So this is kind of the rundown post with more details of how I made each outfit. If you just want the cute pictures of the girls wearing them and a quick synopsis of what I made, you might just want to check out the previous post:)
First up, the shirt. This is the only piece that is made from completely new materials. I had a lot of fun making this one and throwing in the extra details! I just love how it turned out and would love one in my size.
I found the soft cotton with subtle green floral print at a specialty shop in Gettysburg, PA called Needle and Thread (they specialize in Civil War era fabric reproductions). The yellow, buttons, and green ribbon came from JoAnne's.
I studied button up shirts for a while to figure out how they are put together and then measured Sophia and drew up a pattern. The past couple weeks I've been practicing my placket making skills. I can now say that I don't find the process at all scary now.
The collar turned out perfect with the contrasting yellow piping. I also used the contrasting fabric for the inside of the collar stand (finally learned what that is called thanks to Stacy) and added the ribbon as well. Little details make it fun:)
Again I used the contrasting yellow for the inside of the cuffs.
The back has a lined yolk, double stitching and piping detail.
The scarf is some gauzy, yellow fabric I found at JoAnne's. I just did a rolled hem on each side (first time using a rolled hem foot...loved it!). Then I stitched across about 2 inches from the end and frayed it.
The sweater vest is simply cut from an old sweater of mine that was starting to fit kind of funky. I simply cut off the sleeves and extra on the side and the bottom and sewed it all back together.
Between the shirt and the pants, I learned a lot this week. These pants are made from men's pants. I wanted soft brown corduroy, that didn't have too big of a rib. I couldn't find any fabric that I liked so I headed to Goodwill. A size 38 men's pants was more than enough to get a size 8 girl's pants out of it. I started by pretty much picking apart the pants, to see how they were put together.
When cutting them out, I used some pants of Sophia's as a guide to get the length and width right. I used the existing inseam, but cut out the fronts and backs separately. Then I used the leftovers at the bottoms to get the front pocket parts and zipper pieces. I used the waistband (which I hadn't unpicked all of the way), tabs and little inner pocket from the original pants. For the waistband, I started with the side with the button hole and pieced it around the top of my pants. Then I cut off the extra and finished it off. The pants have an actual zipper fly, my first, which was a lot easier than I thought they would be. I love how they fit her and she says they are comfortable.
Now for Miss Clara's last minute outfit. I started out with some leggings. I thought I would do a skirt out of some brown tweed, but you see she has tons of skirts already. The leggings will be something she can wear under all of those skirts. They are made from the sleeves of a T-shirt of mine that seemed to be shrinking and getting too short. I cut the sleeves off right at the shoulder seams. Then I cut out the middle part that kind of looks like a diaper. I cut it using the bottom hem of the shirt, so to make the casing to run the elastic through all I had to do was fold it over once. I created the middle part first by sewing the crotch seam and two little side seams and then added the legs, just like you would sleeves. On the bottom, I ruched them a little by stretching some elastic out and sewing in place. Finally, I added some little horse buttons that Clara had picked out. Not my choice, but they made her happy to wear the outfit. You pick your battles:)
The tunic is a button up shirt of mine, that I never wore that much. You see, while it is my favorite shade of green, I don't look good in that shade of green. I look kind of sickly. Clara on the other hand looks good in it. I picked off the collar and the cuffs. Then I cut off the sleeves where I wanted them. Thinking back, I think I should have cut off the entire sleeve and sewed it back on at the length I wanted. Oh well.
The scarf is knit from some variegated sock yarn I found at JoAnne's. The belt is made from some left over corduroy from Sophia's pants. I just folded it over and sewed it together, finished off one end and added the D rings on the other.
To finish neck, I took some fabric left over from Sophia's shirt to make a casing. Then I threaded some elastic through and put ribbons on each end, making sure to secure the elastic just inside the casing.
To make it fit better, I secured some elastic at the yolk seams on the shoulders and back. It gives it king of a gathered look and less like a tent.
Another look at the sleeves. The cuff was a little bigger than I wanted, but to save myself some time, I sewed it on inside out and folded over the extra so the buttons were on the outside. Really I was just being a little lazy, because this outfit was an after thought:)
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