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Most of the baby clothes my son wears are hand-me-downs or flea market finds, but my very favorites are usually the vintage ones. They don't look like all the other baby outfits you see running (crawling?) around and they're usually better made, too.
The drawback is that they don't always have snaps in the legs. I loved this pair of 80s overalls, but there's no way I am putting on or taking off overalls more than once a day. It was an easy fix, though! I ripped out the old seam, made a new one along the edges of the legs, and sewed on six snaps. Now diaper changing will be a (dare I say it?) snap.
I turned the seam under for the length of the legs, but left the cuffs folded over so they weren't too bulky. If the pants you're modding are thinner, go ahead and turn the seam under all the way.
When sewing the snaps on, make sure to use strong thread and stitch a little more than you think you need to. You don't want those things popping off and ending up in your little one's mouth!
Here are all six snaps sewn on. Learn from my mistake and make sure you have the two sides of the snap in the right order (I accidentally sewed on two backs)!
NOTE: a kind reader suggested snap tape, which would definitely make this an even easier project!
Whenever I have to sew something on for babies or toddlers (like clothing or buttons etc on toys) I use dental floss... it's so super strong and pretty much impossible to break!
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Using snap tape would make aligning the halves easier and add reinforcement / strength / stability, especially if you want to do this to a garment made from a stretchy material.
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What a great suggestion! I didn't even know snap tape existed, but I will definitely be tracking some down. Thanks for the tip.
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You can also make your own, using twill tape and whatever sort of snaps you like -- sew-on, or the kind you attach like rivets. This is useful if, say, you want to add snaps to a hand-knit baby garment, but the spacing on commercial snap tape is wrong. You still have the problem of lining them up just right, but -- to twist a phrase -- measure twice, attach once.
(I try logging in with OpenID, but it loses the info when I hit submit on the comment, so I have to comment anonymously...)
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