Springtime State of Mind (Get Ready for Spring with Ellie and Mac)

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!  

1. February 3rd: Seams Sew Lo (Intro)
2. February 4th: Seams Sew Lo
3. February 5th: Violets and Jewels
4. February 6th: Threadistry
5. February 7th: Mama Can Make it
6. February 8th: My Crazy Crafty Beautiful Life
7. February 9th: Aurora Designs
8. February 10th: Flaxfield Sewing
9. February 11th: Floral and Flannel
10. February 12th: FABulous Home Sewn
11. February 13th: Minns Things
12. February 14th: Our Play Place
13. February 15th: Tenille's Thread
14. February 16th: Seams Like Style
15. February 17th: Hutsepruts
16. February 18th: Candi Couture Designs
17. February 19th: My Sewing Roots
18. February 20th: Manning the Machine
19. February 21st: Stitched by Jennie
20. February 22nd: Kathy's Kwilts and More
21. February 23rd: Sewjourns
22. February 24th: Mermaid Mama Designs
23. February 25th: Fee Bricolo
24. February 26th: Oak Blue Designs
25. February 27th: Big Fly Notions
26. February 28th: Sewing Blue

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings and Happy Sewing,

Kim