for the next few days we are talking about my favorite homemade gifts for various types of occasions. yesterday i shared my favorite kid toys and accessories to give as gifts and today i'm talking about making little girl apparel as a gift.

now sewing for little girls is sort of my 'thing' so i'm breaking it down into three pieces of advice.

when in doubt make casual dresses & tunics

this style always looks good and can be worn year round by mixing in long sleeve t-shirts, leggings, tights, and cardigans.

the first pattern i recommend is the the roller skate dress from oliver + s not only because it's darling and easy to sew (especially for a fully lined dress) but if you are unsure of the child's size it's relaxed fit gives you a margin for error and them wiggle room.

here is maya in a polka dot version i made for her as a tunic:

love aunt maggie | little girl apparel gifts

when making this pattern as a dress i always add an extra inch in the elastic so it can transition to a tunic as they get taller. (ten points to aunt maggie for thinking ahead!)

here is an example of a dress version i did for nora and etta:

the second pattern i'd recommend is the class picnic blouse also from oliver + s. here it is with an applique for maya's second birthday:

in addition to being comfortable both patterns have a cut that lends itself to fun prints. which is essential when sewing for kids. here is the class picnic tunic in a lorax print for maya's third birthday:

use bright colors & prints

check out all the fun prints and colors i used for maya's winter wardrobe last year:

versus this is what aunt maggie wears on a daily basis.

at this point in my life i will leave the bright colors to the people who can pull them off. for example here is maya in her paisley hide & seek dress and neela in her paisley music box jumper:

nora in her poppy dress:

maya in her spunky polka dot dress:

and the put a bird on it dress:

and etta in her pink on pink polka dot playdate:

twirly skirts are always popular

recently maya, the least girly of all my nieces, requested a 'rainbow skirt she could spin in'. this wasn't surprising. if you ask any of my nieces to describe or draw an outfit they want it will feature a circle skirt about 75% of the time. example this picture i received from nora:

i made this vision happen for nora and etta in the form of the twirly dresses. which proved to be a great style for playing in the fountain after school:

exploring a national park:

and being sworn in as a junior ranger:

for a simple twirly skirt i recommend the swingset skirt from oliver + s. fully lined with an elastic waist band it's a crowd pleaser. plus it's a super simple and quick pattern. here is a rendition i recently made: