Boutique Style at a Walmart Price

A few months ago, I was given a sewing pattern by my MOPS director, Nicole. It's a super easy pattern to follow, but looks just like some of those pricey but precious outfits you see in boutiques. I thought it would be great for a Christmas outfit. You could expect to spend $50 or more for an outfit like this, but I spent less than $15 - with fabric on sale from Hobby Lobby, of course!

Here's the pattern, #2171 from Simplicity:

The pattern pictures show this as a summer outfit with cropped pants, but it was pretty simple to add a couple of inches to the pant length (before adding the ruffle) to make this work for "winter." (We're in Texas, you know!)

Here's a little tip when sewing pants that don't have a clear front or back:

Oh, it's so annoying when pics don't upload the right direction. Anyway, if you tilt your head to the side, you can see what I did. Before you fold over and stitch your elastic casing at the waist, use a tiny zig zag stitch (about 1/2" long) right at the back. Now when you dress your child, it's easy to tell which side of the pants go in the back. My husband really appreciates this trick!

Here's the finished outfit:

And here it is in action:

And the shot we used for our Christmas card this year:

Merry Christmas, and Happy Crafting,

Julie