Sewed: Gnome Romper!

I have been singly-minded ever since I read All Things Created the other day and saw this cute romper that Deb made.

: : UPDATE: Sorry, All Things Created seems to be gone! Deb, where did you go??? I'm sorry? : :

I took the baby to the fabric store (ack!) and kept him busy with his favorite battery-operated contraption so I could track down the pattern, and when Mr Rae gave me the morning off today (whee!) I channeled all my sewing energy and got this done in one sitting. It's amazing how fast kid's clothes go when you set your mind to it.

Pattern: Simplicity 3808
Fabric: Heather Ross' Lightning Bugs and other Mysteries (1 yard)
Notions: Bias Tape, Snap Tape (so great...an absolute MUST), Buttons

: : Some time-saving tips for kids patterns : :

1. I never fold/iron/zigzag the facing edge. Just zigzag some double fold bias tape along the bottom edge of the facing (see picture below).
2. Skip interfacing. Many reasons for this, no time to explain.
3. Many romper or overalls patterns call for you to hand-tack the facing to the inside side-seams of the garment. I skip this and stitch in the ditch along the side seam instead. Maybe you can see this in the bottom left hand corner of the picture below.

: : Some things I never skip : :

1. Staystitching
2. Ironing (both sides) after sewing each seam
3. Marking pleats, buttonholes, and button locations on the fabric pieces before I put the pattern back into the envelope.

: : Mr Gnome likes it : :

For those of you who think you may attempt this one, let me just say that it does seem to run a bit large. Elliot is definitely beyond the measurements on the envelope for the 18 month size, yet as you can see it's pretty huge; it looks like it might even fit him next spring.

I have to show off these awesome groundhog shoes I found on sale this afternoon in Ann Arbor whilst hanging out with some girlfriends + babies: