Tag: So Sew English Fabrics

Self Drafted Dress For My Daughter

My last post was about my daughter and this one is as well, but so many changes and things have occurred between the two 🤣. She cut off most of her hair and donated it, her first phase of braces came off, she had a bad fall that resulted in a concussion, broken nose, whiplash, and full body aches and pains. She turned 11 and continues to grow out of clothes. She has been going to physical therapy for her body and concussion recovery, she had surgery to repair her nose break, and has slowly been getting back to regular life. She is such an amazing, tenderhearted kiddo, and I am so blessed to be her Mom. I love when she has an idea and I can make it happen. So when this beautiful fabric arrived, that I had plans for, and she saw it and could see a maxi dress, I did what I could to make it a reality.

The steps I took are very simple, and can easily be replicated into a skirt as well. I made this while our family was down with a week long flu bug, so my pictures are less than stellar, apologies for that, and I hope you can still see things clearly.

The first thing I did was measure for the finished length. So I simply ran a tape measure from her upperbust/underarm to her desired length (45″). Then I took several different elastic pieces and held them around her upperbust, to determine which felt the most secure and which fit best for her body. We decided on 1″ elastic (the exact one we used is EL57WH from Wawak). Once I knew the elastic width, I was able to add my casing measurements to the finished dress length.

For this elastic casing, I wanted everything enclosed so it would be more comfortable against the skin. I like to serge the top edge, then fold that 1/4″ over once. Then take that piece and fold it over the additional 1 & 1/4″ to make the casing. Because of this, I added 1.5″ to the finished 45″, plus 1/2″ for a hem, giving me a total length of 47″.

Since we were using elastic to pull it all together, we wanted to make sure we had enough fabric to give a slight gathered effect. To make it simple, we used the entire width of the fabric. So our final piece was 47″x 59″.

One of the things that grabbed both my daughter and my attention, was the single border print this fabric had. We both felt that it needed to be emphasized, and so we added a slit in the maxi, which allows for more movement as well as drawing the eye to that fun border. To determine the slit length, we just measured down from her upperbust/underarm to just above her knee/ mid thigh area (20″).

Now that we had all our measurements I was ready to cut. The first thing I did was to square up the fabric to make sure we had a pretty even starting point. Then I removed all the extra non printed selvedge.

Once it was squared up and selvedge removed, I measured out my 47″ length and then marked across the entire width of fabric (WOF). The fabric was wider than my cutting mat, so I used both my rotary and scissors, then cleaned up the scissor cutting since I’m not so good at that.

To sew it up you place the fabric right sides together, then measure out and mark your side seam/slit opening. We measured 20″ for my daughter, so I clipped it to just below that. Then I basted that to hold it together and for a quick length check before serging.

When making the slit you can do it several ways. For this fabric, print, and look I kept it simple and just serged it. I like to start at the slit, place the fabric under the pressure foot, and just start serging it up to the top of the dress. Then I tie off my serger tails. It leaves a nice finish, and since it kind of rolls the fabric into the slit, it keeps the slit more subtle. If you have basting stitches here, you can now remove them. Most of mine ended up serged in the seam, but those that didn’t, I removed.

As I said earlier, I like to serge the top of the elastic casing. So I did that next, being sure not to cut off any fabric. Then I folded that serged edge over, pressed it, and then folded it all over another 1.25″. Pressing and clipping as I went.

Once it was pressed and clipped I sewed an edgestitch all around the lower part of the casing, being sure to leave a few inches open so I could insert the elastic.

To determine the elastic length we started with her upperbust measurement and removed a few inches. Once we put it through the casing and added the fabric weight we determined we needed to remove more.

TIP: Since all elastic stretches differently and fabric weights will vary, I highly recommend basting your elastic and trying it on prior to closing your casing. No one wants that dress falling down 🙈🤣.

You can see my markings on the elastic where I basted, then marked it for the final stitching. Once I did that, I finished the edgestitching on the open portion of the casing.

I evenly distributed the gathers around the elastic, and then to prevent rolling during washing and wear, I added a few vertical lines of stitching, through the elastic, in a few places around the casing.

I was going to hem the dress, but my daughter wants me to leave it exactly as it is, fortunately with it being ITY, it doesn’t fray, and can be left unhemmed. It’s something that is easy to add at a later date if she changes her mind. Maybe even a rolled hem would be nice!

