The Avengers in a dress

When I made the boys their matching Avengers tee shirts, Myra wanted to know when I was going to make hers. But, you know, as a dress. Because Myra.

Since I wanted to do a similar look to the boys, but with a girlie twist, I went with the Mini Penny Pinafore by Kitschy Coo. I used the Avengers pattern knit for the side panels and sleeves, and the solid black Laguna knit for the center front and back, as well as the neckband.

I did Myra's decal in a metallic HTV (Fashion Film Electric in Firecracker Red, if you'd like to know). Of course, as Myra is an active girl, she also got a pair of matching undershorts, also detailed with the Avengers logo. A superhero likes to preserve her modesty when saving the world.

Suitable for kicking bad guy butt? Yep!

We've made the Mini Penny a few times, but she's sized up since the last one, so this is a size 8. The only alteration I made was to make the sleeve elbow length. I just folded the long sleeve in half and added a hem allowance. This will be a nice all-season length here in the South, so Myra will be able to wear the dress a while.

I love the way this dress looks and fits from the back. So ladylike! Even in superhero fabric.

I actually finished this last week - I'm so behind on blogging - but Myra has already worn it three times. As soon as it comes out of the wash, it's on her body! I'm so glad she's happy with it, and I love that I can make her a superhero dress, since sometimes it's a bit hard to find them in stores. Yay for sewing!

Mini Penny Pinafore: Deer, and bunnies and gnomes, oh my!

I bought this fabric in the fall, thinking the colors would make a nice autumn look. Ahem. Or spring...

Of course, I bought it fully intending to flagrantly copy the Mini Penny Pinafore cover look, as modeled by the lovely Maia.

I ended up making mine a little different though. The main thing is the short sleeve. Since we are in fact, slowly defrosting here in Utah, I decided she'd probably not be wearing her long sleeve dresses much longer, so short was the way to go. I just hemmed the sleeve, rather than banding it, since the length was dictated by how much fabric I had left.

Since I was doing a short sleeve, I had enough of the center panel fabric to do these sleeves to match it, rather than matching the sleeve to the side panel.

I used the side panel fabric for the neckband though. This Lillestof cotton-lycra jersey has such good recovery, it really is great for neckbands. I added a little bunny ribbon tag to the back neckline, to make dressing easier. I think the cheeky little bunny is Myra's favorite part.

I had just enough fabric left to make Myra a pair of undershorts for modesty purposes. The playground can be a treacherous place.

I love how nicely this pattern fits Myra, both front and back. And it's so cute!

Perfect for playtime.

Kitschy Coo Penny Pinafore, in the Jungle!

It is with great sadness that I submit my final make for Jungle January.

It would probably not surprise you to know that this is absolutely my favorite themed sewalong. I'm so grateful that Anne is willing to be our valiant leader.

For my coup de grace the month, I used my absolute favorite pattern, the Penny Pinafore by Kitschy Coo.

For this version, I used ponte knit in an ocelot print for the front and sleeves, and black ponte for the side panels and bands. I just love the way this looks colorblocked.

Looks great from the back too. Isn't that a fun print? I'm so glad I bought a lot of it. You'll see it again.

And so I bid adieu to that month of fabulousness that is Jungle January. But fear not! We love the jungle around here. It doesn't ever truly leave us. Just hibernates for a little while.

Penny Pini, tunic time

I know, I've made a few of these...

You will too, when you get your hands on this pattern. The dress is fabulous, and the tunic length is getting near daily wear around here.

This is, of course, the Penny Pinafore from Kitschy Coo. This will be make #6, and there are more coming.

The fabric this time is single jersey. The floral print is cotton and the solid navy seems to be a rayon/cotton blend. Maybe a bit of lycra. It was given to me. Both fabrics are fairly lightweight and drapey. Despite being so different from the versions I made in Ponte knit, these fabrics still work very well with the design.

I love how curvy these panels make me look!

I'm dressed for the snow in my Penny Pini, paired with these jeans, as well as hand knit fingerless gloves and a hand knit lace cowl (which was designed and knit by my sister).

I think I'll be off to sew another. You got this pattern, right?

