Would They Wear That---Car Wash Pleats?

So as I was perusing the internet looking at Fall fashion trends, I came across this one...Car Wash Pleats. While I'm not exactly sure how they are made, I have some ideas to how you could do it...the question is would I want to and would your tween really want to wear them?
Here's a collection of some of the looks:

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So the question is...Would they Wear That? Let us know what your tween thinks and if there is enough interest, we'll have a tutorial on how to get the look...unless you just want to slash a skirt to get it:)

Would they Wear That? Dolman tops

I (Major Moma) am reading Tim Gunn's book The Fashion Bible (affiliate link) and am quite enjoying learning the history behind the garments we wear today.  So in the spirit of Mr. Gunn's book, I thought I would share a little history about a style of top I am making for Abi's Back-to-School wardrobe.

Tee shirts are an absolute must for today's wardrobe but I think they can look sloppy or boring so I love it when I can find a tee that has some fun shape to it.  And the "dolman" shirt is perfect for adding that little something special to a basic tee.  Also, the cut is quite comfortable so there is no sacrifice for fashion!

Wikapedia traces the origins of the Doman to Turkish court clothing and describes a woman's dolman top as "A dolman sleeve is a sleeve set into a very low armscye; in fact, the armscye may extend to the waistline, in which case there will be no underarm seam in the blouse. Dolman sleeves were very popular in ladies clothing during the Civil War. They returned to popular fashion in the mid 1980s with dolman sleeves on acid and stone-washed denim jackets geared towards teenage boys and girls. They had the effect of making the shoulders look sloped therefore minimizing the appearance of the waist."

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I am guessing that it is the '80s fashion revival that has brought the dolman back on trend for us today.  See! there was some good fashion in the '80s!

If you are not as interested in the history of fashion but need to know what makes a dolman sleeve a dolman, Dictionary.com has a much less illuminating description:

noun

1.

a sleeve tapered from a very large armhole to fit closely at the wrist,used on women's garments.

A short sleeve version of this top is wonderfully simple because the sleeve is cut onto the front and back.  What that means is that there are only two pieces to the pattern!  (unless you opt for binding the neckline)

The longer sleeve version has a sleeve that attaches to that dropped shoulder and is quite fitted on the arm while the under arm is left loose and breezy.

There are two dolman sleeve patterns on my cutting table right now; Shwin & Shwin's Day Tripper top and Jaile's 3352.  But there are other options if you want to sew this style for your tween.


A pattern I have not tried but have seen good things written about is the Carlie by EYMM.  It comes in sizes into the high tweens/teens and has a trendy high/low thing going on too.

Carlie

Pattern's for Pirates has a woman's dolman called the Pumpkin Spice that comes in an XXS that according to the measurements would fit a size 10 or 12 tween girl.  This pattern has a couple different design options and if it is as good as the other P4P patterns I have sewn, it is sure to be a winner.

Sew Much Ado has two dolman tops in it's shop.  One is for children and only goes up to size 10 and the other is for women and starts at XS.  One of these may work for your tween.  Check out the measurements and see ...

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Jaile's 3352 comes in sizes 2T to 22 Woman's.  So this is a pattern that can really fit all the girls/ladies in your family.

The Day Tripper also is not a children's pattern.  It is designed for women but the XS is an option for the older tweens.  (Plus, you can sew one up for you too just to make the purchase worth it, right?)

And finally, if you are more of a Draft-it-Yourself gal or simply don't have the cash to spend on one more pattern during the school buying frenzy, Becca's Creative Notions has a tutorial on how to use your normal tee-shirt pattern to draft a dolman sleeve tee-shirt.

Sooo,,. Would your tween wear a dolman top?

Sewing Culottes

Last week we asked you all if your tween (girl; sorry sewers for boys) would wear cullottes?  Well, I since I was anxious to sew some up, I searched far and wide accross the internet looking for patterns that would be good options.

Guess what?  I could only find one.  Just one.  Surely someone who designs patterns for tweens also loves this trend.  There are actually a few for women.  Burdastyle and the other big pattern makers have various culotte options for the home sewist.  It is when you start looking for tween sizes, it gets more difficult.

What was the one I found?  Well it is the Nina Skirt and Culotte by Compagnie M..  It is actually a Teen and Ladies pattern so it only comes in the upper ranges of tween sizing.

I have this pattern and I hope to sew it up before summer ends.  If I don't get to it, then you may see an Autumn version in corduroy or wool in the future.

Now it was not exactly true that this is the only pattern.  There are a few vintage patterns available out there on Etsy and other sources of various lengths of culottes.