She was so happy when she tried it on and that makes my heart incredibly happy. I even think I have enough fabric to make myself a short skirt or a tank top. 🤞🏼

Fabric is Navy/White Single Border ITY from So Sew English Fabrics

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

A few not so basic, basics

My daughter has moved into several adult sized patterns, but because she has a shorter side waist length than they are drafted for, and she is only 5 ft, most are still a little too long on her.

One of her recent requests was for some regular shirts, like my most worn shirt, my solid black v neck Hey June Union St Tee. So I looked at the pattern and she just fit into the smallest size.

Because of her height difference, I knew I needed to raise the v neck and remove length, both in the amount of 2″.

To remove the 2″ in the v, I just moved the point up 2″ and then blended the new point, into the original neckline. I recalculated the neckband at 90% and then removed 2″ in the length of the bodice.

Once I made the solid black v neck, we decided to also make three scoop necks.

To do something a little different I did a slight sleeve mod and made two of them flutter.

I love being able to use one pattern but with different options and a little hack, she has four different shirts.

Fabric: all fabrics are Double Brushed Poly from So Sew English Fabric
Pattern: Hey June Handmade Union St. Tee

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

New Sweatshirt – Styling Fun!

I have been looking for the perfect oversized sweatshirt for a while, and I think the newly released Sav’s Sweatshirt from Greenstyle Creations, is pretty dang spot on.

This sweatshirt is made for those warm, minimal to no stretch fabrics, but can also be used for something with a higher stretch. Which means you can use those nice and thick sweatshirt fleece fabrics and soft ribbing for the neck, hem, and cuffs.

I have made a few of these and have fabric on the way for a few more, but I really wanted to try out different looks and styles with this simple white one.

First I tried it on with my regular skinny jeans and white tennis shoes.

I like the simple, almost sporty feel I get with this combo. It’s perfect for errands, grocery shopping, just every day type things.

Then I decided to try out my faux leather leggings. Which I actually really love with it! It changes it to a more glam relaxed look, and I have to say, it was even more comfortable than the jeans.

Perfect length for just a little shaping of the rear too 😉

I had to try it with my scrunchie black boots, and I think it would make a nice casual dinner out outfit, with a little jewelry.

Since its shackett season, and I haven’t had time to make one, I just borrowed my husbands flannel shirt and threw it on over it.

Same outfit, but with my black boots. I like the boots with it, but I’m kinda thinking I’d prefer some boxier, maybe lace up ankle boots, a bit more. What do you think??

This one is with my athletic leggings, and I know I’m going to be wearing this for all the dog walks, chilling around the house, and running errands.

I have to say, I was surprised, but my favorite outfit was pairing it with the faux leather leggings and white tennis shoes. It is ridiculously comfy and I feel great in it!

How would you wear it?? Please share, I’d love to have more suggestions for wearing this amazing sweatshirt!

Pattern (On sale along with the rest of the patterns for 35% off. Sitewide ends today 11/30 and then just Sav’s Sweatshirt will be on sale for a few more days) – Sav’s Sweatshirt from Greenstyle Creations

Fabric – Solid White Heavy Cotton French Terry from So Sew English Fabrics

Ribbing is Cotton Rib Knit 1×1 from Joanns

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Cozy Cardigans for two

A few weeks ago we had a storm blow through and it rapidly dropped our temps for a few days. It was so nice and it totally put me in the mood for Fall sewing.

I was looking at fabric and my daughter “happened” to be looking over my shoulder and saw the Purple/Ivory Leopard Brushed Hacci Sweater Knit I was considering. She thought it was cute and asked what I was going to make. Then proceeded to ask if I could make her one as well.

I was going to make the Calgary Cardigan from Pattern Niche. They only have the adult sized pattern, but since my daughter is starting to fit into some adult patterns, I decided to see if it would work for her as well. She fits perfectly into the smallest size.

She isn’t tall enough so I needed to remove some height. Fortunately with the amount I needed to remove and the shape and multiple length options of the cardigan, I was able to cut the hip length and it was the perfect tunic length for her. No other mods were necessary which made it a really quick adjustment.

Options Line Drawing From The Calgary Pattern

The Calgary has so many options, you can use the same pattern to get a variety of looks.

We chose the standard bands for ours and we love how they turned out! They are so cozy and perfect for cooler weather. Hopefully we get another storm soon so our temps drop again, in the meantime these will be getting worn in the early mornings.

