Everyday Elsa Tunic and Leggings

My sweet niece Paisley just celebrated her third birthday, and like most three year old girls around the world, she loves Frozen.  So an Elsa dress was the obvious choice.  But, she's three, and three year olds run around, climb on furniture, and don't really need  trains tripping them up while they are playing. So, the Everyday Elsa tunic dress was born.  It has a high low hem at the base of the tunic, which references the Elsa train, but eliminates tripping hazards.  The chiffon knit that I used for the dress is semi-sheer, and I left the sleeves and the yolk unlined, to one again reference the original dress.

Paisley had wanted an off the shoulder neckline, but her mom wasn't too keen on the idea.  We made the neckline a slight boat neck, and cropped the sleeves at 3/4.  

 I love how the sparkly little outfit turned out, and now she can wear it everyday, all day (if her momma allows).

A pair of little leggings allow for modest play.  Perfect for an active little princess.

Pleated Knot Tunic Tutorial with Jessica of Me Sew Crazy

Who's excited that Jessica is here?  I know I am.  I love Jessica, her blog, and of course her amazing site, Sew Set.  She is down to earth, super sweet, and extremely talented, and one ambitious lady.  You'll find her sewing up adorable tops and clothes for her kids, and for herself.  I'm especially happy that she is sharing a top that she made for herself.  I think that it's important to take time and spoil ourselves with something new every once in a while. So without further ado, Jessica.

Hi everyone! Jessica here of Me Sew Crazy & the creator of SewSet, your on-line sewing pattern search engine. I love Tricia's TopTober Series, and have followed along ever since she started doing it. I think shirts are one of the easiest, and most rewarding things we can whip up simply because they get the most use. And I am all about that.  The joy of sewing for me comes when I see my kids running around in the creations I make for them. So tops, easy tunics, and comfy dresses make up most of our wardrobe. The inspiration for the Pleated Knot Tunic actually came from the fabric, I saw this gorgeous knit at The Fabric Fairy (found HERE) and simply had to have it!!! I was in love, and as soon as I had it in my hands I knew I wanted to make something for myself with it...

The fun always comes in adding the details. Now I readily admit, this TopTober post is a bit of a cheater. It can be seen as a dress or tunic, or made shorter into a shirt. It all depends on your personal style preference. But any which way you make it, it is one easy top to sew together...

I particularly love the back detail of this dress, which can be made with a knot, of even a simple twist - and I will show you how to do both! But this is a perfect project for someone who is beginning to experiment with sewing for themselves. No tricky darts to play around with, no patterns to try to cut exactly right. All you need is a nice body-fitting shirt to cut around, 2 yards of a good thick stretchy knit (this one has 35% stretch, and is a nice really soft and thick fabric), and your basic sewing essentials. Let's go...

When I say ending just beneath the bodice, I mean just underneath your bust line. Approximately 5" down from your armhole on the side. 

I like to keep white wrapping paper on hand (much cheaper to buy), and I draw all of my mock patterns on this white paper.

This is where you can alter the length to adjust for a longer dress, or shorter for a shirt! It is up to you! Just be sure to buy more fabric if you want it longer, I would suggest 2.5 yards.

Now we get down to the fun stuff - sewing it together! Once you have your back bodice pattern sewing together at the top center for both the exterior and the lining, simply...

Twist it or knot it, both will look just great!

Take a break and give your child some attention now...lol

Moving on...

Here is a fun way to sew your shoulders together to make everything look seamless and easy!

Now we will simply be attaching the skirt pieces to your bodice...

This next step you can choose to make however you want, use gathers, pleats, pintucks - whatever sewing method you feel most comfortable with! I happen to like pleats when it comes to sewing for myself because it doesn't add too much bulk in an area I don't want it in (around my belly).

Have excess fabric stretching beyond the sides of the bodice? No problem, simply cut it off!

One last tip - if you are having trouble hemming the knit fabric without causing it to 'wave', you can try either my tissue paper method found HERE. OR you can use the fabulous 'Stitch Witchery' product by Dritz, which I have recently stumbled across and love.  I simply iron it on, and then sew over it to secure. Takes care of all wavy seams - BUT please note - do not use this product if you still need the fabric to stretch. It removes most of the stretch because it has ironed the fabric securely to the hemming tape. But there you have it - a super cute, fun and flirty tunic dress or top that you can wear all year round!

Looking for me things Me Sew Crazy? You can always find me hanging at any one of these places: {blog} {sewset} {facebook} {pinterest} {twitter} {instagram: @jessrabbott} And to find the gorgeous Fresh Produce Shockwaves Fabric used in today's post - be sure to check out The Fabric Fairy and their lovely selection of on-line knits! Thank you so much for having me here today Tricia, I absolutely love your TopTober Series and look forward to seeing what else is shown!

Don't you love it.  I need one.  Want to see some of Jessica's other creations, check out her designer page on Sew Set. The Flying High Fleece, Flower Tunic, and Quilted Fairy Tales Jacket, are just a few of my favorites. Thanks so much Jessica for being here today, and sharing this fun project.

Top-toberfest: Sweater Knit Cowl Neck Tunic

I thought that it would be fun to recreate a top from last year's Top-toberfest series and change it up just a bit. I thought that it would be a great way to show how easy it is to adjust your own patterns and create a new look. The cowl neck tee was a favorite of mine from last year, and the pattern was basic enough that I new it could be adjusted easily. I picked up some lightweight sweater knit, and felt that it was begging to be transformed into a fall tunic.

There's no new tutorial for this top, but you can see my post from last year on my cowl neck tee for links on drafting the pattern.

To adjust the pattern I first found a sweater with the same fit and length that I wanted in this top.  I then created a separate pattern piece for these sleeves by transferring the shape of the arm opening to my new pattern piece, and used my existing article of clothing as a guide.  

Rather than finishing off the sleeves with a hem I gave them a good pull when the top was completed.  The tension on the fabric caused the knit to curl up on the ends, just what I was hoping that it would do.

 I used an existing sweater dress/tunic that I have as a guide on determining the length of the top.  When adjusting the pattern I followed the basic shape of my garment.  This top fits rather close to the body, and the hem hits me about six inches below the hips.

A couple of basic adjustments to a pattern I love, and now I have a new top for the season. I had hoped to take a few pictures of me wearing it on Sunday, but by the time my husband was around for a photo shoot I was covered in spit up and chocolate finger prints.

Want to make the belt, you can find my tutorial here.

Don't forget to link up your tops to the Top-toberfest link party.