Tween all the way

Today I am guest posting over on the Oliver & S blog, showing how to tween-ify some of their patterns that go up to a size 12.  The patterns I chose were actually two boy patterns that I made for the Girl.  I think the main difference between boy and girl patterns are the fact that they are more boxy.

I had to take out some of the width, as she likes her clothes tighter.  Baggy sweatshirts are a no go on her.  Ask me how I know??

Disclaimer: I was given all the patterns in the post, but opinions are my own.

Oliver & S Sketchbook Shirt

I let the Girl peruse the Justice catalog, and she really liked the denim shirts that you tie up.  I figured this pattern would work great for one of those cute shirts!  Adding details to a shirt like this really adds a lot.  With having a contrasting placket, collar and cuffs, along with the bling on the pocket and yoke, gives it a fun look for the tween.

I used a stretch chambray woven for the main fabric and a leopard quilting cotton for the accents.  The iron-on bling I got at Michael’s (on clearance!).

Modifications I made to the pattern:

• I took out the back pleat to make it be closer to her body.  She didn’t need the extra, as you can tell.
• The placket, cuffs and collar were all in one piece.  I wanted accents with another fabric, so I broke them up and cut them in half with a 1/2″ additional for the seam allowance.
• I wanted a collar stand + collar, so that was the main reason I changed the collar.  It just sits better that way.  I have been making button up shirts since I was probably 15, so this is my 25 years of experience talking. 😉

Review:

• This pattern went together easily and the instructions were well done.  Button up shirts are time consuming, with all the ironing and different pieces, but well worth it in the end.
• My only issue with it is that I think it runs a little short in the torso.  Maybe I just like longer shirts or my kids have long torsos?  I don’t do commercial patterns very often, though, so maybe it is just my kid.  I cut a size 10 and she is 9.

 Oliver & S Fieldtrip Raglan

One of the hot trends right now is lace on everything.  Perhaps you have noticed a few of the pieces I made her this past year?   I wanted this shirt for wintertime, so the main body is a sweatshirt fleece and the arms are a stretch lace and knit.  Lace arms with nothing underneath would be great for the two minutes it would be seasonal to wear it here, but I opted to make something that would get more wear over the winter. 😉

Modifications I made to the pattern:

• The only real change I made to this pattern, was that I cut a width of 7 and a length of 10.  I also added a little shaping on the sides of the front and back pieces.

Review:

• Raglans are super easy to put together, and this took me probably less than 30 minutes on my serger.
• The knit I used on the neckline was cut to the right size, but it was very stretchy.  If your knit is like that you will need to reduce the pattern piece.  I will have to go back and give it a new neckline, since it doesn’t lay right.   I saw it on her the first time for pictures, so afterwards it was going into the re-do basket.  Well…after she wore it to school the next day, because the outfit was “so cute!”. 🙂

The stencil I cut with my Silhouette Cameo, and it is a metallic foil iron-on vinyl.  It was a PITA to cut, so make sure it cuts deep on your machine settings.  I eventually set it for “printable metallic foil”, instead of just vinyl, and that worked.  The kitty art is from the Silhouette store, and the words I did myself (Je t’aime ma chatte).  It means “I love my cat” in the feminine, since her cat is female.  (eta: Well, crap…I think the sentence should be “J’aime ma chatte”.  Oh well…)

Seven years of French, and I can barely translate anymore.  I had to look up the feminine of “chat” on google. *hanging my head in shame*

Elegance & Elephants Retro Sweatpants

I love these fun pants, and they have pockets!  They look a bit like joggers, so I wanted to give these a go for my girl.  This is a great unisex pattern, too.  The fabric I used was a knit that had little metallic dots on it in a wave pattern.

Modifications I made to the pattern:

• None.  They fit her really well.  I cut the size 9 for her.  I did not put in the drawstring, as the sweater knit on the waistband didn’t like the buttonhole.  I even had interfaced it, so I just gave up and sewed on the bow.  Works just fine!

Review:

• As I stated above, they fit her great.  Super comfy pants, though, she was a little unsure of them.  This is the time of skinny jeans and leggings, so a roomy pair of pants were a little different for her.
• Downside: It stops at a size 9, so this one has limited use for tweens.

She was excited that I let her wear the outfit to school the next day, so I call that a tween win!