Cord on Blue and on Spots

****Wow! I was surprised by winning PatternReview.com's "Look-Alike" contest by reader votes!****
Contest description

Here is our entry:

This top was worth the 2-month wait for the young lady in our household. 

"Mom, can you please make this top, please...?"

Pattern Description:
Girls' tunic, dress, pants, and jacket from the Hannah Montana series.  Sizing: Girls' 8-16. I sewed a "8" for my 7-year-old daughter.

Instead of a plaid, I sewed Heather's tunic in a turquoise-colored baby wale corduroy.

Yes.  I thought the directions and illustrations combined were simple and straightforward.  But then any pattern from the Big 4 companies seems like a breeze after working through a typical set of directions from Burda Style magazine.

The dress went together with little problems. It is fairly simple to sew, but I would not recommend it if you want to sew something that takes only one evening such as a knit top that uses only three pattern pieces. This tunic/dress requires the front, back facing, collar, and sleeve plackets to be interfaced.

The details that I like are the...
* criss-cross placket that secures the lower edge of the front opening

* buttoned sleeve tabs

The details that I find "questionnable" are the...
* the collar finished with a back facing, which immediately can make an outfit look less RTW, especially with the back facing flopping about. A fellow PR'er who also used this pattern addressed the issue of collars not having stands in her review.

*neck opening, because if it were any smaller, my daughter would had a more challenging time to slip the tunic comfortably over her head: I can imagine her engaging in some sort of wrestling match or a tug of war with the shirt! She had just enough clearance with the size "8". If I make this again in the near future, I would use the "10".

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did not make any major alterations. I sewed the sides together using French seams. I also took at most 1/2" from edge of the sleeve caps due to the excess ease I encountered when setting in the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This style seems to be a "hit" with the young ladies. All of the coordinates are practical and stylish basics, while still being age apppropriate. This style would work nicely for us grown-up ladies, too.

Conclusion:
Next to the Jalie twist top, this my daughter's new favorite!

Here's Heather's fuss-free pet, having one her favorite treats.

Heather found a little top from her "infant" days that she kept for her dolls. I sewed it from a either a Simplicity(??) pattern for infants/children.  It was one of my earlier attempts at sewing clothing for children.  I re-drafted that dress and a lining.

A front seat for tonight's Grammy Awards. 

Here's a special invitation to a Grammy Awards tribute with Barbie and the Patternmakers.

Double Take

Here are some current styles and patterns with identical style features:

Dresses with a pleated neckline

Chetta B Belted Ponte Knit Sheath Dress for $118

The pleated neckline reminds me of Vogue 8663

Other patterns with pleated necklines:

Vogue 8593

Butterick 5382 dresses

DKNY knit dress with draped front for $160

McCall's 6282 with draped fronts

Body Central's knit kimono dress

McCall's 6287 top/dresses

My version of McCall's 6287

Banana Republic's Silky V-Neck Dress for $150

Banana Republic's V-neck sheath dress for $130:

"V" for Vogue 1221 by DKNY

Vogue 8631

Adrianna Papell Layered Chiffon Sheath Dress, Nordstrom's, $158

Kwik Sew 3756

Suzy Chin for Maggie Boutique in a ruffledcotton

Nordstrom's, $118

Variations of Butterick's (#5320) version from the same designer!

Shirt Dresses

Carolina Herrera polka-dotted shirt dress for $495, Saks Fifth Avenue

TBags, SalonZ for Saks Fifth Avenue, $198

Hot Patterns' Plain and Simple Shirt Dress

McCall's 5547 shirt dresses

Lafayette 148 knit shirt dress, Saks Fifth Avenue, $368

Macy's INC knit leopard print dress, $79.99

Same dress at our local Macy's:

My Hot Patterns iconic shirt dress from 2 years ago

Hot Patterns iconic shirt dress a la 1970's Diane Von Furstenberg

Ann Taylor LOFT's January Floral Drape Neck Shell, $49.50

Butterick 5493

The silhouette of Ann Taylor LOFT's Placed Print Cowl Neck Top

That reminds me of Butterick 5463

Tess Sew-lation

It's hard to "believe" that McCall's 2254 came out the same year when Cher's "auto-tuned" disco-esque song became a big hit.

From 1999: a fitted knit top with sleeve (long or short raglan) and neckline options (sweetheart or slight scoop). 

It was interesting to see that Cher wore a tube top and a long-sleeved shrug at the Late Night with David Letterman on November 1998.

YT video clip of Cher singing "Believe" at Late Night with David Letterman, Nov. 1998

The pattern that I used was sized 6-8-10 (small).  I had hoped to find a "medium" somewhere on-line.  Since this pattern seemed to be rare, I settled for what I was able to find. 

First version in stretch velour that I do not recommend with this pattern. This top is not flattering on me, and it will not be worn out of the house after this photo.

 

Favorite Features:

*The directions and illustrations were easily deciphirable.

*I like that the mock shrug/bolero contains a separate pattern piece unlike Burda Style's #129 from the January 2011 issue.  It is attached the same way with its lower edge attached to the upper bodice.  The sleeves are raglan instead of the "set-in" type.

Burda Style pattern #129 knit top from January 2010 issue

My second version of Burda Style pattern #129

Not-so-favorite Features
*I did not encounter much extra fabric below the back of my neck and upper back as in Burda Style's #129.

* The neckline contained some extra ease seemed to a size or two larger than expected. I would suggest grading down a size, or taking in the front neckline when attaching it to the mock shrug/bolero section.

*Since I anticipated that this style is form-fitting, I added an extra seam allowance (5/8") to the waist/hips section. 

                                               

Second version in poly knit:

Alterations/Modifications:

*Took in the upper bodice (neckline) 3/4"

*Petite adjustment (1") at the waistline

*Stabilized the neckline (above the bust) by stitching elastic (1/8" width, 2" shorter than the length of the neckline joining the two mock shrug/bolero sections) close to the edge on the wrong side, turning under and topstitch.

Current patterns with the mock shrug/bolero style:

Butterick 5525

McCall's 6284

Kwik Sew 3756

Jalie 2794

McCall's 2254 is overall simple to sew and looks fine in a solid or print.   On a precautionary note, since I am finding that the necklines of this and similar tops have excess ease as drafted, it helps to make a muslin before delving into the nicer fabric.   Although this pattern's age is more than a decade, this classic style has stood the test for time.

Flashback Fun, July 2008: Wearing Jalie 2794 knit tops, Heather and I being silly.