A little nautical dress

This little outfit is for my niece who is turning 1 soon. Her mother (aka my sister) is a huge fan of anchors so when I found anchor fabric (Dear Stella) I knew I had to make something for her. I had seen these cute little cross back dresses in the past so I went on the hunt for a pattern. I found McCalls M535 and it was perfect (and I think it was only $3).

However, as anyone who has made clothing knows, you should always order the fabric after finding your pattern. I didn't have enough anchor fabric to make the whole thing!!  First up I made the dress in anchors and used some leftover white lining fabric I had from my own top instead of lining it with Anchors.

The back is the best part....

Or maybe the adorable buttons??

So then I found some cute polka dot fabric that went with it and I made some bloomers. I must admit, I've never been good at bottoms of any kind. Even pajama bottoms baffle me. I don't know what it is. So I'm hoping these fit. At least she can put on solid white bloomers if these don't work.

Then I realized I had a ton of polka dot fabric left so I made another top!

Check it out, more adorable buttons. These are a coral color.

And I had just enough anchor fabric to make the little hat.

I think it's all totally adorable, I hope my sister likes it too. And more than anything, I hope it fits my niece! She's a Florida baby so I know she'll get a lot of use out of these little dresses.

I'm linking to Ellison Lane's Summer Sewing Contest.