Spring Sewing Inspiration for Baby, Toddler, Boys, Girls, and Moms!

I’m a little bit all over the place these days. I’m currently in the middle of several Easter Heirloom garments but am itching to get started on Spring and Summer play clothes. This year I’ll be doing a combination of buying and sewing. In this post, you’ll find the ready to wear (RTW) inspiring me, what I think I’ll make, and what I think I’ll buy this Spring and Summer.

In the images below, you can see some of the RTW that I’m loving this Spring and Summer, I will link it all under the images. I will also link patterns that could be used to make these items. None of these images are mine, You can find the original images by clicking on the associated hyperlinks. Some of these hyperlinks are affiliate links that help support the blog.

Floral Knit Dress: Alright, I love these dresses. Maria loves to play in them, they’re easy, they wash well, and they’re fun. I do not foresee myself making them this year, I’ll likely buy them. Were I going to make them though, I’d use this pattern. I’d use a knit fabric. Keep scrolling for my favorite fabrics this Spring and Summer.

Footmates VELCRO Sandals for Boys and Girls: definitely not making these, I will be purchasing them. I will likely purchase the girl’s version in red, white and navy for Maria. I will purchase the navy and brown for Robby and JL. Beaufort Bonnet and Zappos seem to have the largest inventory of these that I can find online, though they’re often available at smaller boutiques like JoJoMommy and Shop Duck Duck Goose.

Over Shirt and Shorts: I love this little look. Little English has a short and a bloomer version of this. It’s absolutely adorable and not your typical boy pattern. To make something similar, I’ll use this pattern for the shirt (I’ll just cut it at the shirt length) and this shorts pattern.

Shirred Dress: OH SNAP. You all know I’m a sucker for this shirring. How PERFECT is this dress for a cover up, play, and just plain old summer fun. Not to mention the mommy and me matching possibilities that are basically endless. If you’ve not already, check out my posts on shirring. Here is one with my favorite hack. This little dress is a bunch of rectangles. If ya’ll are interested, I can make a tutorial as I make one (who are we kidding?…probably five) of these for Maria and a couple for me 🙂

Collared Sleeveless Dress: Definitely making this for this summer, its a Children’s Corner Frannie and it is tried and true.

Shirred Set: This is just the shirred dress but shorter, paired with these shorts. They added a scallop to the bottom of the short. There are lots of tutorials on how to do this, here is one from Threads magazine.

Sleeveless Knit Top: I’ll likely be buying this and other knit play tops for Maria to pair with shorts like the ones listed above. These are fun to personalize and coordinate with shorts if you use blanks like these.

Red Check Bubble: This is one I will make, I think it is a Creative Sewing Alan’s Bubble. This pattern is not in print, and I am not finding a good link for it but it is so worth a hunt. It is darling!

Jon Jon with Pockets: this one is a staple in my boy-filled home. I’ll be making one similar to the one above using this pattern. If you’re new to sewing, Children’s Corner Store has an awesome video sew along you can use to help you learn to make this. How cute is it in this one inch gingham with pockets on the bias…I love this fresh take on one of my go-tos.

Yellow Sunsuit: I am making this. I may have to draft this pattern myself because I haven’t been able to find one that is exactly what I want. My friend and I have drafted and made one very similar before, so its possible I’ll use it.

Pocket Tee: Robby will likely have a ton of these with pants and shorts for spring and summer. I will not buy this exact one (I don’t love the colors) but I will use similar t-shirts from Blanks Boutique and fabric squares to create the same look. He will wear them with coordinating Parker’s Pants shorts.

Sleeveless Smocked Tank Set: This is one I will probably make-although if you don’t want to, this link goes to my friend’s Shrimp and Grits trunk. If you want to make it, you can use my tutorial

Diaper Set: This is one cute diaper set! I love its simplicity and the way it lends itself to embroidery. To do this, I would use the shirt from the Children’s Corner Alex pattern (leaving off the sleeves and collar) and either the Parker’s Pants shorts or the bloomers from the frannie baby. To add variety for my two boys, I may do one with sleeves and a collar and the other without either.