She may be getting into adult patterns, but she still fits under my arm 🤣

Something to note, we usually wear thin long sleeve shirts, tank tops, or short sleeve shirts under most cardigans. This pattern could be a little snug of a fit in the arms, if you were wearing something more substantial under it. You definitely need to pay attention to the required fabric stretch percentage of 35% or more.

Pattern: Calgary from Pattern Niche
Fabric: Purple/Ivory Leopard Brushed Hacci Sweater Knit from So Sew English Fabrics

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Mix and Match – For my Mom

A long time ago, (Pre covid), my Mom showed me two skirts she had and loved, and asked if I could recreate them for her. My parents were going on a cruise and the skirts would pack light, small, and resist wrinkles. We discussed fabric options, she looked at my stash, and we placed a fabric order for three separate skirts. One skirt would be a single skirt and the other two would be reversible.

The solo skirt would be made from ITY and the two reversible were from rayon crepe (crinkle woven).

The fabric arrived and I got to work on the skirts. I finished the solo one and got the first reversible one done, up to the hemming fit check. Then covid hit, their cruise got cancelled, and the skirt was put on the back burner.

Fast forward to a few months ago. They were prepping for their rescheduled cruise so it was time to get the skirts done. Plus a few new shirts to wear with them. We had a lot of fun ( Well I did 🤣 hopefully she did too) shopping my stash and coordinating fabrics to maximize her outfit possibilities.

Here are the finished outfits, modeled by my mannequin.

Skirt number one – ITY, elastic waist band, rolled hem. Lightweight, wrinkle resistant, and these colors are so pretty!!!

We used the Hey June Handmade Union St Tee, V-neck and short sleeve options, for both this mauve DBP (Double Brushed Poly) and this light blue DBP shirt.

The other two shirts are both scoop neck with a flutter sleeve. This one is in a tan DBP.

This one is Dark Berry ITY from Surge. My Mom fell in love with the color and how it went with so many of her skirts and other outfits she had, but the only issue was I couldn’t part with it. The dangers of letting people shop your stash 🤣. Fortunately I was able to check with Surge, and they had a few yards remaining. Crisis averted, I got to keep my fabric and she was able to have a shirt in the gorgeous fabric.

We picked these shirt colors since they also work with the reversible skirt. All four look great with this side.

I just love all the colors this fabric has. It really allows for multiple ways to style it.

And three of the tops work well with this side of the reversible skirt.

I love that these tops and skirts will also work well with her current wardrobe, so she can mix and match even more. Once she gets back from her cruise I will be finishing up her second reversible skirt.

Fabrics –
DBP was from So Sew English Fabrics
ITY Shirt was from Surge Fabrics
ITY and Rayon Crepe skirts were from So Sew English Fabrics

Pattern – The V neck shirts are the Hey June Handmade Union St Tee

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

A Trio of Outfits

My daughter has been growing rapidly and we went shopping at the beginning of the year for some training bras/ sports bras, for her to try out. Then she fell in love with my two Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra makes (here and here), and since her store bought ones no longer fit, asked if I could make her some. She just fits into the women’s sizing, and I had scraps left of my stripe one, so I made her one to try.

She wore it for her first day and didn’t want to take it off.

She is needing quite a few new clothing items so I made her three sets of a modified Greenstyle Creations Solo Tank (read about the mod here), Power Sports Bras, and Chelsea Shorts. She didn’t know I was making the matching power sports bras, and she was absolutely thrilled when I gave them all to her.

For her first outfit she picked this sunflower print bullet and a solid black performance.

The Chelsea shorts were a first try for us, and she really likes them. This outfit she did the short cutline, with the slanted pockets and the yoga style waistband.

I used the same fabric for the Power Sports Bra as I did for the Tank.

For her second combo she picked this pretty tropical look with the peachy background ITY.

It matches perfectly with the navy blue performance she picked for her shorts. She chose the same options for her Chelsea shorts as her sunflower pair.

I again used the same fabric from her shorts, for the bra.

Her third combo is the test version of the solo tank modification I did with an ombre leopard print ITY, and using the same black performance for the shorts as we did for her sunflower set (bra and tank).

This one she picked the Bermuda length on the Chelsea shorts. For the bra to go with them, I found some scraps of the Dharma I used in an outfit for myself (read about it here).

