I am so not a glitter person. It isn’t that I dislike it. It looks great on other people’s projects! The most glittery I’ve ever gone is the Dalek dress. And that was supposed to be a little bit costumey. Otherwise, it’s that blouse I made two years ago. And you can’t even see the very subtle glitter in the fabric! Even in person, it’s hard to see.
So to say that this week was going to be a challenge is a bit of an understatement. I don’t really want to buy shiny fabric and I don’t actually have much shiny stuff around. Some stuff for appliqués. Beads? Silver thread… And… That silver fabric from the Dalek dress! My aunt had bought it to make a costume. I think. That’s what my mom told me. I think. She gave it to my mother to give to me. It’s a very shiny silver slinky jersey. The wrong side is black and I get the impression that the silver is sprayed on or something. The whole thing feels very synthetic, soft, and silky.
I thought of this fabric and I knew I wanted to make some sort of drapey top. I had all these visions of a handkerchief hem but then reality set in. I didn’t have a whole lot of the fabric. I ended up making a raglan tunic. Jalie 3245 one size bigger than usual to be exact. I used the silver for the body and some of that Kaufman laguna stretch jersey in orchid. I used silver thread for my topstitching. The sleeves are hemmed with that stretch triple stitch. The twin needle thing doesn’t work perfectly for me no matter what I do and this looks just as pretty.
I’d originally planned on some black leggings with a black sequin stripe up the side. I found the trim on fabric.com and it’s great! The sequins are sewn onto this sort of corded ribbon. There’s enough space on the sides to machine sew the trim on without having to deal with the sequins. Anyway, they were out of the black stretch jersey I wanted. I did have some denim knit from Imagine Gnats though! Not quite stretchy enough for leggings but would make great comfy pants! E has these knit, slightly flared pants that I got her when she was 5. She still wears them a lot despite their having become too short. I decided to make her something similar.
I started with the pant block from Pattern Making for Kids’ Clothes. I added length to the bottom first. Then, I modified it to have a straight leg. Last, I added 1/2″ of flare at the bottom (for a total of 2″ around each leg) and traced a line from the knee to there. When the pattern is flat, you can hardly tell there’s a flare.
I added a 2″ hem allowance and 1″ seam allowance all over. I basted it together tried it on E and saw I needed to take the side seams in 1/2″. I did that, added the trim and tried them on her again. This time was good. I chopped off some length from the waist in order to add a waistband with elastic, hemmed, and done!
While this look is a lot less impressive than last week’s, I’m really happy to have been able to add some essentials to E’s wardrobe!
Creative mommy at home to two wonderful little girls, trying to juggle family, sewing, exercise, family, knitting, photography, and did I mention family?
Deux souriceaux 
I love the flow and drape of that fabric for the top. It’s sew impressive that you made her those pants!
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That fabric does move so well! The pants were actually pretty easy! The fabric being stretchy helped a lot. And the BIG seam allowances that allowed me to fit as I went along.
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I love the comfortable direction you went with your glitter look. Glitter was certainly a stretch for me this week too!
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Thank you! Yes, I enjoy glitter in theory. Like those all over sequined tops. But then, when it comes to actually making/wearing that stuff… I think it’s just that I have a more softspoken style.
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very nice! That jalie pattern is one of our favourite too.
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Thank you! It was my first time making that particular Jalie pattern but I know it’ll be made over and over. And over.
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I really like it. Basics are so great, because you know they’ll get worn over and over and your time will have been worth it!
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Thank you! E has already worn the shirt twice and the pants three times! I’m going to have to make her more of the same style. She says she wants skinny jeans but the fact is she wears these slightly stretchy looser fit pants more.
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You nailed the challenge with that outfit! I love the flow of the top and the accents on the pants are awesome!
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Thank you very much! I was very happy to end up with something so wearable.
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That fabric reminds me of liquid mercury! I love the contrast fabric and metallic stitching. The stripe down the pants is fun too!
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It moves well, doesn’t it? I’m so glad I asked E to step in the sunlight and act silly!
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That’s my way of glitter, too. I’m not a glitter person either, but always up for some fun comfortable clothes for daily wear. Seems like we have gone a similar way this week 😉
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Yep, fun to sew for me, fun to look at, and comfortable!
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I love those pants! The silhouette with the flowy shirt is just perfect!
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Thank you!
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Great drape on the top! Is that a book that you reference with the pants? By Carla Hegeman Crim? Do you recommend it? Thanks!
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Thank you! Yes, that’s the book. I do like it. I was actually going to do a review but then ran out of energy for it. I think it’s a very good book for someone who is new to drafting patterns. The slopers include wearing ease but no seam allowance. Then, there are blocks for a few different garments along with the explanations to convert the sloper into that block. For me, the slopers are the most useful. There isn’t much information on going beyond the shown blocks. I also have Metric Pattern Cutting for Children’s Wear and Babywear (by Aldrich) and I tend to reference that one if I need help doing something different. The Aldrich one is more intimidating though because you have to create your own slopers. I would say to go with Aldrich if you’re fearless or already have enough knowledge to make your slopers and Crim otherwise. Or… both!
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