Jordan pattern. I emailed her about sizing and she kindly advised me how to make the 3 months size scale-down to newborn. I used light blue Imperial microcheck and pique from Fine Stitchery. I love both these fabrics. They are soft and easy to work with, look good, and best of all can be machine washed and dried and don't need ironing! Not to mention the very reasonable price.

 Because this is so small, I made the sleeves very simple. Instead of the cuff called for in the pattern, I made a plain lined sleeve. It's so easy to do and looks great on tiny arms. I love patterns that have a little area of smocking, so you can finish it in a reasonable amount of time. It's a great place for a little picture smocking; you don't get bored smocking the same motif five times. This little rattle is from the plate CR's Rattles by Terry Jane. I remember the first time I saw this smocked on something. I was 15 and baby-sat for a family with 4 boys. Their littlest boy was baptized and the Mom commissioned a Royal Babe Romper with this plate for the smocking. I loved the outfit and always meant to use it on something.
I will definitely make this pattern again! It was easy to make, I love the way it looks, and it's great to have a smocked outfit with long pants for those of us in cooler climates. Wouldn't this be cute in a soft baby-wale corduroy?
I've been back at the sewing machine a bit this week and my bargain leaf-block quilt top is almost done. I hope to share it with you soon. Have a lovely day!