Ruched Sleeve Turtleneck(s)

I like ruched sleeves and turtlenecks, so I thought, “How about a ruched Turtleneck?” I was not sure how I wanted to do the ruching until I saw it in a RTW garment. The store had it only in black and the price was great considering the quality, so I bought it with the clear idea to copy it in other colors (which I did - in white and gray). BTW, the original top is by Miss Me, a line that delivers as-of-the-moment fashions at an affordable price.

Fabric: The RTW top is made from tissue-weight jersey (the black in the middle), whereas both mine are made from lightweight jersey – white and cobalt gray – from http://www.gorgeousfabrics.com/

Copying: For the purpose of copying RTW I like to use Glad Press’n Seal Multipurpose (indeed!) Sealing Wrap. It clings to the fabric and I just mark the lines with a marker, and then transfer to paper. The sleeve, of course, I could not copy this way. I basically redrafted it using the width and height of the sleeve cap. Finally I did a test garment and the sleeve needed very minor adjustments only.

Construction-wise, the interesting part about this top is that instead of bottom hem, the bottom edge is finished with a 3.5” wide band. Also, the front neckline is fairly low, more like it would be on a crewneck tee.

Personally, I love this style – a basic bodice and a different enough sleeve!

Below is something I found while browsing - it is a 3.1 Philip Lim Rosebud SleeveTurtleneck:

Fairly similar, right!

The Striped Dress

So, while working on something tailored for myself, I have been having fun making outfits for DD. This one I drafted myself, starting from a tee and a pair of leggings she has and adapting them.

The fabric is a double faced double knit from http://www.textileophile.com/. Loooove that store... As you can see I've used both sides of the fabric. The trim and buttons are from Joann.

0.25" elastic is sewn at the top of the dark brown inset to keep it from stretching. The insert itself is two layers and the elastic is sandwitched between them.

I also added a tiny bow with a button at the hem of the leggings to corespond to the bow and button at the empire waist.

BTW, the boots she is wearing are not Ugg. They are, however, the Target version (knock-off) of the famous UGG. So far, I have been very impressed with them, the looks, the color variety(they come in chestnut, brown and pink), the craftsmanship, how comfy they are, the low price compared to the original. Besides, they have a side zipper, so DD puts them on by herself! So, yes, if you are looking for boots for your kid, these are great! Oh, other than I shop at Target sometimes, I am in way connected to them:)

The Village Frock

This is a pattern offered by the ladies behind the Sugar City Journal (http://sugarcityjournal.blogspot.com/).
You can see the pattern here:

I cut size 2 for my DD.

Fabric: Denim

The pattern: It is very well drafted. The only alteration I made was to lengthen the dress with about 3”. The dress has details but is easy to make. The authors of the pattern also offer you EXTENSIVE instructions (they actually come in a booklet) and options of how to make various looks from the same pattern pieces.

I love the dress and I will be making it more for spring/summer as it renders itself to lighter-weight fabrics.