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MK*Designs recently sent me this adorable panel with Stitch dressed up as various Winnie the Pooh characters on a bee background. The panel was too big for my 3 year old so I decided to use it for my 7 year old instead. The A.A. Milne quote, “The things that make me different are the things that make me,” describes my daughter to a T, so this really was perfect for her!
(This fabric, along with a whole collection of Halloween prints, is available for pre-order from MK*Designs until Friday June 7, 2019).
Cotton Lycra & Woven Collection
Minky, Fluff, Swim, Yoga Collection
I sketched out a couple of ideas for this panel, and in the end let my daughter choose. She didn’t want any of my sketches and instead asked for it to be the same as her donut top. So this was my second time making the Jennuine Designs Schooner Tee, and this time I top stitched the sleeve seams so that they don’t flip around.
Jalie Simone Wide-Leg Shorts & Pants
I had been drawn to the new Jalie Simone shorts/pants, so I grabbed a copy of that pattern to make them for my daughter. I chose a Tencel Cotton chambray that I bought at Fabric Mart a couple of months ago. It’s a strange sort of fabric – it’s a little bit shiny and is pretty fluid but it’s still a bit stiff too. I can’t really explain what it is like exactly! It was a pain in the butt to cut out – it shifted around like crazy and I didn’t do a great job keeping it on grain. But I kinda like it for these shorts and might make myself long Simone pants out of the rest – though I’ll be sure to starch it like crazy next time and cut it all out from a single layer.
Pants making still makes me kinda nervous. My daughter measured a size J for her hip and a K for length and I wasn’t quite sure where to do the lengthening. In hindsight I should have just asked, but it’s more in my nature to just try things first. I lengthened the rise rather than the legs and this was a mistake – the rise ended up being too long and baggy. I will know for next time though!
Overall, the shorts are straight forward to make. The only hiccup I had was misunderstanding how the belt loops went in, so out came the seam ripper a few steps later!
I loved the construction of the waistband – it’s finished so cleanly!
For fun, I added some MK*Designs 626 Acre Wood Cotton Poplin to the waistband facing. I just serged the bottom of it to finish the edge, but you could also use bias binding along the edge if you didn’t like that look.
I was surprised that the tie is only in the front of the pants – it’s actually sewn into the side seam. I like this because when you bend over, you won’t end up with the belt riding up above the shorts. Also, for the elastic I used Pro-Stretch elastic from Fashion Sewing Supply. This is amazing elastic – very comfortable to wear and it can be cut to whatever width you need without sacrificing stretch quality (these shorts require 1 1/4″ width).
I am considering making a second pair of these shorts for my daughter but in the Stitch/Winnie the Pooh poplin. I think they’ll be really fun!
Summary
- Jalie Simone Wide Leg Pants & Shorts
- Jennuine Design Schooner Top & Dress
- Jennuine Design Zenith Headband
- MK*Designs 626 Acre Wood Cotton Poplin (Preorder closes June 7, 2019)
- MK*Designs 626 Acre Wood Big Kid Panels (set of 3) (Preorder closes June 7, 2019)
- Simply By Ti Yellow Cotton Lycra
- Tencel Cotton Chambray (NLA) – Fabric Mart
- Elastic (cut to width)
Disclosure: I’m a Jalie Patterns Creative Ambassador and received these Jalie patterns complimentary for purposes of review and promotion.
I received 1 panel free from MK*Designs for purposes of promotion.
