Sewing for Kindergarten September 23, 2013 – Posted in: Pattern, Repurpose, Sewing, Tutorials

Mie at Sewing Like Mad came up with an amazing idea this year after seeing how many bloggers had kids starting Kindergarten. And wouldn’t you know it, Sofia started in August and I jumped at the chance to participate! There have been a ton of amazing tutorials and posts full of lovely pictures and ideas and I’m thrilled to share mine today.

Sweater dresses have a big place in my heart. They’re warm and cozy, but still offer a great girly flavor.

Sofia is LOVING Kindergarten and has been jumping out of bed every morning to rush out the door. Nearly every day she asks me to wear a dress so I’m always on the hunt for inexpensive dresses for her. For many years I’ve wanted to make the majority of her wardrobe and I’m finally on the right track.

I’m a sucker for a good upcycle and when I spotted this bright, oversized sweater in my local thrift shop, I knew I had to have it.

And can you believe it, it was dirt cheap!

To make this simple dress I used a tank that fits her well and placed it on some paper to use as my pattern. I added a little room between the middle of the shirt and the edge of the paper to give the dress a little more room.

Then using my pattern piece, I cut the dress out keeping the original bottom and shoulder seams.

I salvaged the cuff and neck pieces to make the new neck.

I pinned the neck pieces together and sewed and serged.

At this point I hung the dress up and realized the neck was way too huge.

So I cut some off the top of each shoulder seam and stitched the shoulders.

Then using the same cuff pieces, I sewed the armholes.

And pinned and stitched the side seams, making sure I lined the print up on the sides.

Isn’t it precious?! It was such a fast sew and the results were amazing.

She can’t wait for the weather to warm up enough to wear it to school. We plan on putting long sleeves on under it to keep her toasty through the cold winter months. Not too shabby for $3.49!

Make sure you head over to Sewing Like Mad and check out all the other Kindergarten projects! And if you share some of your own handmade school wares, you could win a prize or two! Mie has categories for all school ages so don’t be shy! Thanks for having me, Mie!