Sew Baby Zippy Bunting

I really didn't think I'd be back at my machine this quickly, but this was a need!  And retail totally failed me.  I can't find sleepers and buntings small enough for my little guy, and it gets seriously cold at night!  He needed a bunting, and conveniently enough, I just won this great bunting pattern from Sew Baby.  Unfortunately, even the 0-3 month size is intended for an 8 pound baby.  The pattern includes a doll version as well, which I considered, but the proportions are different, so in the end, I just compared the pattern pieces to a romper he has that fits reasonably well.  I ended up taking out 2 inches of length and a total of two inches in width, as well as an inch in length in the arms.

One thing I really love about this pattern is the hood.  Babies lose a lot of heat from their heads and hats don't stay on well at night.  Unfortunately, my alterations didn't include the neckline, and the hood pulls the body of the bunting up over Duncan's face.  Since the whole point of a bunting vs a blanket is to PREVENT fabric from covering baby's airway, this is a clear fail.  I don't think it's the pattern though, just the way I altered it.  When Duncan grows a bit I'm planning to make it again as drafted, and I suspect I will have greater success.  Since it totally didn't work as it was, I took the hood off and just added ribbed band to the collar.  I also didn't love the elastic in the sleeves, so I added foldover cuffs there.

My final version works well and keeps my little man cozy at night.

It's even nice during the day, since I don't have to wrap him up in blankets that get twisted around and bunched up.  Good thing I have more fleece.  I need a couple more of these!