Sewing for Babies and Children

Dear users, dear authors,
here in this thread you can talk about sewing templates for children and babies, sewing patterns for babies and children, sewing ideas for children, sewing patterns for baby pants and baby clothes + rompers as well as sewing patterns for children’s pants.
Would you like to share something about that?

For many people, sewing baby and children’s clothes is where their passion for sewing begins. It’s also how many get back into sewing after years away—expectant grandmas, for example ;).

What could be better than sewing for a new baby or for little ones? Kids just look so cute in homemade clothes.

With homemade diaper bags, play mats, and nursing pillows, you can bring immense joy to yourself or the mom-to-be.

There are tons of sewing patterns for beginners, so you can really let your creativity run wild.


Best regards,
Sonja 

I LOVE sewing for babies and little kids! :)

You don’t need much fabric, the items are done super fast, and since kids outgrow them so quickly, you can make more in no time.

And—a very important point—babies don’t complain; they just wear whatever I like. So I can let my creativity run wild without anyone complaining :D :D 



This little pullover that Quentin is wearing right now is one I sewed 7 years ago for Franka (there are also matching overalls and a sweatshirt jacket to go with it).
I really enjoy sewing for little ones because it means I have such wonderful, colorful things for them to wear, and not just the very boring “standard stuff”—especially for boys.
For pullovers and other tops, I prefer sewing them with an American neckline, meaning overlapping shoulders.
That way there are no little buttons “in the way,” but the collar is still wide enough.

What is an envelope neckline / lap shoulders?



This is an example of such a neckline (on both sides, of course)

I’ve been sewing for babies and children for years—even after my grandchildren grew up, I kept sewing because that’s when the children’s food banks came along, and I found an area where I can let my creativity run wild to my heart’s content. :-)

Best regards, Inge

When my son was still little and I was caring for a daycare child (a girl), I started sewing for both of them. Back then, I was still using an old treadle sewing machine that belonged to my mother. At some point, I stopped. I’m actually already thinking about starting again for my granddaughters. You can make a lot of things out of clothes that no longer fit me or that I don’t want to wear anymore. Back then, I also made sweaters and shirts for my son out of my own clothes. Starting with small projects would be a good idea.

Thanks for the explanation, ZwergnaseBaer.

When I see all these beautiful baby clothes here, I can’t wait to try my hand at sewing with jersey fabric. So far, I just haven’t dared to give it a go—especially not the cuffs—unlike my older daughter, who sews really cute hats, pajamas, and shirts. Where should I start?

Hi Christina,
about the little hats. They’re easy.
Use a sewing pattern that consists of two halves (i.e., two “half-ovals” that are then sewn together along the curve). You can’t go wrong with that. The elastic band is also very easy to sew on—you just have to make sure that, depending on its stretch, it’s 15–30% (roughly…just try it out) shorter than the hat’s circumference. Then pin it in place while stretching it evenly (stretch only the elastic band!!!) and sew it on (using an elastic stitch).
It sounds much harder than it is!

@Josefa: You’re welcome 😊

Does every sewing machine have an elastic stitch?

Best, Ina

At the very least, every sewing machine has a zigzag stitch, which works well for this—you just need to set it a bit smaller and flatter when sewing jersey; in my opinion, that gives a nicer stitch pattern.

Best regards, Inge

What is an elastic stitch? Is that a zigzag stitch?
You’re using words here that I don’t know. ;-)

I took some photos of the stretch stitches on my sewing machine. Stitch No. 2 is the straight stretch stitch, and the dotted zigzag stitches also work very well with stretchy fabrics. I use that stitch to sew my pants, for example. Stitch No. 18 can also be used as a stretch stitch; it always depends on what you’re sewing at the moment.


Best regards, Inge

Is this a professional machine or just a regular one for people who enjoy sewing as a hobby?

This is the Pfaff Expression 3.2. It can do a bit more than a regular sewing machine. I’ve had it for about 6 or 7 years now, and I love it because it has a large free arm, so you can easily feed

even larger pieces through the machine without any hassle or bunching. Best regards, Inge

OK

https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/search?keyword_comment=Pfaff+3.2+

Josefa, the one with the turquoise trim is the Pfaff Expression 3.2 that I sew with; the other machine in the post is my old Pfaff 1467

Best regards, Inge

Is this the link you mean?
My sewing machines

Yes, exactly, Josefa :-) The boy is one of my grandsons; he once again sewed something for himself at Grandma's, though that was a long time ago. Today, he has little interest in sewing

Best regards, Inge

But at least he knows how to do it.

Here’s (one of) mine:

Are Pfaff machines popular?

Oh yes, definitely for me and my daughters, Josefa

Best regards, Inge

Okay, thank you so much for your answers about the stretch stitch. As a beginner at sewing, I’ve only used the straight stitch (No. 2 in Akelas’ photos) on my sewing machine so far. I just set the stitch length and get started. I haven’t dared to try stretchy fabrics yet. That’s still on my to-do list. And I’ll probably follow Zwergnasebär’s advice and start with a hat.

Best regards, Ina

I just took a look—we have so many lovely sewing patterns available here on CP. There’s a huge selection of little hats for babies alone. All you really need is some nice fabric and a suitable sewing pattern :-) Sewing is also a great hobby where you can make lots of beautiful things yourself. I totally get your enthusiasm when I look at the designs.

One more question for the pros among you: Are there also organic fabrics— ones that have been specifically tested for harmful substances? And does that only apply to “colorful printed fabrics,” or is it also available for the stretchy, solid-colored cuff fabric? I’m a total beginner in this area. If I were to start sewing for the baby—which is something that appeals to me right now—my son and daughter-in-law would place the utmost importance on it. That’s why I need to look into this beforehand—otherwise, even the most beautiful handmade items won’t do any good.

Best regards, Ina

Sorry to bother you all... but what kind of fabric would you use for a baby’s first hat? Just in general, I mean.

Thanks for your advice. Best regards, Ina

Jersey works really well for this—it’s ideal for kids’ hats
Best regards, Inge

For organic fabrics, you'll have to look around online and check out various suppliers on the web; there are lots of organic fabrics.

Best regards, Inge

I see. Thank you, Inge, for your information.

Best regards, Ina

Here are baby pants in size 74, sewn entirely with the coverstitch machine
 and the skirt was sewn with the coverstitch machine only at the waistband; the rest was sewn with the sewing machine. The skirt was cut without a sewing pattern, from a piece of fabric folded so that it ends up as a square folded twice, then
cut out the waist at the top and draw a nice curve at the bottom so
that the skirt later swings nice and evenly and is long enough.

Best regards, Inge