So let's start with the pattern. There were two options for patterns for the tour and I decided to sew for Inara, so meet the Flutterby Romper. (On sale at that link for 30% off during the tour).
I tested this pattern as well, and had a lot of fun playing with all of the options during testing...
Available in sizes NB through 12yrs
6 sleeve variations in 4 lengths
4 leg variations in 2 lengths
Crotch snap option
Made for woven fabrics (but that pink one on the left is knit shhhh)
The fit on the pattern is fantastic, and the instructions have tons of pictures to make it easy to follow along. And if you find yourself confused about anything... there are loads of helpful people in the Little Kiwi's Closet Facebook Group.
I danced around a bit trying to come up with some cool inspiration to pimp the pattern, and finally decided to honor the geekery of this household... Have you heard of Gamergate? It's causing quite a stir lately, and though I think some of the treatment of females in the industry is awful, I never really considered the character representation, until last week... when after two hours of searching we finally picked a game character that met three conditions... (1) Inara thought they were cool (2) They served a big enough role in the game to be known and (3) they wear enough clothes that I could modify a romper to work. That last one was rough. So... here are my fabric choices....
No idea where I'm going with this, huh? I wasn't totally sure either. Let's start with the bottom one....
This one was a super pimp... lol. SO I used the short sleeves with elastic for the top, and instead of attaching the pants or shorts from the pattern, I cut a full circle skirt for the bottom, and attached it the same way the pattern called for. I also added a little Pokemon ribbon trim to the bottom, in case her outfit wasn't obvious. Though, with Piplup on her head, I think any fan would get it. **She's Dawn from Pokemon**
I originally cut three front bodice pieces to make the V in the front, but I didn't consider Inara's seam issues, and she flipped, so I ended up started all over with the front bodice and just taking a solid front and stitching the triangle onto it.
*Beanie is the For All the Family Beanie from Filles a Maman
Best part? She picked it out to wear to school today! So its inspired enough that she loves it, without being too costume-y for daily wear.
And... now we move on to our video game character... are you ready?
Meet my little girl appropriate, not quite so skin tight, perfect for fighting off bad guys Lilith inspired Romper. (from Borderlands if you are staring blankly at the picture).
I did the same V on the front as I did on the first one. I narrowed the legs on the pants a little from the crotch point down, and then pieced the legs using a faux-distressed jegging fabric paired with a distressed (fake?) suede like fabric. I was going for a more girl appropriate version of the outfit Lilith wears in the game. Inara was totally excited about it. Though her Lilith smirk needs some work...
Lilith is up there in her favorite characters, so she is totally thrilled with her outfit. And I am excited that she gets to play as a cool, strong female character... because she never wants to be rescued, she wants to be the hero. I'm actually really grateful for this blog tour, because it gave me a chance to help her highlight qualities she admires in the females she sees on TV and in games.
The pattern itself is a fast sew, no matter which options you choose. The pattern pieces print in color, but if you are a black and white only printer, they are laid out so it's easy to just highlight the size you want before cutting. The pieces go together easily, and the only measurements on the pattern are the elastic for the neck/waist and arms/legs if you choose those options. The pattern takes about 90 mins - 2 hours to sew (I think I am just really slow at pressing casings because I am paranoid they will end up crooked).
So here are the links to BOTH of the patterns you will see on the tour (grab them during the tour while they are on sale:
Flutterby Romper
Flutterby Playsuit
AND please take a few minutes to check out the rest of the posts for the week, and the awesome creation from Bethany posting today as well.
3rd November
4th November
5th November
6th November
7th November
8th November
Thanks for stopping by!! And check out the linky too!
Nice work, Alyssa. You can see how much your daughter loves both outfits! Creative and colorful and fun. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bethany!
DeleteThey are both awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lydia! I had so much fun with these!
DeleteHoly moly, that's incredible you've done awesome
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) Gotta love my tiny geek lol
DeleteI know zero about Pokemon but gosh she looks cute! Great job!
ReplyDelete