She has informed me that these power sports bras are insanely more comfortable than the store bought ones we tried first and she loves her new outfits so much.

Patterns:
Greenstyle Creations Solo Tank (modified) – On Sale!
Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra– Available in women’s and kids sizing – On sale this month!!!
So Sew English Chelsea Joggers – Available in adult and kids sizing – Kid’s on Sale!

Fabrics:
Sunflower Bullet from So Sew English
Solid Black Performance from SSE
Solid Navy Performance from SSE
Peach Tropical ITY from SSE
Rainbow Ombre Leopard Bulgaree ITY from SSE – sold out
Dharma Heathered Dusty Rose and Jade Green from The Fabric Fairy

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Solo Tank Modification – Tween Sizing

It’s that time of the year when my kids clean out their drawers and bring me a list of things they need. My daughter has been growing rapidly this past year and needs quite a few new items. She saw a Greenstyle Creations Solo Tank I made and asked if I could make her some, with coordinating shorts. Since the Solo Tank is only available in women’s sizing, and she isn’t fully in the chart, I knew I would have to do some modifying to make it work. BUT she fell in love with the look so I decided to give it a try.

Her bust and hip are just under the XXS and her waist is in size XS. Since I was familiar with the shape and fit of the shirt, I felt comfortable making her a straight size XXS.

The issue we were going to have was in her height. The Solo is drafted for a height of 5’7″ and she is just 5′. So while it would be too long in general, the low armscye depth would be crazy low on her and for the test version, I decided to remove 3″. I came up with that amount based off the general guideline of 1/2″ for every 1″ difference in drafting height. I then confirmed I wanted her armscye to come up that exact amount, and decided to take the length out there, vs the usual bodice points.

I don’t usually like taking length out in the armscye, because you have to recalculate the bands, and it can also cause neckline/ neckband changes. But in this instance it was a definite need. To try and avoid messing with the neckline, I picked a spot in the middle, making sure it was at least 3″ below the neckline. She wanted the high neckline, which made this even easier.

I cut the pattern apart at my chosen spot, and then measured and marked a spot on the top portion, 3″ up.

I placed the bottom piece, over the top piece, at those 3″ marks.

As you can see, this changes the shape and our armscyce lines no longer match up. I got these little grading tools a while back, and absolutely love them for these kind of adjustments. Makes it so much simpler than trying to free hand the line. I just laid my tool on the pattern, lining up the curve with the original lines, and blended them together like this.

Then I repeated the same steps on the front pattern piece to make them match.

Since I changed the armscye, I also needed to recalculate the binding. I measured the new armscye (24.25″), then multiplied that by 85% (20.6). I like to round my measurements, and the fabric I was using was ITY (very drapy), so I made it an even 20.5″ by the original width of 1.5″.

Before cutting into the test fabric, I also measured the pattern pieces at three spots. The chest, the waist, and the hip. I took the tape measure and made a circle, the amount of each measurement, and held it around her body at those same spots. I did this to make sure I didn’t loose too much width in the specific spots by taking the 3″ out.

Once she tried it on she decided she wanted a little more length than she would have ended up with once hemmed, so I added 1″ back in, in the lower bodice for her other ones. I’m starting to think she carries her height in the same places I do. 🤣

To allow the test version to still be wearable, I just serged the bottom edge instead of doing a traditional hem.

Because of all her rapid growing, she also now fits in the women’s power sports bra pattern, so I surprised her with a matching one to go with each of her new solo tanks and shorts outfits. You can see all three outfits and their details, in this post.

Patterns- Greenstyle Creations Solo Tank
Also Pictured – Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra – ON SALE THIS MONTH!!
So Sew English Kids Chelsea Pants / Joggers

AFTER PUBLISHING I FOUND OUT THE SOLO TANK AND KIDS CHELSEA ARE ALSO ON SALE!!

Sports Bra- the sequel (plus bonus tank and shorts)

As soon as I finished my first Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra ( read about it here ), I knew I wanted to make more. I immediately went through my fabric and started planning my next combo. I didn’t have quite what I wanted, so I went fabric shopping. I saw a combo Heidi posted in April, in the So Sew English Facebook group, and I knew it would be the perfect fabric for the outfit I envisioned. It took a bit to arrive, but once it did I knew it was the right choice.

