Sewing Swap Part 3

For my last Create Kids Couture sewing swap partner I had to make an outfit in a size 2, I knew just what pattern I was going to use. Every time I look through my patterns I see The Madeline Dress by Me Sew Crazy and think it's so cute but neither of my girls would fit into the sizes it's available in.

I had the material on hand and decided to make the dress. The material for the skirt looks like it's different stripes of material pieced together but it's just one piece of cotton and the bodice is the red and black abstract pattern that is on the skirt. The top arc bodice is a black with a white design on it. The buttons on the back are vintage black buttons I found at a store in Michigan while on vacation there this past summer.

There are 2 options of sewing the bodice portion and I really wish I had read through them both and then made the decision, but I'm horrible about reading through the entire pattern and then getting started! The way I constructed it left an exposed seam between the bodices under the arms, but I tacked it down so it shouldn't be seen. After I had put the skirt onto the bodice I just thought the dress looked so short to be an actual dress so I checked and rechecked the skirt length and I cut it out correctly. Since I thought it was so short but didn't have a size 2 to try the dress on, I also made a pair of black Go To Leggings to wear underneath it. Turned out to be a great decision because it was too short to be worn like a dress

Turned out to be a very cute tunic top, just have to figure out if there has been some issues with the actual measurements of the skirt part and why mine was so short. I hope my sewing swap partner enjoyed the outfit. It was such a fun experience to be a part of, not knowing what your partner was going to make for your kiddo, getting a package in the mail, and the surprise pattern and materials chosen. Almost like Christmas for the sewing world!

Sewing Swap Part 1

This past month I participated in a Sewing Swap with Create Kids Couture. I sent in my kids sizes and we were paired up with someone by location, size and gender. I was crazy and sent in all 3 of my kids sizes so I got 3 different swap partners. We started the swap by talking to our partners about needs and likes and then we each just took if from there and surprised each other.

The first item I made for the swap is for a little boy who likes anything that moves and his favorite color is orange. Sewing for boys is a little harder than sewing for girls just because finding boy material is difficult and not as many selections. I hit the fabric stores looking for something I just couldn't live without. I found an orange and white houndstooth at Hobby Lobby I thought would make a good accent color for the pants and shirt I imagined making. After a little more hunting I found a dark denim with a little stretch for the pants and a light blue fabric with airplanes on it for the shirt.

For the pants I used the Pocket Pants pattern in Growing Up Sew Liberated in size 5. I used the dark denim for the pants and the orange/white houndstooth as an accent on the waistband, cuffs, and around the pockets. The pants are long on my son but look fine when rolled up and I had to use a lot smaller piece of elastic for them to fit around his waist!

For the shirt I used The Easy Linen shirt in Sewing for Boys size 4/5. The airplane material was used for the main part of the shirt and the orange/white houndstooth as the accent neck band. I found the sleeves were very long for my son who has just started wearing 5T.

 The finished outfit that I hope my swap partner and her son enjoy, I loved it so much I made 2 of them so my son could have the outfit also! Thank goodness my swap partner lives in Virginia and they won't be seen wearing the same thing!