kcwc guest post: kristin from skirt as top

April 19th, 2012

kristin from skirt as top

Kristin hasn’t been blogging for all that long, but she quickly became the hot new blogger because wow! can she sew! She sews for her baby boy, her twirling little girl, and now herself (check out that awesome top up there).  For that daughter that never stops dancing, Kristin turned the Flashback Skinny Tee pattern into a dress with extra ruffly sleeves.  It is amazing what one pattern can do. Like Heather said yesterday, you could use this one pattern for all your kcwc sewing needs!

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When Meg contacted me with her idea to have a bunch of gals sew Rae’s flashback skinny tee pattern, I immediately knew what to do – remix it into a dress!  My daughter is almost four and wants to wear a dress every day.  She considers them essential for dancing, her most favorite activity.  I like sewing dresses, especially when they’re washable, comfortable, and easy for her to play in (I’m a practical mama).  Jersey knit is the perfect material for all of that!

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I made this simple flutter sleeve tank dress with an XXL Old Navy shirt from the clearance rack plus scraps of a t-shirt from another project.  I have trouble finding good knit fabric and I almost always end up using repurposed sale rack men’s shirts – as big as I can get ’em!  Extra bonus points if I can preserve the factory hem, though Rae offers great hemming tips within the pattern as well.

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I extended the hemline of the 3T skinny tee pattern about 6″ (use a dress you already have as a guide), and made it A-line by using a straight edge, starting at the armpit and finishing about 3″ from the side of where the original pattern would be if it were dress length.  I trimmed the tops of the shoulder seams about 1/2″ (though I might recommend a little more), bound the armholes per Rae’s pattern instructions, and widened the neckline a bit.  I also added a little pocket for extra detail.

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For the flutter sleeves, I added 5″ to each armhole measurement and cut two strips to that length, each 1.5″ wide.  I rounded the ends and gathered them along the longer edge.  I attached each sleeve to the underside of the armhole, topstitching both on the outside and inside edges of the binding to catch it securely.  I left the edges raw, since knit doesn’t fray.

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The skinny tee pattern is a quick sew and so versatile, it’s great for adding your own customizations!  I first sewed a “regular” version here as practice before remixing it into a dress.

Thanks for designing such an awesome pattern, Rae, and thanks for having me, Meg!  I’m so excited to sew along and be inspired next week!  Come check out what I’m making over at skirt as top.

9 Responses to kcwc guest post: kristin from skirt as top

  1. gail says:

    how adorable! love the stripes and the sleeves. great remix!

  2. Gret says:

    What a fantastic idea. I have a nearly 4 year old too and she is exactly the same! I’ll be keeping this in mind for sure.

  3. Cherie says:

    So very very cute, Kristin! I love it and clearly, so does your daughter! Can’t wait for next week! :)

  4. Kim says:

    What a great dress! I love the flutter sleeves.

  5. Marie says:

    that is the cutest thing…so adorable….I want to try this for my daughter.

  6. Erin says:

    This is adorable! (as is everthing kristin makes!) Love the flutter sleeves. I’ve seen so many cute versions of the Flashback pattern… gotta get my hands on it!

  7. annalisa says:

    i just figured out what to do with my spare time! this is a lovely project!! thank you so much for sharing…the baby girl is finally going to get some cute summer wear.

  8. […] i was sneaky. when i made Rae’s flashback skinny tee for my niece, it was to practice the pattern so i could remix it into a dress for a guest post over at elsie marley! HA! my post is up today – check it out here. […]