Childhood is a Treasure

Outfit 71 - 2013-14 School Year

So, I had heard a lot of buzz about a pattern that was very cute and very fast to sew. Of course, it piqued my interest. So, I checked it out and it went to *whamp whamp whammmmmm* a 10  *insert sad face here*. But, I decided to bite the bullet and grade it up since the size 10 chest measurement was based on a chest measurement 1" smaller than ours. The pattern is by a company I hadn't tried before called My Childhood Treasures https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyChildhoodTreasures?ref=l2-shop-info-name. I browsed their patterns and they had several that looked appealing, so I did the Buy 3 Bundle https://www.etsy.com/listing/105657144/sale-pick-any-3-ebook-patterns-from-my?ref=shop_home_active_3 for $18.00.

So, the pattern for today is the Elke. If you have been anywhere on any of the PDF groups on Facebook, you have heard of it. https://www.etsy.com/listing/105615662/childrens-sewing-pattern-girls-dress?ref=shop_home_active_3

As you can see it IS very cute and anything that is a quick sew has me at hello. 

How did I modify it for a sz 12?

I graded the front and back dress pieces out 1/4" to give me that extra inch to accomodate her chest measurement. I added 1" total to the length. I actually made one out of fleece first, to which she declared would be too hot for school, but I was grateful I did it because the underarm area was too tight. So, on the second iteration (which you will see), I dropped the armscye down to the size 8 cutting line on the front and back pieces and did the matching alteration on the sleeve piece. That gave me a more generous fit under her arm.

I made my first one out of fleece and if you are in a cold climate - that puppy will keep you warm! It was like wearing a blanket and had it been Monday or Tuesday of this week, it would have been a better fit fabric wise. However, today was warmer and they are keeping the schools pretty warm, so I made it out of knit. The dress knit was a thicker knit and the sleeve and neckline were more tissue. This made my neck "floppy" which I liked the look of. It was almost a cowl fit. However, if you want that tall neckline, you will need to use a more substantial knit or the fleece. I can totally see making this again with a modified neckline for a true cowl.

Overall, after the alterations, I loved it. I didn't do the bow because using two print knits made it busy enough. Plus, the stripe knit was so thin, it would not have had enough body to hold the bow up. I did make the bow on my fleece version and it was very cute. 

So, here is my size 12 altered version of the My Childhood Treasures Elke dress in knit.

So, we made it through another school week! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!