So, just as we were getting used to the mild winter here in
Oklahoma, February hits and we’re down to the teens some days. I’m going to ignore it for now and focus on spring wardrobes!! The Get Ready for Spring with
Ellie and Mac tour
that
Seams Sew Lo is sponsoring was the perfect fix to my winter blah’s. I am so excited to be today’s stop on the
tour, and I’m so glad that you’ve stopped in to visit!
My kids were all over it when I told them to pick out some fabrics for spring outfits. My son went straight for the knits and found
himself some cat fabric for his Conner shorts and Half Pipe tee. My daughter decided to go a little more
spring-y and chose a green with butterflies and hummingbirds for her Be
Curious dress. We originally planned for green
to go with it, but she later decided on yellow because “pops more” (wiping away a little tear of
pride here).
So, let’s start with the Conner shorts and Half Pipe tee
that my son chose. These are both knit
patterns, and they are perfect for any kiddo who’s always on the move. They are both pretty easy to sew up so these
would be perfect for someone who’s ready to give knits a try and wants something
quick and simple to make!
The Conner shorts come in sizes 6-12mos through 10 while the
Half Pipe (which happens to be unisex) ranges from 12mos to 14. You’ll get some pretty good mileage from both
of these patterns given the size range.
My son is a size 6 RTW, and the 6 in these patterns fit him perfectly.
 |
| He looks like he's up to no good here, but I promise he isn't!! |
Both patterns are super quick to sew with the Conner having
one pattern piece and the Half Pipe having 4.
I think the whole outfit took me about an hour to sew, and that’s only because
I had to re-do the back of the shirt when I sewed one of the pieces inside
out. I used a Doodles fabric from JoAnn’s
and a smoother, lighter yellow that I have no idea the source. It was in my stash. My son told me the best part is that he can
wear the shorts either way since they don’t have a front or back on them…always thinking
about how he can avoid changing his clothes if he doesn’t have to…
As I said, the Half Pipe is unisex so you can absolutely
make this shirt for girls as well! You
have both long and short sleeve options, a solid or piece back ,
and optional applique sets if you want to do some cool stuff to showcase the
colorblocked pieces. I even saw some photos
where ladies had used panels to mix and match for some really amazing results.
My son was over the moon in love with this outfit and had
planned to wear it to church tonight until he found out it’s going to be
freezing by 7PM.
Now, my daughter took more time to figure out what she wanted. She’s kind of torn between totally tomboy to
mostly tomboy with a dash of girl. In
the end, she went all the way to girly and chose the Be Curious Dress. I personally LOVE this pattern. It’s a gorgeous dress, and it’s perfect as a
dressier outfit or as just a cute dress for everyday play.
The Be Curious is designed for cotton woven fabric, and it
comes in sizes 12mos-12. My daughter is
in an 8 right now so I’m glad that I have a few more years with this
dress. She picked the flounce for the
sleeves and asked if I could do a band on the bottom instead of a ruffle. I used the ruffle piece to cut the
bands and just modified the length to match the skirt bottom. The end result ended up being the vintage length dress
that made my daughter’s day.
The pattern
itself does not include instructions for the band, but it’s easy enough to do
if you decide you want to go that route.
If you don't want the vintage look with the band, I would definitely suggest adding length to the skirt…or making a wider band. I just
folded the ruffle piece in half to make mine.
The dress took me a little bit longer because of the lined bodice and gathered skirt, but a confident beginner
could easily take on this project. I
personally loved the button up back and the sleeve flounces. I had intended to make some fabric covered
buttons to match the dress, but I’ll just admit it now, I got lazy and went
with little clear buttons instead. I
even used the sewing machine to put the buttons on because I didn’t want to
find my hand sewing needles. Super lazy,
I know. BUT, I loved the way it looked
on the dress so I’m claiming that was intentional.
My daughter loved the length. It
was a happy accident that it was vintage length, but I'm also claiming that as intentional.
I was only going to do the two outfits for my kiddos, but I
decided to add a dress that I made last week for me.
The Sunset Dreams Dress is probably one of my favorite makes for myself. It’s a knit pattern, and it comes
in sizes XXS to 4XL. I made mine in a L
graded to an XL, and it was oh so comfortable.
The fabric is a really light weight drapey fabric so I used a little
heavier knit to line the bodice.
I love that I have options…who doesn’t love options? The pattern has 5 length options: mini, mid thigh, petite, regular, and
tall. I made the petite because I’m 5’1
on a good day. By ready to wear standards,
5’3 is petite so I’m shorter than a petite.
If I ever need a reminder that I’m short, putting on petite pants that
are too long does it every time.
However, in this dress, the petite came to right above the knee. YESSS!!
Perfect length.
I used fabric straps with elastic, but you also have the
option of using decorative elastic instead of fabric. I ended up cutting about 4 ½” off my straps
so definitely try the bodice on and pin the straps to it before you sew it together
to get an idea of where to attach the straps.
I would also recommend putting it on with your bra so that you can move
the straps around to where they will cover your straps. I didn’t even think about that when I put my
straps on so every once in a while my straps peek out.
I really do love this dress, and as soon as I get the chance, I’m going to order some more knit to make me a few
more of these before the warm weather hits again!
Now, let’s get some info here on how to get your copy of the
patterns (patterns are 35% off all February. Automatically applies when you add
them to your cart so no coupon code needed!) and how you can enter the giveaway
that’s going on right now! Please note
that all pattern links in this post are affiliate links. This means that I may receive a commission
(at no cost to you) from your purchase of these patterns using the links I
provide. Just click on the pattern name
and you’ll go straight to the pattern link:
Boys Conner Shorts: Sizes
6-12mos through 10, designed for knit, one pattern piece, great for mixing and
matching prints/colors, fast easy sew
Unisex Half Pipe Tee: Sizes 12mos through 14, designed for
knit, pieced front bodice, short or long sleeves, optional hand applique sets,
options for solid or pieced back bodice
Be Curious Dress: Sizes 12mos through 12, designed for cotton
woven, vintage or knee length, ruffled or straight hem, four sleeve optons:
long, flounced long, flounce only, sleeveless.
Sunset Dreams Dress: Sizes XXS to 4XL, designed for knit, 5
dress lengths: mini, mid thigh, petite, regular, tall, two strap options: fabric
or decorative elastic
Don’t forget to head over to the rafflecopter giveaway to enter yourself for a chance to win a $35 store credit to
Ellie and Mac! Special thanks to Lo from
Seams Sew Lo for
sponsoring this blog tour and to Lindsay from
Ellie and Mac for the awesome patterns
and giveaway prize! I appreciate you
joining me today and please stop in with the rest of the tour to see what all
of us have put together to get you in a springtime state of mind. The link to the rafflecopter giveaway is at the bottom of the schedule!
Kim
