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7.10.2015

Simplicity Vintage Baby 1600A for Hazey Mae

Hazel will be 11 months old tomorrow, so I am trying to get in that last bit of baby sewing for her while I still can.


This is Simplicity Vintage Baby 1600A. I dress Hazel in the bloomers I made all the time, so this seemed like a natural extension of those.



The instructions for this pattern are great and the finishing is excellent.  I love how they have you use bias binding for the elastic casings.  Such a nice, clean finish.

casing, pre-elastic

My only complaint with Big Four patterns is that I find that the sizing is often off.  Sometimes way off. I  always sew based on my child's chest measurement and then add length, rather than sewing a size based on their age.  And with indie patterns, the fit is almost always perfect this way.  Sometimes dresses will be a little too short, but I prefer them on the longer side and Indigo is very tall.  Otherwise, it's all good.


With this pattern, even though I cut the pattern based on Hazel's weight and height measurement I had to take the elastic in on the back by a lot - several inches.  It happens.  But then I had to cut close to 5 inches off of each strap!  So my advice is to try this one on first and make adjustments as needed.


The fabric for this little romper is Grey Abbey Floral Whimsy by Elizabeth Olwen.  I bought it several years ago now and it seemed perfect for this project.  (Yay for sewing from my stash!)


Hazel is such a little honey and we all enjoy her so much.  Even though she started crawling when she was 5 months old, just like her siblings, she isn't walking just yet.  Jude, Indigo and Iris were all walking by the time they were 9 months old!  It's so interesting how when you're a first time parent it's tempting to want them to get to that next stage as fast as possible.  But with Hazel, I am really enjoying that she is still crawling.  She's such a little peanut, crawling everywhere and even walking on her knees sometimes, which is totally adorable.  I know she'll have her entire life to walk, so I am appreciating the sweetness of this crawling stage!


Hazel is an observer.  She loves to watch her older siblings and they love to play with her.  My aunt, a mother of five, once said that other children are like toys that have come to life from a baby's perspective.  I think that's so true.


Last week, the four older kids went to a cross cultural morning program on Thailand.  Dan's sister lives there and has for almost 25 years so we were thrilled for them to learn more about Thai culture.  I assumed I'd get so much done while the kids were away, but it was actually quite the opposite.  Hazel was so bored she didn't know what to do with herself!  She cried unless I was carrying her or playing with her.


Hazel has started standing, which I tried to capture, but that didn't work out.  It's pretty funny, it's like she never intentionally stands but instead drops her arms when she's been holding onto something and is then almost scared like, "What's going on? What do I do now?!"


She loves to dance, sing, give high fives and clap.



We think she says Mama, All Done, and Nine for No.  She still doesn't sleep through the night but none of my nursing babies did until they were closer to 18 months old and had night weaned.  (Iris still doesn't sleep through the night, but that's another story.)


Our little Hazey Mae - she is so loved!



17 comments:

  1. I started walking at 16 months, so she still has lot's of time to keep crawling without need for worries :) The romper is so cute!

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  2. SO HELP ME GOD I WILL FLY DOWN TO TEXAS AND KISS THOSE BABY CHEEKS!!!

    she is soooo sweet Rachel, and i love the photos you take of your kids together. wonderful. and oh man the little sunsuit is perfection! adorable! i know what you mean about sizing, though; it's the same for Big 4 grown up patterns and it freaks me out.

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  3. Such a little sweetheart, and the romper is adorable. I had to laugh about her being bored with her siblings gone - I always find that to be the case with my youngest (whoever that happens to be at a given time), and I bet it is even more so when she has so many fun older siblings. I also totally know what you mean about not being in a hurry for her to walk. With my first, I couldn't wait for her to roll, to crawl, to eat, to walk, etc. But these days are so fleeting. My little one is (only) 7 weeks old and I'm already mourning the end of his newborn days!

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  4. I love this little romper! Hazel looks so adorable in it! I can't believe she is already 11 months. Gus didn't start crawling until he was 12 months and didn't walk until he was 18 months! Unlike Ollie who crawled at 5 months, then walked at 11 months. I love how they're so individual. Iris looks like such a good big sister! Love that photo of the girls clapping hands. Look forward to seeing what you make next. We are talking about the possibility of coming to San Antonio next year, around March/April. What's the weather like then? X

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  5. It's not "nine" but "nein"! Say it in a German accent and it's a perfect "no" :)
    My daughter did this and did it so emphatically she could have started in a WW2 documentary!
    Hazel is super cute and that's an adorable little romper.

