Vintage 1950s Puppy Sun Suit

I made this sun suit in under 2 hours, including the puppy embroidery. It is a variation of a 1950s pattern. The original used a single layer of fabric and then faced or bias trimmed all the edges. I thought that would take way too long, so I trimmed the pattern pieces and lined the suit instead. I think that was a good way to do it and it gives the suit some body.

I used a poly/cotton chambray for the suit and felt for the puppy applique. The puppy is from a set called Baby's Friends by A Bit of Stitch. I have been wanting to try it since I bought it a few months ago and I was not disappointed. The small blanket stitched edges look like hand stitching and I think the puppy is very cute. The set also has a kitty, 2 teddies, and a bunny. Here's a close-up of the embroidery, which took about 5 minutes- super easy!

The back of the sun suit has elastic at the waist and the straps criss-cross and button to the front. Even accounting for the bulky cloth diapers of the 50s, the fit is huge! The bum is very full and the straps are a good 5" too long. I don't know why it turned out so big. It will definitely fit Andy next summer when he is 3 although we can get away with wearing it now.

 Here are a few shots of Andy playing with the hose and a ball in the little suit. I like the buttons up the sides. It makes it easy to open up to iron, but with the blend I used, I won't have to!