Clare asked me to make her a few colourful or patterned tops to wear with her bought shorts (so that she “could still wear something that Mummy has made” – now if that’s not guaranteed to get me sewing for her, I don’t know what is). She chose a few different styles from my Ottobre collection, and paired them with fabrics. I made Ottobre 4/2011 no.30 for her twice.
This is a super simple pattern. It’s very 80s, with a wide and slightly cropped body and cut on sleeves. It really is just a matter of sew up the shoulder seams, apply a neck band, sew up the side seams, then hem the armholes and bottom.
Clare particularly likes this striped viscose – it’s very soft against the skin and drapes nicely around her. Thanks again to Anna‘s stash for the fabric! I also made the same pattern up in the crazy cat fabric from Darn Cheap.
This is a cotton/lycra, and I used a contrasting black cotton/lycra for the neckband. I think the print is a good match for this style!
These are super fast to make, including tracing time. And I think that they fill the “tween” gap nicely. Clare is almost 11 years old now, and it’s interesting watching her style evolve and seeing how it meshes with what is fashionable and age-appropriate. Because she is so small for her age – I made these tops in size 134 – I can see that it could be a challenge as the next year or two go on to find styles that work for her age as well as her size. We’ll see how we go!
