Knock it Off Series - Day One

Here it is....the first day of the Knock it Off series!  To kick things off, I created a three piece outfit à la Bonpoint, a children's couture house and online fashion boutique.  I have only ever seen photos of celebrity children wearing this brand and it's no secret why...it's pricey!  But I love the clothes: simple, beautiful fabrics, classic designs...it's so up my alley, but I just couldn't justify the cost.  Not on my stay-at-home-mom salary! :)  

So, here's my take on one of their outfits.  I chose it from a practical perspective...Anja really needs each of the pieces in her wardrobe for fall.  To purchase this outfit from Bonpoint would cost the equivalent of $335.00 and the fabric & notions for mine were about $17.00.  Not bad! :) (I didn't make a scarf...it's just fabric for photo purposes)

Here's how I made the pieces.  Let's start with the t-shirt.  I've been wanted to improve my freezer paper stencil skills since I've only tried the technique once before.  Here's how I did the stencilling this time around (I used a mixture of acrylic and silk screen paint):

I used the Ashley Knit Ruffle dress pattern from the Peek-a-boo Pattern shop (I highly recommend these patterns...super easy to follow instructions and flawless pattern pieces).  This pattern was perfect because it has the button closure on the shoulder just like the original shirt.  Final result:

The cardigan was pretty straight-forward.  I used the same pattern as the t-shirt above, but cut the front in two, adding width for the button plackets (rather than separate pieces, and just folded over).  The one tip I would pass on when working with a sweater knit fabric, is to use interfacing for the buttonholes.

Here are a few in-process photos:

And the finished product:

I've been looking forward to re-creating these pants because there are a couple of details I've been wanting to try, especially the gathered side slant pockets and cuffed/buttoned leg openings.  One of the biggest challenges/frustrations with knocking-off a garment from photos is you're missing that opportunity to look at it from the inside out.  So, it's important to find as many photos of the garment as you can and then try to figure out how it was made.  This was my way of re-creating the gathered pockets.  If I were to do this again, I would gather it even more.

I started by cutting my pocket lining pieces smaller than the pants pocket edge/opening.  Then, gather the pants using basting stitches.

Pin and stitch the pocket lining to the pants.  Clip curves.

Turn, and press.  Put the pocket piece in place.

Sew the pocket to the lining.  Sew inseams and back rise.

When sewing the front to back at outer leg, leave an opening at the bottom for the cuff.

I like how the waistband featured a contrasting fabric on the inside.  To make this, cut your waistband with two, lengthwise, stitch together, and continue sewing as you would regularly.

For the tied detail on the front, I only stitched the waistband closed until to the pocket opening.  Using that opening, I inserted the elastic, and pinned it in place on each side.

Then, stitch the elastic on each side, and sew the twill tape on.

To finish up the bottom cuff, I gathered the pants, and enclosed them into a bias tape I cut from the original fabric.  I also made the button loops the same way.  The last step was the back pocket.

Et Voilà!

I hope you've enjoyed the first knock-off of the series!  Can't wait to see what Kimbo from a girl and a glue gun has to show us on Monday...she's a creative genius!