i had to skip posting yesterday to start/do our taxes (bluuuuugh), but i did have this finish i’ve been excited to share. it’s so soft you guys!
this week’s “sew my upcycle pile” theme stemmed from me sorting through and getting rid of a bunch of stuff that i knew i’d never sew with. i have a small sewing room and there was just too much STUFF in there. while i was sorting through it all, i found two banana republic sweaters of mine – they were short sleeved, crew neck sweaters that i wore a ton when i was pregnant with this little miss, but not since because they were all stretched out and not very flattering.
however, the material is great – it’s a cashmere/acrylic/other blend that is washable, super soft, and warm. i had a cream one and a purple one whose colors looked nice together….and the perfect amount of fabric for a new color blocked raglan sweater for the girlie!
the pattern once again is the Oliver + S field trip raglan (quickly becoming my most-used O+S pattern!). i made a 4T for her (cut to full length even though i used factory hems for a little extra growing room). i tend to use my t-shirt patterns a lot for O but not much for E, but i’m trying to change that because she loves picking out her own skirt/top combos these days.
i made her skirt a while ago but never blogged it – it’s just a quick no-ribbon lazy days skirt in Heather Ross’ Far Far Away iii linen/cotton blend. i was excited to spot it at Center Diamond last spring and it’s such wonderful apparel fabric. oh and did you see Heather is re-releasing Far Far Away with Windham soon?? can’t wait!!
as you may have noticed, i added a self-drafted kangaroo pocket to this sweater. Liesl talked about doing that here – i think it’s a cute addition to make it look more “sweater-like,” and kids always love pockets!
i backed the pocket with a scrap leftover from this dress – a woven so it’d be more stable to work with. i sewed around it right sides together, trimmed seam allowances and turned it through an opening i left, then topstitched the curvy hand openings. i figured out placement on the sweater and marked each point with water soluble fabric marker, then covered each of those marks with 1” squares of interfacing on the inside so the weight of the pocket wouldn’t pull and create holes in the sweater. then i topstitched it on around all but the curvy hand openings. i used my walking foot for it all since the sweater material was very stretchy and a bit thick.
this is the type of outfit that gets worn around here a lot during Portland springs/summers. our mornings start cool but afternoons are nice and warm, so we layer a lot. she has a couple cardigans in her wardrobe but no pullover sweaters, so it was a nice addition.
honestly though, i’m kinda bummed this new-and-improved version isn’t my size!!
you can see all my kids clothes week projects here.
skirt as top 
Oh that’s so cute! I love the kangaroo pocket. And I just walked out of Center Diamond not 30 minutes ago!! I’d never been and was pretty impressed with the selection. Love the HR skirt too!
woah what a coincidence!! i loved center diamond and only had like 20 minutes in there while B waited in the car – could’ve spent hours! so many gems.
I like it! She looks like a panda. Sounds like you put in a legit pocket too by using interfacing. Things I’ve slowly learned from Liesl patterns!
hehe she does look like a panda! yep totally stole that technique from the hide and seek dress (and others, but that most recently). good old fashioned “what would liesl do?” moment. 😉
What a great outfit, the skirt print is perfect for the sweater.
Glad to know I’m not the last person in America to do my taxes! (Who does them early?)
haha right? and we’re getting a refund too! i was so worried we’d have to pay i procrastinated (plus, you know, the whole hard to get uninterrupted time to do them with a baby around).
what a great upcycle – love this! And thanks for the mini tute on how you constructed the pocket – very helpful:)
you’re welcome! and thank you! 🙂
It looks great. How fantastic to have a mom that will sew a personal wardrobe for her 🙂
thanks – i love doing it!
Sometimes I feel a bit smug to have married an accountant so I don’t have to deal with any taxes! Hehe. Of course I have to deal with busy tax season so maybe it’s a trade off. Also I love the idea to add pockets and thanks for the interfacing tip. I was wondering how you kept them from stretching out/ripping because O is always pulling on his pockets and I could see him ripping them out quickly!
haha yeah unfortunately i’m the financial mind in the relationship. you’re lucky indeed! glad my (Liesl’s) pocket tip helped! i hope it works. 😉
brilliant. Love the pocket!
I’m amazed what is possible, what can be made. I’m too much intimidated to sew clothes…
It’s great Kristin. I love these kind of practical but still pretty things for girls.
What kind of sick world is it when Kid’s Clothes Week can clash with Tax Return Filing Week!
Wow what a nice upcycle. The colour look very nice together.
I love how you added a pocket! I’ll have to keep that in mind for future projects.
What a great comfy looking top! I love the idea of “upcycling” and would like to try to do that sometime.
this looks so cozy, kristin! and the skirt is adorable too. i just love a more casual look. it looks great on her.
Ooooooh, sooooo cozy! I want one.
Cozy and just gorgeous… I am trying oh so hard to use fabrics from the tottering pile(s), tho usually end up having to go out to buy the much needed contrast or some such, the remainder of which then gets added to the pile. Love the addition of the pocket!