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  6. Oh, Hazel in that romper is just the cutest thing ever! And so lovely to see her interacting with her sisters like that.

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  7. She is so loved, which is evident in every post and every photo you publish :) Seeing your kids playing together makes me smile :) Hayzel's romper is perfect. Such lovely colours :) I bet she feels very comfy during hot summer days :) I too quickly learned to not reply on age guide! The story of those of us who have tall skinny kids, hey!

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  8. That romper is adorable and so are the photos and all your kids. Simply the best :-)

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  9. When I had Joe, I was immediately fascinated by how INTERESTING he found older children. He didn't have any older siblings, of course, but every time we'd go to a restaurant or a park, he'd be riveted watching older children play and interact. And when I had Maggie, she was immediately drawn to her brother (it was mutual). She laughed more for him than for any of us. They had an almost immediate connection and it really grew. I don't know what I expected, but I assumed babies would be more adult-centric and kid-centric, at least until they were old enough to really play, but it isn't the case! It's like "look, there are other small people! I'm not alone!! there are lots of us!" I would not have said "toys made alive" myself, although I totally get the idea, but that makes it sound like children are more like objects ... the actual reality is so much more nuanced, children are drawn to other kids, older and younger. Joe used to say that baby Maggie was "tute tute tute!" He totally loved her cute babyness! Which floored me. I guess I was surprised at how much children, just like adults, are drawn to those baby faces and soft fingers.

    Anyway, lovely post as always and the romper is so cute! Bias for leg bindings is the way to go, right? I like how many vintage patterns use simple bias facings rather than full facings or linings. It's a clean and lightweight and unfussy finish.

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    1. I found it really surprising, too. And yeah, my aunt was totally not trying to objectify kids. For the sake of brevity, I kept the whole story short (not to mention it happened almost a decade ago so the details were a little fuzzy). When Jude was a baby/toddler at home with me, he was not a contented kind of baby who would play alone. I had to wear him (in a carrier while I did chores) or play with him all of the time. I couldn’t so much as return an email without him being a puddle of tears, clinging to me. But as a first time, inexperienced parent, I assumed the issue was he didn’t have the right toys. So I was always on the look out for new toys which would hold his attention. When I was visiting my aunt who lived 5 hours away, he was completely captivated by her children while she and I talked for literally hours. I was joking about how he had a whole lot of toys at home and was fussy and discontent, but at her house there were only a few toys but lots of children and he couldn’t be happier. That’s when she said something along the lines of - Toys cannot hold a candle to real live children. Children are like toys come to life. Or something like that. But it was in no way degrading to children. It was just a way of saying that babies-toddlers love other kids - something I had not yet known as a new parent, but has been my experience as our own family has grown. I may have not explained the scenario well, because I have a tendency to write really long blog posts and I’m trying to be more concise. :)

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  10. So great that you are documenting each of Hazel's stages as she grows - you think you're always going to remember each stage, but it all starts to blur after all. My son has oodles of scrapbooks to document each and every stage; Lilah has not-a-one! I diverted my creative energy from scrapbooking to sewing, and instead of memory-keeping, has a closet full of clothes! Not sure that's the best trade-off though:(
    At any rate, lovely romper sewn with such sweet fabric! Lucky Hazel gets the clothes AND the memory-keeping from her talented mom:)

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    1. That is so true! I feel that with Jude as well. I think that is why I feel so passionate about documenting everything now. I'm surprised at how much I have forgotten already. It's kind of sad, actually. Very interesting to read your perspective on sewing vs photography/scrapbooking. I do feel a bit overwhelmed at times trying to keep up with both. I appreciate your thoughts as you are further ahead on this journey! :)

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  11. The romper is adorable! The fabric is perfect and I do love the little bias finish. And the pictures of your children are so lovely as always. I do find that O's favorite playmate by far is his sister. His first words upon waking from his nap are often her name. I'm sure he's going to be lonely next year with E starting kindergarten.

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  12. so gorgeous Rachel!!!! I loooove the fabric. All your girls are beautiful!

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  13. I love he romper. The fabric is perfect.

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