Olga turns four tomorrow, so I made a a birthday outfit for her big day. It’s not too often that I get to make something AND keep it a secret, but somehow I’ve managed this time. Of course I’ve sacrificed some sleep to this end, but… Who am I kidding? I would have just stayed up late to do something dumb anyway. Click on any picture for a larger view.

I used patterns from Ottobre magazine to make the outfit. The shirt is from the Spring 2006 (1/2006) issue, design #17, and the pants are from the Spring 2004 (1/2004) issue, design #16 (I used the waistband pattern piece from design #17).

I think this will be very comfortable for lounging around and playing while we’re still in that transitional weather period. All of the fabric is from my stash. The legs of the pants and front and back of the shirt are cotton velour which I bought right before Olga was born. The pants waistband, shirt sleeves, and neck band are pink ribbing from. . . somewhere. I can’t quite remember, but I know it is inherited stash.

The side front panels are cut from the last scraps of this delightful barnyard print. It is a lightweight cotton/polyester jersey from JoAnn Fabrics several years ago.

I only had small pieces of each of these fabrics, so I had to do some creative layout. I shortened the body of the shirt after I compared the pattern pieces to a shirt that fits her. If I decide she needs more length, I can always add a band of ribbing around the lower edge, like a sweatshirt would have.

I also shortened the pants a little bit, so they will be more like capris. Instead of the waistband called for in the pattern, I substituted the wastband from the skirt pattern (below). It looks really comfortable to me. I may have to make it a little smaller, but I’ll let Olga try it on first.