For this Power Sports Bra, I did almost the exact same options as my very first, adding the optional bra cup opening, and 1/4″ clear elastic in the full neckline and armscye. I opted to add the elastic since this fabric had a bit more stretch than my first, and I didn’t want to chance it gaping once on. I used the Solid Bubble Gum Pink Peached Performance for the straps and remaining pieces, including the lining, is Grey/Ivory Small Stripe Peached Performance. Just like my first power sports bra, I tried on my underbust band elastic, prior to adding it to the bra, and AGAIN, I was glad I did. I used a different elastic than my first one and it stretched a lot easier, allowing me to remove an extra inch, which was still bigger than my suggested size starting point.

I used the same Bubble Gum Pink Peached Performance for my shorts. It is so soft and the perfect fabric for lounging or to run errands. I made my first Run in The Sun Shorts from Striped Swallow Designs for this. It was also my first SSD pattern, and it was fairly simple to assemble. I made my measured size, XL waist to Large hip and Medium thigh, but for my next, I will probably remove some length off the rise and/or go down a size overall in each spot. I love the option to cinch up the side more or less, depending on my outfit and preference.

Since I’m not keen on rocking the sports bra and shorts combo out and about, without coverage, I added a Sundown Tank, also from SSD. I absolutely LOVE the low twist back option, it is so fun and totally creates the perfect showcase for my cute bra and straps. I used the Solid Black Crepe Jersey and it twisted beautifully! My machine seriously did not like the thick bindings though, so my next one, I will skip the binding and just turn and topstitch.

The Sundown tank has three back options, a regular back, and a high or low twist back. I did the low twist, added 1″ in length for my height, and made size Medium graded to Large at the bust and waist. I measured for a Medium graded to Large bust and an XL waist, but when I measured the pattern piece, I felt grading all the way to an XL would be much larger than the look I wanted. I also have smaller hips than I do waist, and while the pattern didn’t provide hip measurements, I know from experience with my body and loose fit shirts, that grading out so far would make my hips look like they are drowning. So with the tank having the shape and ease it does, I opted to grade out to just the Large.

A little sewing tip I like to use: When the pattern size chart doesn’t provide a measurement, you can measure your pattern piece at the approximate spot, minus the seam allowance. Then take your tape measure and hold it around your body part, at the pattern piece measurement and you can get an idea on fit. If the pattern has negative ease, you can do the same with a scrap of fabric (preferably in the same fabric you are using for the final garment).

I can’t wait to sew up my next set, I just got another fabric order that will be PERFECT for this! Plus, I am on the hunt for some swim fabric. I think this would be amazing to wear to splash pads with the kids or just hanging out by the pool.

Fabric all from So Sew English:
Solid Bubble Gum Pink Peached Performance
Grey/Ivory Small Stripe Peached Performance
Solid Black Crepe Jersey

Patterns:
Greenstyle Creations Power Sports Bra (available in Women and Kids)
Striped Swallow Designs Run In The Sun Shorts (available in Women and Kids)
Striped Swallow Designs Sundown Tank (available in Women and Kids)

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕

Stars and Stripes

My family likes to wear patriotic things all year round, but especially on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. Back in April, I came across a shirt from an online boutique and I thought it would be a perfect addition to my patriotic attire.

Image from Nictops

As you all know, we live in sunny Arizona and because of that, I usually avoid layers in the summer. But this top really needed the layers so I wanted to use a lightweight fabric that I knew would allow me to breathe, even with two layers.

I found a 150gsm solid red modal for the cami. I ended up ordering two different fabrics for the blue tank, a modal Ponte and an ITY. I wasn’t sure which I would prefer with the red modal, so I got both. When my package arrived, I didn’t care for the feel of the modal ponte over the red modal and I ended up with a different fabric instead of the ITY. The fabric I got was an almost exact weight to the red modal, and I’d say it’s either a lightweight modal or a rayon spandex. I chose to use the mystery fabric because it had the perfect drape I wanted for the stripes and didn’t cling weird to the red modal. So blessing in disguise 😉

I knew the perfect patterns for the two tops would be the Cross My Heart Cami and Essential Tank, both from Patterns For Pirates. Both tops have several options so for my recreation I went with the high X front and regular back on the cami. For the Essential Tank, I chose the full back, curved hem, with bands. I wanted to have my front neckline lower to show off the front X a bit more, so I just cut a lower “V” and blended it into the original neckline.

I recalculated the neckband by measuring the new opening and multiplying it by 90%. I kept the original neckband width, and when sewing the band on, I let it smooth out the V so it wasn’t as pointy.

