The plan was hatched about a month ago… my mother made a lovely little Easter dress for Baby V. She found some adorable little cotton prints, and then fancied it up with some lace edging and little button yo-yos across the bodice. Mom is a very talented seamstress, and Baby V seems to have re-awakened that interest (she made so many lovely things for my sisters and I when we were young!) in the sewing machine. Mom spent the first part of March in California with Mimi and Baby V, where she presented the dress.
While mom was there, we talked about adding a little shrug or bolero for the dress (because Monterey has those breezes off the ocean… *sigh*). Mom was intending to buy a little something, but I decided to take matters in my own hands… I sent some photos of the possibilities and we compared notes. I didn’t want to take away from the dress, and I wanted the colors to match well. Mom directed me to some fabric swatches at her house, which really helped in the color-finding stage.
I settled on the sweet and simple Debbie Bliss pattern, a free pattern that also appears in her Simply Baby collection. The simple collar would not interfere with the Peter Pan collar and lace of the dress – and it looked like a nice simple style to match.
Baby knits are fast and simple, and I mailed it off last week (after snapping a few model-less shots) – hoping to goodness that it would fit and work well with the dress. It’s hard to fit a baby by proxy!
So, it was especially thrilling to open up my email inbox and find these photos yesterday!
The dress (!) fits her so well, and my mom’s amazing skills really shine – and the shrug pales in comparison (but is still really cute and it fits!) I used the Kraemer Tatamy Tweed cotton/acrylic blend that I bought last summer (with intention to use for Baby V!) – it’s lavender with little green and white flecks inside. Perfect for the dress! I was a bit nervous about the sleeve length, but it works so well. I changed the ribbed edging to seed stitch so that it would not take away from the dress. The pattern was simple and sweet – and easy to construct with only a simple seam under the arms.
She is all ready for Easter and spring with this cheery little ensemble! Mimi reports that even at six-months she is quite the fashionista 
…I have more planned!
And seeing this little “thank you” video from Mimi and Baby V made this auntie SO happy!
It’s lovely! She’s so cute.
Oh so cute! The dress is beautiful and the shrug is a perfect compliment. V is as cute as can be!
my 3 year old daughter just said “ohhhhhh she is SO cute !” ;o)
and she is RIGHT !
Violette is adorable .
Oh my goodness. She is so precious and the purple ensemble is perfect!
She is a beauty! And her Easter outfit is gorgeous. I think you and your Mom are both extremely talented.
What a little angel! You guys did an amazing job on the outfit collaboration!
OMG — that is absolutely precious. What a wonderful collaboration! Baby V is already so big. It seems like just yesterday you blogged about her birth!
The shrug makes the outfit. So cute! She looks just like a little doll.
how adorable!!!!
It’s wonderful! I love the idea of collaborating like that – it creates a lovely ensemble that simply couldn’t be bought!
Absolutely precious!
What fabulous team work, with adorable results! Your mom and you did an awesome job of creating an ensemble that’s every bit as cute as your niece is!
So cute! Nice work on coordinating the colors.
Ok, that was about the cutest video ever. The entire Lolly Extended Family wins the prize for creativity and cuteness.
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful outfit. Your shrug perfectly accents her simply beautiful dress….OH and love that headband.
Have a happy holiday!
Absolutely gorgeous dress – and baby! Reminds me of my mother and the beautiful clothes she used to make for me. Happy Easter~!
Gorgeous, the dress and bolero and the baby, too. So cute!
What an awesome idea…mother-daughter pairing to make such an adorable outfit for Baby V. She looks so cute in her little dress and bolero!!! And that headband, awww!!
Lolly, cograts on such a beautiful niece. The dress and the shrug look absolutely lovely on her. Happy Easter to you and Kris.
Love the dress and the bolero!! I must simply make more time to sew (crocheting and knitting being so conveniently easy to carry around that I get more of those done!)
What a great ensemble!and such a lovely model!!!!
Oh my, cuteness overload!
Absolutely gorgeous.
Incredibly cute! I think that lucky baby will be well-dressed for a long time, thanks to you and your mom.
i cannot get enough of the cuteness!! love love love!
Thanks for the sweet blog compliments. I do enjoy sewing for Vi just as I did for my own three “little dolls”. The comments are so kind. I can honestly say this inspires me even more. XXOO
OMG, you could die of the cuteness. What a great baby. And outfit!
Oh my, the cuteness is just too overwhelming. This is really lovely work by two very talented crafters. Of course, having such a lovely model doesn’t hurt, either! I’m sure V outshone all of the other babies for Easter. xoxo.
Oh, what a cutie
A couple years ago I made that same shrug to go with a baby outfit I had sewed. But I didn’t have such luck with the sizing! I intended for it to be summerwear (the shrug was made from a light cotton yarn), but it was still too big when I visited last summer.
What a sweetie! I’m working on my first-ever baby knit for my new nephew, and you’ve inspired me to push for the finish line.