Guest Blogger - Smashed Peas and Carrots' Fleece Jumper

Hi all! I'm Maggie, otherwise known as Mommabear, from my blog, Smashed Peas and Carrots! Michelle is being so nice to let me visit here today and show all of you, her wonderful readers, my tutorial on how to make a Little Girls' Fleece Jumper. I hope you like it!

First off, a little about me! I am a wife and a momma to two crazy-fun littles...an almost 3 year old boy and a soon-to-be 15 month old little girl. I work part-time out of the house with my husband (we own our own business and YIKES! it can get hectic!) In my free time, ie.naptime and bedtime (oh, so sad...so is the life of a momma!), I love to sew, knit, bake, decorate, eh, basically do all things crafty and I absolutely love to share and teach others! My blog is a great outlet for all my projects and my life as a momma. I hope you stop by to say hi, I love meeting new friends!

Ok, so enough about me...so boring, I know! On with the tutorial!!!!!!

Super easy and super cute...pinky swear!

So, like what you see!?! Ok then, here is what you need:

Little Girls' Fleece Jumper

1/2 yard fleece
2 coordinating buttons (any size you like)
coordinating thread
scissors, rotary cutter, needle, sewing machine...the usual supsects!

Aaaaah, cuteness!

First off, fold your fleece in half and cut a rectangle with a bit of flair at the bottom. Mine was 9 inches across the top, 16 inches across the bottom and 14 inches in length. Make sure you have enough on each side for a seam allowance AND you don't have to worry about hemming the top or bottom since fleece doesn't fray...Yep, super sweet, I know! Then, with right sides facing each other (see picture above) straight stitch both sides of the jumper together, remembering to backstitch at your beginnings and ends of each side!

Next up, cutting your straps, WooHoo! I made mine 7 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The length will really depend on your little girl though, you may want to measure her first :)
Now, just place the short end of one strap with it's right side facing the wrong side (or inside) of the back of the jumper. Sew a straight stitch all the way around making a nice little square box, like the picture above. Cute. Do this to the other strap. Good. Now they are nice and secure! Next, bring the free end of the strap to the front of the jumper and make sure that it's at the right length for your little ones shoulders. Mark with a pin (or a disappearing ink pen) where you want to place you button. Then just sew those buttons right on with needle and thread! Be sure you sew your buttons to the right side of the strap!

Then, go ahead and cut a small slit a bit smaller than the actual size of the button into the front of the jumper, making sure to line it up with the button/strap. I like to use the really itty bitty rotary cutter for this and make sure to put your self-healing mat inbetween the two layers of the jumper...you don't want any button holes on the backside, that would be an uh oh, oh no...!

Here is what the straps will look like when they are attached to the back of the jumper...you can also see my hand-sewn button knots at the free end.

And, here is the finished product...perfect for fall...or winter!

So nice and cozy.

Want to see it on my little model again? Ok, since you asked...

A side view of the lil' jumper...humm, this could describe both Penny and the dress! ;)

A front view...and she's sooo getting into all of my sewing stuff lately, hrmmm...

Ooooh, if you want to learn how to make that elasticized fabric keychain she's holding on to just go to my blog, Smashed Peas and Carrots, for that and a bunch of other super sweet tutorials that you can finish in no time at all!

A back view...and a see ya later alligator!

And that's it...a simple little girls' jumper done in the shortest of naptimes! Thanks for having me today, it was so much fun! Make sure to come by and say hello over at my blog Smashed Peas and Carrots. I have lots of other easy peasy tutorials and momma-related crazy-ness over there...and don't forget to become a follower (uh, that sounds weird!)...but I'd really love it if you would!

I just have to say I love this idea of using fleece because you don't have to sew the button holes. I have an old machine that doesn't do button holes and so this idea brings me joy! I am going to make one of these for my daughter for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Thanks, Maggie. I love your blog, Smashed Peas and Carrots!!!

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