More swimwear - a rash top and pants

I love R's new Cosi swimsuit, but Melbourne's extreme UV levels sometimes require a more sun-smart option. R's previous rash top and pants having been well and truly outgrown, I made a new one using the same patterns as last time: an Ottobre raglan-sleeved top and the Cosi swimsuit's pants.

The floral fabric comes from Joelle's fabric warehouse and is apparently a Sea Folly remnant. It's  lovely quality and has quite a slinky feeling. I teamed it with some plain blue swim fabric for the fully lined bottoms, taking a couple of inches off the top of the high-waisted pants. The rash top is exactly as per the pattern with the exception of the neckband, which I widened for better neck coverage.

These bathers were really put through their paces on their first wear. Besides swimming, R spent lots of time rolling around in the (very hot) sand, digging pools and building castles. We had a few moments of excitement when my friend spotted a shark's fin above the water, prompting me to run along the beach screaming at people to get out of the water. I had just managed to clear the beach of swimmers when we realised that our 'shark' was in fact a dolphin. Rather embarrassing - but at least our kids ended up with a good story to tell!

Another nightie in Japanese lawn

R has been wearing the same much-loved summer nightie for the past three years, during which time it's gone from very long to way too short, and has become rather difficult to get into. When the fabric - thin from so much wear - started to tear in a couple of places, I knew I had to move quickly on a new version. And since the old pattern had proved so perfect, and the fabric was so light and soft, there seemed no need to reinvent the wheel; the same Japanese pattern and the same kind of fabric would do perfectly.

The pattern is from Girly Style Wardrobe, and is intended as a slip to be worn under another dress, but its loose-fitting style with no closures makes it perfect for nightwear. The fabric is from Spotlight's Japanese lawn range and the trim is cotton lace (and plenty of it!).

R is thrilled with her long nightie and is now requesting a long dress - which won't be happening until she drops her demand for an off-the-shoulder style. I'm just happy she's no longer squeezing herself into a tiny torn nightie!

A few weeks ago I saw a little girl in the playground wearing a cute dress with a shirred top and a double skirt and decided to copy it using pattern G from Kids Clothes Style Book. This pattern is for a simple sundress with five narrow elastic casings at the top, which were rather frustrating to sew and to fit to R's chest properly - shirring would have been a whole lot easier. I adapted the pattern by adding an elastic casing at the waist and an extra skirt section (with the fabric the wrong way around, if you look closely... I didn't have enough to cut a piece the right way).

One very pretty feature of this pattern is the straps, which tie in a bow at the back - R loves this detail! I do think the straps could be a little narrower, though, as they tend to gather up a bit at the front.

It's got a bit of a puffy look around the chest and I'm not sure if it's been a totally successful experiment, but R really, really adores this dress. The fabric is one of Spotlight's wonderful Japanese lawns - an old one from my stash - and it is very light and breezy to wear, which as just as well since Melbourne summer has arrived with a vengeance!