Stars and Stripes Forever - Matching Kids Outfits for the 4th of July! -

Hi everyone! Mary from @embercraftcompany here and I’d love to introduce you to a few of the gorgeous fabrics from the Stars and Stripes Forever collection by Lori Whitlock!

I knew the minute I saw this collection that I wanted to make some outfits for the kids for the Fourth of July. We LOVE the Fourth around here: barbeques, neighborhood pool parties, and fireworks in the middle of the street when the sun goes down.

And something I love even more than the holiday? Making the kids matching outfits while they will still wear them! We have *almost* 5 year old twins – a boy and a girl – and given the choice, they still love matching when they can and it melts me.

I actually had the kids scroll through the fabrics from the collection to pick which they wanted, and amazingly, they both landed on the Main print. Connor chose the version in Sky, and Emma went with the Blue. This print is kind of an amalgamation of the entire line. It has trucks, heart flags, pinwheels, fireworks, and an image of the US! It had Connor with the trucks and Emma with the hearts. For Emma’s, I added the Plaid White print for the pockets and side/back bodices, and the Fireworks Red print for ALL the ruffles.

Now, I have to be honest, I am primarily a quilter. I actually began quilting not too long after the twins were born and the pandemic hit. But I have been easing myself into garment making, mostly for the kids, but also for me and it’s been incredibly gratifying.

For Connor, I chose the Thomas Shirt by Felicity Sewing Patterns, you can find it here. This is a casual, button-up, camp collar (meaning no top button) shirt that takes just over a yard for a size 5. I’ve made this pattern several times for him and it never disappoints. My best hack for kids clothing though is to use these plastic snaps instead of buttons and buttonholes. There are easy to install (kits with multiple colors and the pliers to install can be found here) and the kids can open and close them easily on their own.

For Emma, we chose the Arvada Dress by Little Lizard King Patterns, you can find it here. She actually chose this pattern for herself. We recently went through her closet and had to give away a few dresses that didn’t fit anymore, one of which was made with this pattern and she was NOT happy about it. So, when I asked her what kind of dress she’d like for this project, she said, “One like the purple one you made me give away”. Sigh. Hopefully making her a new one will prevent the need for future therapy due to her mom giving away her favorite clothes. She’s only four and I’m outmatched.

The Arvada is a pinafore-style dress and looks great over a shirt. The small ruffles around the bodice and pockets take some patience, but they are a detail worth taking the time to get right. Emma’s favorite part of this dress is definitely the pockets. And mom’s favorite part about making this one? No buttons. The back uses elastic instead of buttons or snaps to keep it snug and it’s a relief to have something easy after all that gathering!

And the most fun part of this project? My husband found some leftover sparklers in the garage from last year and we had an impromptu Fourth of July party in the backyard to celebrate these fun makes! We are going to be bringing BIG ENERGY to the Fourth of July this year, I hope our neighborhood can handle it.