I’ve been eating a lot of chocolate and haven’t slept well in about 4 nights, so my thoughts are moving almost too quick to capture today.   I apologize ahead of time, I hope this post will be coherent!

Let’s talk about kids/baby clothes for a minute.   I love to save my kids’ baby clothes/blankets etc.  (For excellent inspiration for saving baby clothes, look at this blog post-it’s to die for!  Yep, it’s in Finnish, just look at the pics .  For me textiles are as good as (or better than) pictures.  When I hold a baby outfit, I can feel and smell and think all the same things that I did when my children were wrapped in those darling fabrics.   I have a fairly complex process of going through clothes when Mila outgrows them.  1.  I pull out any clothes I can’t part with for a keep sake box  2.  I wash/pack up the rest  to pass on to our baby neice  3.  When the clothes come back, I sort through them to decide what I want to cut up for quilts/crafting or re-purposing  4.  I try to consign what I don’t want to keep for crafting  5.  I donate what Lucy’s Consignment doesn’t want  6.  I cut up the clothes for crafting purposes.   Today, I finally made it to this round of step #6.  Let me show you some pictures!

(problem posting this pic?)

I am going to cut these pieces  into 5×5 squares.  This is what I will make into a keep-sake quilt.

I changed my mind and couldn’t bear to cut this one up.  It’s Italian travel/landmarks/scooter fabric.  I love the colors, I love everything about this.

This is a brim from an 18-24 baby hat (Gymboree 2005 or 2006).  I think it will be just darling as a detachable collar (almost to be used like a necklace) for Mila.  I will probably shorten it and put some kind of pretty closure on it.  I love the detailing/rickrack and fabric/colors.  It’s perfect because it already has fabric stabilizer in it to make it a little stiff , it reverses to a co-ordinating fabric and it is basically the perfect shape already.  *I think I am going to try and make it into a peter pan collar.*  I am inspired to make some detachable collars for her after seeing The Well-digger’s Daughter on Netflix/watch it now (you must watch this one for the clothes, they are so lovely!).  I also want to do a crocheted collar for her (like this).

This is the rest of that hat.  Hmmmm…Im not sure what to do with it yet.  It looks like a cozy for something?   Or a pin cushion?  Or what?  Can’t decide, but it’s too pretty to throw away.

Here are leg elastics from the matching bloomers to this outfit.  Look at the details!  They made these with co-ordinating fabric trim.  I love that.  I love the love that goes into that.  These type of details are missing from today’s clothes.  Or maybe it’s just Mila’s size?  Are clothes getting less cute/not as well made the older she gets?   I think I am going to make these into hair elastics.

Gap has a new Peter Rabbit line.  I would have bought all of this, if they had made it in her size:

Aren’t they just darling?  Why didn’t Gap make the Peter Rabbit line in bigger sizes?  Why do they assume we want to dress our three year olds like they are teenagers?  I feel like emailing them!  Are you seeing a color theme here?  I think I am loving pink and yellow!

Guess what I ordered for myself from Boden?!?!   The scallop trim shirt (in yellow) and the casual cable cardigan (in soft red/pink).  I adore the fabric (both are 100% cotton) and details and colors of these two items.  They look vintage inspried to me.  I just hope they fit properly!  I wanted the scallop trim shirt last year and was sorry when I didn’t get it.  So I was super happy to see they brought it back this year.

I cut these felt Miffy heads to patch onto Mila’s dirty knees.  It was a Pinterest idea of course.  I am terribly obsessed with bunnies right now.  Like this pillow and this wall decal and this wallpaper (I don’t think they sell this anymore) and all of this bunny stuff from Maileg.  Oh and I ebayed this adorable bunny night light but what I really wanted was this expensive Miffy one.   I also can’t get enough of fawns and foxes.  Thank goodness for Pinterest.  If I had my shop or my own children’s clothes line, it would be nothing but bunnies, fawns and foxes right now.

**Have you ever seen Olive’s Friend Pop childre’s clothes (I think I have posted about them before)?  I think they are literally the cutest, vintage inspired clothes out there.  Way out of my price range, but so inspirational.**

I love the colors, fabrics, details and design.  If I had a shop, I would sell this.  Look at the bonnet!  **After a little research, I realized this company is no longer in business.  Isn’t that a shame?  I wish I could start a children’s clothing company with clothes like this but priced more like Gymboree!**

***PS***If you want to make some lovely vintage inspired baby clothes,  you can find lovely patterns at Oliver and S.