Back to school season is a busy yet exciting time of year! It is so fun to be able to sew for our little ones, not only to help them express themselves through fashion as they venture out into the world, but also to give them a personal touch of me made clothing if uniforms are required at their school. Thankfully, SSE has our back with both scenarios!
SSE Back to School Sewing with Anna Bauman
Shopping for my little girl often proves challenging since she’s so slender for her height. In So Sew English patterns, she measures a size 4 or 5 waist and height of 6 or 7 at age 8! I’m so glad I can sew her clothes that fit better than off the rack. And this year to get started on her Back to School wardrobe, I leaned heavily on SSE Patterns (and fabric!) My daughter practically lives in leggings and sweatpants, so I started there, and built outfits around both the London Leggings and Chelsea Pants .
First up was replacing her beloved skull leggings. I was overjoyed to see this fabric show up in bundles recently and I stocked up! She’d still been wearing her skull leggings from 4 years ago (that had become capris on her), and when I gave her these new ones she screamed with excitement!
I also knew I wanted to make scale leggings for her, so for this outfit, I opted for a matching Sulky Tee in a solid magenta ITY that she can interchange with either legging. This was my first time making the London Legging for her, and it’s a hit! She told me she liked them better than the other style of legging I usually make her, and I liked how quickly they came together. From taping the pattern together, tracing her size, and cutting and sewing, I think I only spent about an hour on them. The Sulky Tee has been a favorite of hers for a while now, but this is the first I made her with a long sleeve and straight hem. She loved how silky soft the ITY is! Now back to those scale leggings… I had a super fun outfit envisioned with these, and the Del Mar Dolman helped me make it reality! These mermaid and scale DBP fabrics were a bundle deal I bought for her not too long ago, but I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the white mermaids. Then I got looking at the Del Mar pattern and I figured out exactly what this fabric was meant to be! The only change I made was to add about ¾ of an inch to the sleeve length to give a little extra growing room, since she tends to sprout up more in length/height than anything else.
I chose the tunic length with a banded hem, and gave her a kangaroo pocket. The hood I did the separate lining option so there would be even more pops of scales. Eventually I’ll add some solid pink and/or blue leggings to her closet for added variety.
Her last outfit for this round of sewing was centered around the Chelsea Pants . I’ve had this fleece backed fabric for a while now and knew it had to become something for her, and it was PERFECT for the Chelsea’s. While searching my fabric stash for a coordinate for a top, I found the rainbow print DBP I had ordered so long ago, and the orange in it was a perfect match! It’s like it was meant to be.
I chose a tie front Sulky Tee with short sleeves for this outfit. I also have an aqua waffle knit Camden Cardigan planned that she will be able to layer with this, or with the skull leggings outfit. She loves her Camden I made her last year, and I can’t wait to sew her up a new one!
For the pants, I made her the standard cuff version with banded slant patch pockets and a drawstring waistband (I did not insert elastic). I did skip the topstitching that would create a drawstring channel as the drawstring I used is rather thick and wide. I may go back and adjust this later, but she doesn’t seem bothered by how it lays or fits.
As a quick re-cap, I was able to make my daughter 4 new outfits in just a couple days time by using 4 of SSE’s wonderful patterns! And thanks to the variety of options of each, I’ll easily be able to make her several more outfits to round out her capsule and finish out her Back to School wardrobe in the coming week.
Sewing SSE School Uniforms with Elda Castillo
My son is getting ready for pre-k and needed uniforms for his school. I made him the Kid's Preppy Polo Pattern from Ellie and Mac using Red Textured Bamboo/Poly Performance. Instead of button holes, I used Open-Ring Snaps from Kam Snaps in red on the placket piece. The pattern came together so easily, and I was pleasantly surprised to have created a quality garment with superb construction. I love the Poly Performance fabric for it’s moisture-wicking properties, especially in our South Texas heat and for my very active preschooler!
For his uniform pants I made the Kids Sunny Sweats from Petite Stitchery (PSCO) using Solid Beige Nylon Ponte. I used the plain options with simple pockets for both version of the pants I made. For the straight leg pants I cut at the elastic cuff length, and omitted the elastic and simply hemmed them.
I chose the Nylon Ponte because it is a stable double knit fabric that works well for pants. It is one of the more firm, stable knits that So Sew English Fabrics offers. This fabric is heavier and thicker than a regular jersey, yet is still soft to the touch and comfortable for everyday wear.
I’m looking forward to seeing how well these fabrics hold up with his active lifestyle! He loves the ‘soft pants’ mommy makes him, and refuses to wear store bought. So happy with how I could make his uniforms with SSE!
We hoped you enjoyed this post about Back to School Sewing!
Did you hear about our Back 2 School Flash Sale?
Now through 8/15 save 20% SITE WIDE! Use code SCHOOL20 at checkout to save!
Sale ends promptly 8/15 at 11:59pm PST, so don't wait!