To Match or Not to Match...That is the Question

I always swore that if I had two girls, I would not make them match outfits.  I always thought it was silly and to please the mother, not the child.  Obviously, this is coming from my own childhood.  I was unfairly subjected to matching outfits for a number of years, until I declared my independence and vowed I would never match my sister again.  I also very loudly proclaimed that I would "NEVER, EVER, do that to my own children!!"

Well, I lied.  I was right in one way - it's to please the mother.  Yep.  It makes me happy to see my girls in matching outfits.  Usually I make them "similar, but different." You know, same dress, but different colors.  Or the same fabrics but in different places.  Well, this time they are matchy-matchy and I think it's cute.  Very cute.  I am sorry, 8-year-old self.  So sorry.

Actually, the whole "exact match" thing was a mistake.  I wasn't going to make this pattern originally.  I had another dress all lined up.  I made my 1-year old's first.  Picture baby in a potato sack.  That's about what it was.  Ugh.  It was AWFUL.  I could not let my children be seen wearing potato sacks in their Christmas photos which were going out on Christmas cards.  "Oh, yeah, Becca, they're really...ummmm...nice..." Plan B.  Use the pattern that I had used for their Easter dresses, just change the material and the pattern to suit my needs.  I think it turned out much better. I was planning on making the girls opposites.  One with a black skirt/red bodice and one with a red skirt/black bodice, but I only had enough black fabric left for the bodices.  It worked out for the best, I think.  I really like the color combination of the red on bottom and the black on top.  I added the buttons on the straps to add a little extra flair to the dress.

Lastly, I decided to rig up some sort of hair clip for them both.  This was not high-tech, I assure you.  I am not into making hair accessories and usually buy them.  But I thought using the same white fabric as the bottom trim would look cute in a hair clip.  So I took a shot.

All I did was cut a circle (used my brown sugar canister as a pattern) and sew with a gathering stitch all the way around the circle.  Then I pulled the threads and gathered the fabric which created a poof.  I hot glued the raw edges to the bottom and to an empty hair clip.  Then I pulled out some rhinestones I had sitting around and glued them in the center of the fabric poof in the shape of a sparkly flower.  Viola!  One, not so professional, hair clip.

So now my girls will be beautiful (and matching) at Christmas.  I know you are now eagerly awaiting your amazing Christmas card!