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Do you guys know of any culotte patterns that would fit tweens?

Would They Wear Culottes?

This spring I noticed that culottes had come back into fashion for the spring/summer 2014 and have been more prevalent this year.  I am pretty excited about this trend because I have always loved them. They have the comfort and practicality of shorts but have a dressy quality about them.  I think they are a lovely option for a tween girl.

And what makes a culotte different from shorts?

According to Wikipedia it is "Culottes are an item of clothing, originally the knee-breeches commonly worn by gentlemen of the European upper-classes from the late Middle Ages or Renaissance through the early nineteenth century."  To learn more about this fashionable short pant read the rest of the Wiki article HERE.

Elle Magazine's 2014 picks

Glamour's Spring 2015 most wearable trend

I also like a shorter version of the culotte that hits at the knee.  I think it is a great length for active tweens running around at home, the playground, or on family outings.

So what do you think?  Would your tween wear culottes?

Would They Wear That...Boys in Capris?

So this time around, we have a male/boy fashion trend version of "Would they wear THAT?"

Capris....what do you think? Will your male tween go for them?

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There seem to be a couple different trends within a trend though.  There is the classic twill version, like the ones above. Kind of like a good pair of khaki pants cut off.

Then there is the more fitted 'skinny' look, as seen below.

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There is the cargo pants look, which I personally think is the easiest for men/boys to pull off.

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And finally, the more harem style look...

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So what do you think, will your male tween wear capris...please tell us what you think!

Would They Wear That--Overalls...Get the Look.

So the question was, 'Would they wear overalls?'
Surprisingly (that said with a little bit of sarcasm...because it seems most tweens don't want to be wearing overalls), there aren't that many tween overall patterns out there.
Here's what we came up with:

There's the Peek-a-Boo Okey Dokey Overalls that go up to size 12 (affiliate link)

This look is similar to overalls...but a little more trendy. The straps tie in the back, so probably more appropriate for girls. It's the Rayna Tween Romper by Create Kids Couture

Rayna's Tween Retro Romper by Create Kids Couture

And then here are 2 paper patterns.  The first is more of a romper look as well:

simplicity 1355

And here's a great looking burda pattern that goes up to about a US size 14.

Burda 9464

So there you go, if you want to sew overalls up for your tween you have a few options.  Please share if you do make some!

Would they Wear It: Denim Overalls???

Denim Overalls...oh do they bring back memories. I had a pair in junior high, I'll confess to that and to wearing them with my Converse high tops, with maybe a rugby shirt underneath...high fashion, I'm telling you.

But apparently, they are back and high fashion at that.

Here are a few designer takes on overalls or dungarees for adults.

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Calvin Klein

 These 3 looks are all from the high end French line BonPoint (pictures are the links), the first two are from the children's line that goes up to tween sizes and the last one is from the young misses line.  I've also seen overalls at Target and other big box retailers...so the question is:

Would Your Tween Wear Overalls?

And the other question is, do you think it would make a difference if it was shorts or pants?

Making Colored Fur Coats

Now that you have decided whether your tween would wear colored fur, how are you going to make it?

Pale Cloud

Fur is not hard to sew, but it does have some special considerations.  One is all that fur.  What you will need to do in order to reduce bulk, is to trim the seam allowances down.  That way, you can sew without all that fur in the way and your seams will not be too bulky.  Second after sewing, you will need to take a small tool, like a stylus, and gently pull the fur on the right side out of the seam.

For more tips on how to sew fur, you can go to this Instructables post or Sew 4 Home.

Several stores carry colored fur and minky is a nice alternative to faux fur.  Here are a couple fabric options that caught my eye on Fabric.com.

Minky Crushed Cuddle fabric

Minky Soft Lattice Cuddle fabric

Minky Crushed Cuddle fabric

There are several jacket patterns out there, many that we featured on our "Making Moto" post in September.  But as winter is coming around the corner, I thought I would also point out some great heavier jacket patterns.

Burdastyle Long Dress Coat

Burdastyle Girl's Asymmetric coat

Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Dowton Duffle (affiliate link)

Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Alpine Wonderland (affiliate link)

Peak-a-Boo Pattern's Great Outdoors Reversible Vest (affiliate link)

And if making a whole coat is not on your list, then what about a hat, scarf, or some mittens.  Then your tween can follow this trend without you giving up a couple weekends.  Here are a few tutorials you may find useful.

Sew Creative

Flamingo Toes

How to Sew a Fur Hat video  

If you make something with fur, colored or otherwise, we would love to see it and hear about your experience.  You can link up to our monthly party or shoot us an email and maybe we can have you guest post!