I made no other changes to the patterns and sewed up both before creating the design on the Essential tank. I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted the placement to be so I waited until I had made it and tried it on to determine.

Once made, I tried it on, and marked with two clips where my waist hit. I didn’t want the lowest stripe cutout to be lower than my waist, so the two clips were a simple marking tool.

Then came the fun part, the Stars and Stripes. I did some internet searching and came across a free star printable from First Palette. I used their various sized star template and picked the smallest ones on it. They are about 1″ in size. I needed to print two sheets, to have enough for the design I wanted, and I just cut them out and placed them on the back of the tank.

For the stripes I used the remaining pieces of paper, and cut out 1″ strips, three at 4″ long, one at 7″ long, and the last two at 8.5″ long. I placed the strips about 3/4″ apart and all lined up on the right side.

Once I had the stripes and stars in the placement I wanted, I used my marking chalk and roughly chalked the outline of each.

To cut them out, I used my small 28mm Fiskars rotary and my favorite Kai scissor (7100) thread snips.

I started with the stars and found that it was easiest to cut the star out by creating a tiny snip in the center first. Then I cut out to each inner point, which allowed me to just cut out to the outer point and the remaining V.

For the stripes, It got a little tricker since the shirt was already assembled. I ended up bunching up the front of the shirt towards the neckline, almost as if I was turning it inside out. This allowed me to lay the back portion flatISH on my cutting mat. Starting at the bottom stripe I cut the top and bottom horizontal lines with my rotary and straight ruler, then using my kai snips, I cut up the two sides. I worked from bottom to top to have more room and avoid rubbing off my markings.

Once I had finished cutting it all out I noticed the stripes didn’t have as much drape as I wanted and the stars were a little too nice looking for what I had in mind, so I tossed it in the washer. Not only did the washer give it that little extra I was hoping for, but it also removed all my markings for me. I gave both tops a good press and was done.

As I was cutting the starts and stripes out, I really had feelings of apprehension and like I had lost my mind 🤣. Making a shirt, only to cut it up, was a whole new experience for me.

Patterns are the Essential Tank from Patterns For Pirates and the Cross My Heart Cami from Patterns For Pirates.

Fabric is both from So Sew English, the Red 150gsm Modal is here, the blue is not on the site.

Star printable is from First Palette.

💙🇺🇸Thank you to all who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice. 🇺🇸♥️

The Romper Repeat – Bayside Leopard

After my daughter saw my SeaChange playsuit (you can read about it here), she asked if I could make her one. She loved how it looked like a dress but was really shorts, and of course, the pockets. Unfortunately the fabric she wanted was a knit, and Pattern Emporium doesn’t have a kids version of the pattern. So I asked her about using the same pattern we did a few years ago for her, the Bayside romper from Pattern Niche.

As soon as I reminded her which it was, she was very excited and asked to see the available options. The pockets sold it for her.

Since the fabric she picked was Bulgaree ITY from So Sew English, it has very nice drape and gives the romper a dress feel, all while feeling relaxed and cool. She has grown quite a bit since the last time, so we had to do several fit check try ons during sewing, and each time she said, “Ohhh, this feels so nice!”

The Bayside has shorts, pants, or dress lengths in mini, knee with a straight or curved hem, mid length or maxi. You can choose short sleeves, flutter sleeve, or tank, and of course, pockets. Something that sets the Bayside apart from other rompers is its fun cross back bodice design. It really makes it easy for my daughter get it on and off and adds such a fun detail.

My daughter picked the tank, shorts cutline, with pockets. She doesn’t like elastic in the cross over back pieces, so I omitted that. It does give the back a slightly more drapy look, but she really likes it. If you have a child prone to things slipping off the shoulders, I wouldn’t recommend that omission, as it can help hold the shape.

When I was making the romper, she asked if we could do some fun stitching so she picked her two topstitch thread colors for the pocket and we did a rolled hem on the shorts, to give it a slight wave look.

Tip: I can not recommend enough. Use your Child’s waist measurement to determine elastic length, and try it on before securing it all. It helps to get a much better fit and allows you to make sure you have enough support to keep the waist where it belongs. It makes such a difference in comfort for my kids and myself.

The Bayside is available in both women and kid sizing.

The fabric is Bulgaree ITY from So Sew English Fabrics.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing 💕