Smocked Dress and Jon Jon: this pair is darling! I think I’ll use the out of print Children’s Corner Maggie and the either the Johnny mentioned above to make outfits similar 🙂

Aside from these, some of the other patterns I am considering using this spring and summer include: the Children’s Corner Patty, the Ikatee Boy’s Sydney, the Martha Pullen Appliqué JonJon, the Children’s Corner Lee, and who are we kidding…whatever stikes my fancy when I walk in my sewing room.

Moving on to the best part: the fabric.

Fabrics For Spring and Summer 2021

**none of these images are mine** I have linked to their sources below.

Pink and Blue Floral (Fabric Finders): if I can get my hands on this fabric, I will. I LOVE these colors (I have boys and a girl, pink and blue are a match made in Heaven for me). It will likely become the shirred top or the dress with the collar.

Liberty Floral: Can you tell I’m into the florals this year? I love this one. It would be gorgeous as the collared sleeveless dress, the sleeveless smocked dress or a sweet Children’s Corner Lee.

Pink Tea Rose: I’ll use this color pink from Fabric Finders to coordinate with the various florals and prints listed. If using it for a bottom weight fabric I’ll chose to use it in a Pique.

Pink and blue Seersucker: Is it even allowed to be warm if your not wearing seersucker? I don’t think so. I plan on putting both my boys and girl in this this summer. It’ll likely be one of the Alan’s Bubble, the Johnny or the shorts for the boys. For Maria it will be the scalloped shorts or one of the shirred pieces. I’ve already got it in my cart over on Farmhouse Fabrics.

Multi Colored Plaid: this plaid has all the colors I want to incorporate into this spring/summer. It will be perfect for the Children’s Corner Maggie I’m planning. I find that particular pattern does a lot better with a plaid fabric. It would also be adorable as the shirred dress or top. I could also use it for the boys Jon Jon, putting the pockets on the bias as they did in the inspiration picture.

Floral Knit: Were I planning to make any of the knit pieces above, this would be my definite choice, this is the softest, most luxurious Sea Island Knit. I like this one because, unlike the majority of the Sea Island Knit prints, it is not predominantly white, so I feel like it could be used for an older girls dress. Here is another one I like.

Pink, Yellow, Green and Purple (Fabric Finders) Floral: another floral that is speaking my name, would love it for the sleeveless smocked top.

Cornflower Blue: This color is a perfect coordinate to the plaid listed below.

Blue and Green Plaid: I know that this particular fabric goes really well with the color of the knit dress from Beaufort Bonnet-I foresee the boys having both Parker’s Pants shorts and Alan’s Bubbles in this fabric.

Pistachio Green: I love this color from Fabric Finders, its a muted green that says “green” without saying “GREEN.” If that makes any sense.

Train Fabric (Fabric Finders): This is another one that I will be on the hunt for, its in (like the one above) Fabric Finders’ Sneak Peak. It would be perfect for a pair of shorts, paired with a pocket tee or a tee with a train applique.

Excavators and Dump Trucks (Fabric Finders): I just showed this one to Maria. She exclaimed in a deafening whisper, “OOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! We HAVE to get that for Robby he will LOVE it.” That was convincing enough for me. It need to be shorts too.

Blue: I like to have this on hand for shorts, Jon-jon’s, jumpers, for that moment when I really want to sew something that makes me feel accomplished…you can’t go wrong with a blue pique.

So there you have it-everything I have been dreaming and scheming about these last few weeks. I’m sure I won’t have time for all of it, but a girl can dream right?? I can’t wait to get fabric ordered and get started! What about you? Have you started planning for Spring and Summer? What are some of your “must sews?” Drop a comment below or let me know on social media! I’m always on the lookout for new pattern ideas 🙂