Polkadot Circle Dress

 
 Bonjour! I am Natalie, a Canadian gal who blogs over at La gang à Nat. In my little corner of the web, I chat about the sewing that I do for my three girls, ages 2, 4 and 11. I am quite excited to have been invited here by Kelli and Sally to show you a garment that I created for my tween Maïan! Ahhhh... the 9 to 13 age group!!! Is anyone else struggling with dressing up a capricious tween! Admittedly, this is a tough age group to sew for... they're not little kids anymore and they certainly don't want to dress child-like. But they're not grown ups either and as parents, we don't want to see them dressed up as women (or even worse, TEENS! GULP!). There will be plenty of time for that, no? Few stores cater exclusively to this age group and compounding the problem is the fact that many sewing patterns only go up to size 8.
What I'll show you today is how to create a circle dress based on a garment that you already have at home, or a basic bodice pattern. So if you'd like, follow me home for a quick tutorial!

Thank you so much Kelli and Sally for having me over today!    

Just Giving a Shout Out

As you may, or may not, know, one of the reasons we started Sew Cool for the Tween Scene is because of the lack of age appropriate clothes/patterns for our tween daughters. As we've started searching the web for things that would inspire our continued sewing for them, certain things have begun to catch our attention.

One of these things was this kick starter: Yellowberry, changing the Bra Industry for Young Girls

Photo courtesy via Yellowberry

While this isn't necessarily sewing related, it is related to our "mission" here on this blog and we wanted to share and also to give a shout out. I think it is awesome what this girl (she's only 18!) has been inspired to do! You go get um girl!

If you want to find out more, check out the kick starter page here. 

The name of her company is Yellowberry and I think her story is a little inspiring. While I for one know that I could sew a starting bra for my daughter, I have a feeling it will feel more special if she is able to buy one and these at Yellowberry are so very appropriate for the young girl that she still will be, when the time comes. 

(We are in no way affiliated with Yellowberry, nor have we actually tried out their products yet, but rather we are just trying to pass on something good that someone is doing about this warped fashion industry we deal with from day to day)

Guest Review--Amy from SewsNBows--Serger Pepper Leggings

There are so many great patterns out there, and we here at Sew Cool can't sew them all, so today we welcome back Amy as a guest reviewer to introduce us to another great tween staple!
And just so you know, Amy says this pattern is GREAT for a beginner and gives it

5 Bolts!

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I'm Amy from SewsNBows, and I'm so happy to be back at Sew Cool For The Tween Scene! Last year I shared my Coco Jacket review, and today I'm here to talk about the Basic Leggings pattern from Serger Pepper!

 

Basic leggings are sized 3-14. They are designed for fabric with a little bit of Lycra content, but work well in cotton knits too. There's an elastic waistband and optional cuff.   

What makes this pattern a standout, and a staple pattern for me; is the higher rise and extra length. There are lots of leggings patterns, but if you're sewing for tweens this one is for you. At some point, girls hips start to round out. When it happens; you may see pulling across the butt or waistbands sitting awkwardly, right across the hip bones. There may be lots of pants tugging, because even though the sizing is right, the fit is wrong. You will also appreciate this pattern if you have booty-fit issues. Sorry for lack of a more sophisticated term! This is a really common fit issue in children's (and adults) clothing. Symptoms of booty-fit issues are undies peeking out of the back waistband, and often actual butt showing when sitting or bending. This pant has a high rise, which is easily adjustable to a mid rise. This eliminates issues for developing hips and round (or flat) bottoms. It has extra length which gives it a more versatile fit. I find it much easier to detract than add when it comes to sewing. I sewed the Basic Leggings almost exactly according to the pattern. My daughter loves to roll her waistband, so I didn't encase the elastic. The little girls all seem to be wearing rolled waistbands, and the sweats in the tween catalogues are rolled & stitched down. It's been a real battle here; because I think most pants sit way too low when they're rolled. Basic Leggings are just right. If you aren't sure about the rise, check out the high waisted trend in the Justice catologue. If your tween doesn't like it right now...give her 3 months:)  

 My baby also requested that I keep the extra length. They like to bunch their leggings up and wear them with boots lately. Kind of like built in leg warmers? It works for me; because these will fit forever!

   

 As for the rest of the pattern, it tapes together and trues perfectly. Instructions are easy to understand. I have no complaint at all about this pattern, and I hope you'll hop over to Serger Pepper and show Irene some love!

   

 Thanks for reading! You can find me at SewsNBows.

   

Spring Fabric Options

On March 3rd, Sally shared images of current spring fashion trends for pre-teens and then highlighted several patterns that you could use to replicate those looks.  I had never heard of those boutique brands but the clothes looked both lovely and easy to play in.   So, I wanted to see if I could find fabrics of similar types and/or colors that could be used to get similar looks.

Below are several images of fabric that I found that I believe in combination with the right patterns could create wonderful boutique fashions for the tween in your life.

NOTE: At this time, Sew Cool for the Tween Scene is not affiliated with any businesses.  Therefore, if you click on any of these links we gain nothing except the satisfaction that maybe your shopping was made a bit easier.  In the future, we may choose a different model, but right now Sew Cool has no commercial ties.

The examples in the inspiration outfits had wonderful geometric and ikat prints.  I personally love ikat and think it is a trend worth keeping around for a long time.  If you think so too, here are some options.  Micheal Levine has some really pretty ikat woven fabrics that I thought caught the spirit of some of the outfits in Sally's post. 

Genuine Handwoven Ikat - ML227910 - Black / White

Genuine Handwoven Ikat - ML228050 - Grey / Yellow

Genuine Handwoven Ikat - ML241955 - Multi

Fabric.com is one of my favorite online fabric stores.  As I searched through their new arrivals, I found several prints that I thought would work for the spring.  Here are a couple more subdued prints.

Crepe Georgette Rope Navy

Palos Verdes Organic Voile Wayfarers Orange/Grey

But what I really loved at Fabric.com were all the beautiful floral prints.  Nothing really says spring fashion like a soft floral fabric.

Stretch Poplin Leaves White/Black

Liberty of London Tana Lawn Jody Gold/White

Liberty of London Tana Lawn Theodora White/Green

Premier Prints Dandelion White/Black

But if your child is more wild and funky, you should check out these fun and wild prints.

Designer Rayon Challis Blurred Lines

Amy Butler Hapi Voile Camel Blanket Cloud

Stretch Jersey Knit Pueblo Stripe

Poly Poplin Cheetah Blue/Cream

And what if your tween would prefer the comfort of knits?  Well, Girl Charlee has some fabulous options.

Green Blue Ethnic Diamond Border Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric

Painted Ikat Cotton Spandex Knit Fabric

Navy Bird Silhouettes on Peach Parfait Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric

Fawn Silhouette on Gray Ridge Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric

Acai Purple Chevron on White Cotton Jersey Blend Knit Fabric

What do you think?  Do you think you could make some boutique spring fashions combining the patterns from our previous post and these fabrics?

March Linky Party

Can you believe it is March already?! Well it is the first Wednesday of the month, so it is time to show us what you have been sewing. Are you gearing up for Spring? Have any St. Patty's Day sewing to show? How about Easter outfits? Do you still do those for your tween? Inquiring minds want to know...
Here are the rules:
1. Show us something you have created (sewn, knit, crafted...you get the idea) that your tween can wear or accessorize with.
2. Make sure it's something for the ages of 9-13.
3. Grab a link and spread the love...we really do want to see what others are making for their tweens!
So link away!

An InLinkz Link-up