DIY Cropped Toddler Jacket

Every time there is any mention of scheduling family pictures, I immediately become obsessed with finding the perfect outfits for everyone to wear. My extended family is planning family pictures in October, so of course, I already know what we're all going to wear. We're going for fall colors and my little family will be wearing olive green, orange, and tan. I found a fabulous orange dress on summer clearance for my 2-year old, but since the photos will be taken at the end of October, I figured I should plan on cooler weather. So I figured I'd whip up a little jacket for her to wear over her sundress.

Luckily, I found the perfect tutorial from The Sewing Rabbit for a "Gathered Pocket Jacket."

Be sure to click through and check out the photos and tutorial. The tutorial was very easy to follow and turned out super cute! I made a few modifications, which I'll explain below.

My original idea was to make Violet a military-ish jacket in olive green. I found some olive green polka dot fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby and my idea evolved. Here is how mine turned out:

Since I opted for a lighter-weight cotton, the jacket's drape isn't quite what I was hoping for. I lined it with silky ivory lining and added some lace detail on the pockets. My jacket ended up with a different neckline than the original, so instead of using buttons, I folded the corners back and tacked them down with a couple of stitches so it has lapels.

I think that, all things considered, it turned out really well and Violet loves her "coat." Since I still have 6 weeks until family photos, I'll probably mess around with it some more to see if I can get it fitting better (i.e., narrowing the sleeves). 

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