Made By A Fabricista: Teen Birthday Party Look using Ponte Knit

Happy Friday All!

I am so excited that my daughter has allowed me to sew for her again. When she was younger and in elementary school, she was always excited for me to make her skirts and dresses. I haven’t sewn much for her over the past 3 years, but this year I have made 2 dresses and this cute set for our next vacation. I plan to make a few other pieces before the summer is over.

My daughter Arielle wanted a black ponte knit leisure wear set for the longest that she could rock to her a summer party or on vacation. She was too picky with the style of the top, so I delayed making it. We settled on the pants but for the top, she just could not decide. She is very particular about showing her chest, making it to crop and love a peekaboo in the back. When we came across Simplicity 9784 pattern, we knew this was a win. I love the style but felt it was a bit crop for my personal taste but perfect for her.

Top Review: Size Small

The pattern is an easy sew and the directions are written clearly. I read through once and went straight to work. The only issue I noticed is if you lengthen the bodice by an inch or so at the bottom for the back pattern piece, the side seam of the top does pucker a bit. I will make another version without lengthening it to see if that was the cause of the puckering.

Also, for View A, you will need a special bra to wear it. We ordered one from Amazon and it worked out just perfect.

Pants Review/Tip: Size X-Small

Did you know that you can use a woven pants pattern to make a knit version? I have been making Simplicity 8605 using ponte knit and love the fit. For knit pants, always look at the hip finish garment measurement and if you are looking for a more of a fitted look, you will have to size down quite a bit. For example, if your hip measurement is 44 inches, cut the hip finished garment measurement that is about 40 inches. The 4 inches of negative ease will give you the perfect fit. Additionally, the crotch adjustments that you may have to make for the woven may not be necessary with the knit. I typically remove ½ of the adjustments for the crotch and the pants fit perfect.

Finally, I made an orange palazzo pants using McCall’s 7789 for my next trip. I am not too happy with the fit as I cut a larger size and do believe the hip measurement for this pattern is off. I will size down about 2 sizes if I do make it again.

I wore it to run errands and unfortunately, the camera died when we took the first shot. The heat has been so uncomfortable lately and I haven’t been in the mood to shoot outdoors. I plan to style it and share a video on my page real soon when I rock in on vacation.

Thank you so much for reading. I have been trying to finish up a few pieces including my birthday look for our vacation in August and I can’t wait to share. Don’t forget to stop by my Instagram page to see what I am working out. Have the most amazing weekend!

One Love,