Kitschy Coo Penny Pinafore: So Nice I Made it Twice!

You've already seen our tunic versions of the new Penny Pinafore pattern. This was my first and second version of the Mini Penny Pinafore. I am so thrilled with this pattern!

Myra is thrilled, too. That girl loves a new dress, and if it's colorful, floral and fun, so much the better.

This pattern takes so little fabric, that I had plenty left over to make another for my niece. You can see the details a little better here. The dress includes princess side panels that are just begging to be color or print blocked!

I used coordinating knits from Girl Charlee. I'm not very good at matching up prints by myself, so I was really grateful that the good folks at Girl Charlee did the hard part for me. The chevrons are the perfect match to this 70s style floral and the color scheme is super fun.

I fussy cut the neck and sleeve bands from the chevron fabric. I wanted the colored chevrons to sit right on the fold so that they would look like triangles. Emma's are lavender (to match her wrap sweater) and Myra's are hot pink, to match her personality (and all of her wardrobe). I love the way the chevrons look like flower petals on the neckband. Such a fun effect!

The skirt is full enough for twirling and dancing, but slim enough to stay put, so it's perfect for my active girl. You can see the close fit in the bodice here, and the side princess panel a little better.

There is only a teeny bit of shaping in the side seam, so stripe (or in this case, chevron) matching is easily done.

The shape is so sleek, it is easy to layer for all seasons. Doesn't Emma's dress look cute with her wrap sweater?

Since I finished sewing the dress, Myra has been wearing it approximately twice a week. I'll definitely be making  many more. And so should you! Head over to Kitschy Coo's shop now and get yours!

Kitschy Coo Penny Pinafore - Mother/Daughter version!

Of course, the Penny Pinafore had to have a pint sized equvalent. Introducing the Mini Penny Pinafore!

Here they are in tunic length and with long sleeves. The pattern includes options for three lengths in the adult sizes and two in the girls' range, as well as three sleeve lengths. Myra is wearing a size 5Y and I am wearing a size 3. This was my first version for myself, so I've made a few minor fit tweaks for later versions, but I'm really pleased with how well it fits me here without alteration.

The pattern is based on the Skater dress/Lady Skater block, so you'll find the fit is about the same, and any alterations you needed on the Skater are easily transferred to the Penny Pinafore, but with the added fit options provided by the panel seams.

I made our tunics from a mid-weight Ponte knit from fabric.com. It has maybe 10-15% stretch, so you can definitely get away with using those heavier knits for this design. Stay tuned though for a look at how it works in a thinner jersey and in some other lengths.

Myra and I are both very happy with our tunics. They are comfortable, cute and super fun to sew! In fact, one of these whips up in about an hour, whatever length you make!

Come on, Myra. Let's go make a couple more Penny Pinafores. What are you waiting for? Go get your pattern! Here is the Penny Pinafore and the Mini Penny Pinafore. Download your PDF and get sewing!

Kitschy Coo Penny Pinafore

Are you ready for the most amazing pattern ever??

Introducing the newest pattern from Kitschy Coo - the Penny Pinafore!! This is a beautifully designed dress (also available in tunic and mindress lengths) with shapely princess seaming, perfect for color and print blocking.

My fabric for this dress is a combination of two double knits. The solid black is Sophia double knit from Vogue Fabrics. This stuff is the cadillac of double knits - soft and drapey but sturdy and with great recovery. The print I used for the center panels is a Maggy London double knit from FabricMart. It's just as nice as the Sophia, although it doesn't have quite as much stretch. The print is super cool though. It reminds me of the Matrix.

The skirt in the dress length is nice and swirly. Amanda has designed this pattern brilliantly, with separate cutting lines at the hip for the tunic and dress lengths, which gives you a sleek, fitted look for your tunic and a nice A-line skirt for your dress and minidress.

I cannot get over how beautifully this pattern glides over my curves in back. Mitch spent all morning telling me how much he loves the way this dress fits. Win!

I've already made a few *ahem* so you'll be seeing more before the week is out. What are you waiting for! Go get yours! It's available here as an easy to download and assemble PDF!