Toadstools, buttons, puddles...

  Is anyone else at a loss when it comes to finding quality, affordable toddler clothing; devoid of liscensed characters, logos, or garish design?
On the very rare ocassion that we do go clothing shopping, I never seem to find anything. W isn't "daddy's little slugger", or "property of Baby Gap"....he's a toddler. He also doesn't need buttons, zippers, clasps, or itchy tags. At this point, even jeans restrict his movements and seem uncomfortable. For late Spring and Summer, I'm loving 100% cotton pants, shirts, and shorts, merino wool and silk, and a sweet pair of knitted board shorts created by a talented friend! Organic cotton is worth the price, as it's softness is unrivaled. In short, I'm a huge fan of somewhat plain and definitely unrestrictive clothing for children.

  I found a big bag of white cotton T-shirts in our attic this past month and I've been thinking of what to do with them. Tie Dyeing will definitely be an option. I've also enjoyed dyeing with indigo to create a "cloudy sky" look. But first, I decided to hand dye a few and make some appliques.

I was recently given a big bag of RIT dyes, so I used some to dye the shirt on the stove. Once it was clean and dry, I began sewing on the appliques I cut from scrap fabric. I cheated a bit a glued them down with a very small amount of glue to hold them in place while I hand stitched. Can you tell I am a novice sewer?

Here's W wearing the finished product while playing with a huge tin of buttons.
Oh, those buttons.

Such a fun tin, too. Around these parts, we say, "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much!"
Thank you for all of your supportive and loving comments on my previous post. They mean so much to me, and I am incredibly grateful.
I leave you with our playschool week in photos...they were days filled with rain, puddles, and sweetness:)
We are preparing for our (late) May Day celebration next week. I'm doing the event on a $15 budget--an exciting challenge as I look around our house and see ordinary objects and even things headed for the garbage that we can use!