Make Your Own Childrens Clothes... For Free

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Attach a safety pin to one end of your elastic (or drawstring) and snake it through the casing. When it's halfway around, pin the dangling end of the elastic to the pants near the starting point so you won't lose it later. Continue to work the elastic all the way around and through the opening at the other end of the casing. Overlap the elastic's ends 1" inside the casing and pin it in place.

Once again, have your youngster try the pants on. Adjust the elastic to fit snugly but not tightly. Then-after your young model sheds the pants-tack the casing to the elastic (be sure you penetrate all layers of material), remove the pins, and sew up the 2" opening in the casing. Now hem the legs to the proper length . . . and your child's new homemade pantaloons are ready to be playground tested!

WHY NOT TRY HARLEQUINS?

One delightful way to recycle several pairs of slacks at once is to use them to make harlequin pants for your boy or girl. Use blue fabric for the left front and right rear leg pieces, and red material for the right front and left rear pieces. Or make the top half of each leg green and the bottom half brown. Or . . . let your imagination go!

OTHER VARIATIONS

As I mentioned briefly before, it's easy to make a top into a dress: Simply sew additional strips of cloth to the bottom of the garment (Fig. 17). If you cut these strips longer than necessary and then gather them, you can create a pretty ruffle, too. (An 8"- to 12"-long ruffle at the bottom of a dress looks extraspecial, yet is easy to make.)

By the same token, when your young'uns shoot up too tall for their britches, you can sew strips of fabric to the bottom of each pant leg. (You can lengthen your daughter's pants with add-on ruffles.)

Sleeves can be made longer, too, the same as tops and trousers. For straight sleeves, simply cut strips of material wide enough to go around the wearer's arm (plus 31/2" for seams and added comfort) and sew the pieces to the shirt's arms. For puffed sleeves, cut longer strips of fabric and gather them as you pin them to the arms. With a little imagination, you should be able to create dozens of beautiful shoulder, elbow, and/or wrist puff combinations using matching and contrasting materials.

CLOTHES FOR THE TINIEST PEOPLE

Baby clothes are easy to make, too. Try this: Using a one-year size shirt as a pattern, cut a top that's 12" longer than the baby. (Recycled blankets make especially cozy tops for wintertime. In spring or summer, use old towels for a durable, washable garment.) Make a facing for the neck opening and sew the side seams as you did for the basic child's top. Then sew a casing at the bottom of the shirt . . . snake a drawstring through the casing . . . hem the sleeves . . . and you have a "sleeping bag" top! Decorate the bag with embroidery, ap love.

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