I have loved this panda print for so long, and considered sewing up something with it for quite some time. I could never picture the right thing, though, until recently. I absolutely love neutrals for little babies, and when this fabric caught my eye again during pregnancy, I realized it was just the right time! I grabbed only one yard of this fabric, and it was absolutely perfect. Even better – Cass of @craftyprofessor recently did a little closet clean out of her own me-mades, and I ended up getting my hands on a Leila Dress that she’d made in the navy cotton lawn version of this same print! I’m always up for a good mama / mini matching set, so I was halfway there before I even knew what I’d make with this knit.
I love coverall patterns, but I’d always found them very intimidating with my first baby. Making something so small – especially with special tiny details, like the footies on this coverall – seemed like such a daunting task. How would I manipulate the fabric through the machines when there was so little surface area for me to hold and work with? I was also very intimidated by the idea of snaps, because try as I might, the snap tools I’d tried continued to fail me and I’d lose snaps mid-diaper change on me-mades on a regular basis. I didn’t make too many things for my daughter when she was a baby, because it felt like so much time and effort (and often, frustration!) for something that she would only wear fleetingly.
With my second pregnancy, though, I am much more confident in my sewing. I’ve come a long way in the last almost 3 years! I’m much more comfortable with many different sewing skills and techniques, and knits on their own are no longer scary to me! I’ve actually had the pleasure of sewing up a few things for baby boy already, some for him to grow into and some in newborn sizes! I hadn’t quite settled on a coming home outfit, though, until I realized what I wanted to do with this fabric.
Brindille & Twig patterns have been my favorite baby patterns since before I ever even thought about being a mama. I’d purchased a couple of their patterns many years ago to make gifts for friends’ baby showers, and have since fallen head over heels for their patterns. Their overall vibe is patterns that lead to cute, comfy knit garments for little ones. I can’t keep track of how many Brindille & Twig makes my little girl has – you can see a good sampling here! – and it has been so much fun to explore a few new ones for the little guy.
I purchased the Essential Coverall pattern after seeing some great versions of it sewn up in the Brindille & Twig Facebook Group. This was one I had always considered too daunting, but after realizing that it had a couple of options I hadn’t noticed before, I decided that I could try it out! For my first coverall, I chose to make a version that omits the snaps entirely by creating a separation between the top and pants of the back of the coverall. The baby still stays covered, thanks to an overlap in the two pieces and elastic inserted into the back waist of the pants. However, the separation allows you to skip the snaps! I chose the footed version (which was NOT as scary as I’d anticipated!) and am so happy with how this little piece turned out!
From printing and taping the paper pattern, cutting the fabric, and sewing the garment, this whole thing took me no more than 2 hours. This is the newborn size (Brindille & Twig also offers one size smaller than this, Preemie!), so the pieces are indeed very little! While this does mean little room for error with marking snips or seam allowances, it also means a pretty quick sew. I’ve already started thinking ahead, printing and taping this pattern in multiple sizes. I’m so excited to see my little guy in this outfit! Maybe we’ll even attempt a snapped version at some point.
We’ve totally got second pregnancy brain going on at our house – by the second trimester, we had our daughter’s entire nursery put together and ready to go! This time around, we haven’t even moved the former guest room furniture out of the bedroom to begin painting baby boy’s room and moving in his things – and we’ve only got 4 more weeks! On the bright side, we have all that we need and he’ll be spending the first few months right next to mama in a bassinet. So while I would love to have his room ready, we do have time. At least I have an outfit to bring him home in now!
Coverall: handmade by me
Pattern: Brindille & Twig – Essential Coverall
Fabric: Minerva – Art Gallery Fabrics – Cotton Jersey Knit Fabric
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The fabric used in this post was provided to me by Minerva as a member of their Minerva Makers Team, in exchange for photos of my finished garments posted on their website. The pattern was purchased by me. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
