In Which I Contemplate Not Making Nearly As Many Baby Clothes As I Had Planned

Image via Museum of Rotterdam, altered by me.

As you may recall from my previous posts on this topic, I am expecting a baby at the end of September. I am also challenging myself in 2020 to not purchase any new articles of clothing, but instead to either make clothes or purchase them from thrift stores. 

So far, I refashioned one blouse, and blogged about it. In the interest of full disclosure I should note that I have not worn this yet. Heh. I did, however, build my maternity wardrobe almost exclusively through thrifted items and hand-me-downs, thereby at least employing the "recycle" aspect of "reduce, reuse, recycle." I bought a couple of items that I was unable to make myself, but as for all others, I resisted the siren call of online shopping and the Target clearance racks. And in a time when the world seems rather chaotic and unpredictable, being able to stick to my resolution about sustainable shopping has, at the very least, been something of a morale booster. 

I did make one dress for myself, and was quite happy with it. The Scroop Robin is an excellent pattern for the intermediate sewist, and its princess seams, button-down front, and large pockets make it a versatile piece to dress up, dress down, and even modify for maternity and nursing. I made my dress two sizes bigger than my normal measurements and was able to wear it up through 35 weeks, and I also added a separate self-fabric sash to give it a little bit more shape. I'm planning to wear it next summer while nursing as well, but may take the sides in a bit to make it a little more fitted and less baggy.

The fabric is from Hobby Lobby, and the buttons are vintage, found on Etsy. Here it is in a stylized flat-lay (I'm not good at these yet), on me at 20 weeks, and again on me at 29 weeks. 

I also made only eight items of baby clothing, and two of those were gifts for other babies, bringing the total for my son to exactly six. (You didn't know you were coming here for a math lesson today, TOO, did you?)

This was not exactly the number I had planned. I had harbored grand hopes of marathon sewing sessions in which I'd churn out a ton of adorable little garments, but alas, it was not to be. I was happy with my efforts - there's something irresistibly cute about a lil' snapped sleeper - but I wanted them to be more prolific. 

I mean, look at those adorable honeybee outfits! Wouldn't you want about two dozen more of those? (Pattern by Brindille & Twig, my new favorite baby pattern source.) 

(Yeah, I should probably have picked a less wrinkly background for that photo, but if I took time to iron my bed sheets, I'd have even less time for sewing.)

Since I choose to look on the bright side of life (at least in those moments when I am not wallowing in the depths of despair and succumbing to an anxiety-induced nervous breakdown) I will consider this a crash course in Training for Parenting: i.e., I Made All These Plans With The Best Of Intentions And Then Didn't Get To Them Because I Have A Kid. Future installments in this series will be forthcoming. 

It would be easy to allow myself to be inordinately frustrated over getting so little done. Especially when I scroll through Instagram and see dozens of other moms-who-sew showing off the adorable rompers and leggings and swaddles and sleep sacks they've made for their little cherubs.

I know Instagram isn't reality. For every photo of satisfactory accomplishments, there are countless fails and outtakes behind the scenes. For every adorable outfit that's finished in what appears to be a timely fashion, there are missed deadlines and seam rippers. For every sweetly smiling child clad in mommy-mades, there's a kid throwing a fit because they don't want to wear the itchy smocking even just for one picture. 

But I still can't help looking at what other people have done and comparing myself to them. I don't know if I'm ever going to "outgrow" that. 

I wrote an article recently about my disappointment in my lack of productivity during this pregnancy.  But if, as I expressed in that piece, I'm going to come to terms with the fact that sometimes you can only do one thing at a time, then I don't need to waste this time berating myself for not making more baby clothes. 

As it is, I may actually have too many baby clothes. I'm lucky to live in an area where thrift stores are easily accessible, and have found it very easy to go overboard on 50% sale days as well! (When cute onesies are $1 apiece, it's hard to resist...) As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I'm happy to be able to shop sustainably even when I'm lacking the energy, time, and motivation to make my own clothing. 

So my son won't spend his first year blowing bubbles and kicking his little legs in nothing but garments Mommy made. Instead, he'll be just as cute in hand-me-downs from kind friends and the previously-loved rompers and sleepers I purchased for him on yellow tag days. He will still be cuddled. He will still be cherished. He will still be loved. 

He might not be social-media-ready, but I think he'll survive. 

As I finish this post, I'm well aware that the baby will be here within the next couple of weeks. (Yes, I procrastinated writing it. Case in point.) I probably won't get much more done within those weeks. The time I have that isn't spent working is being devoted to getting the nursery finalized and ready, cleaning the house, and making freezer meals. There is more to preparing for a baby than sitting at a sewing machine with teensy pattern pieces, after all.

But those teensy pattern pieces sure are cute. I bet I could cut out just one pair of little leggings tonight...