Gifts for My Mommy

Heather hinted throughout the week that she had some special surprises for me. Yesterday afternoon she excitedly gave me a little white bag with pink and blue stars that she drew and colored. Wow, I had little butterflies when I opened the bag. I received a Mother's Day card with a beautiful message in it signed by Heather and a tulip on the cover (she cut and pasted the little red vase), and
a little ribbon bounded notepad with a pen and Heather's adorable sketch of me and her printed on the lower left corner of each page. The sweet notepad consisted of xeroxed pages of a reduced sketch that each child drew of his/her mother and him/her so that it would appear on the lower corner of each page.




Heather's teachers are amazing to prepare the notepads and the beautiful cards with the pre-cut tulips and heart-warming message for the mothers of the children.



The children recently learned about measurement. Heather told me that Mrs. B measured all of the children and arranged them according to their heights. Taped to the left inside of my card is a folded green "stem" that represents Heather's height Mother's Day of this year. This is a very sweet memento to be treasured now and for years to come.

"As I have grown these early years
Mommy dear you've seem me bloom.
The stem will show in later years
How tall I was this special Mother's Day.

I thank you mother for your daily unconditional
Love!
You are helpming me become
A beautiful flower in this garden of life.

Happy Mother's Day
This May 2009"

Heather




Happy Mother's Day to not only our mothers but also to all women for their love and support.

Miss-Cute-Ears

After I made a red ribbed knit version (first version), Heather became hooked on this top, especially after discovering that it was quite easy to sew. She asked me to make more!




Pattern Description
"Fast and Easy"
"Girls' tunic, dress, sash, and leggings" Pullover tunics and dress have hem variatons. A: lace inset. B, C yoke neckline. C: sash. Leggins D has casing and elastic waist." I made view A, the crossover tunic with a ruffled bottom, and an inset or what I refer to as a "mock modesty cami".

Size
7-8-10-12

Favorite Features of this View
* Easy to make
* Few pattern pieces for view A, front, back, inset, and bottom ruffle/flounce.
* Cap sleeves
* Has sporty and feminine style.

Not-So-Favorite Features
*Neckline of the inset is low and somewhat loose. It has a tendency to droop forward little.
*Extensive gathering for the bottom ruffle



Fabric
First version: cotton rib knit:



Second version: girly cami poly knit with some spandex



Third version: poly jersey from Emma One Sock


Directions
I was impressed with very nice illustrations alongside the sufficiently clear basic directions in an easy-to-read and step-by-step format.

General steps:
* Stitch front and back sections at shoulders.
* Finish neckline
* Lap the front over the left matching the notches, large circular dots, and centers. Baste the lower edges together.
* Add optional trim to the inset.
* Pin right side of inset to wrong side of front. Baste armhole, side and lower edges
* Stitch front and back sections together at sides, below the large dots. Clip seam allownces to circles.
*Make a narrow hem at armhole edges.
*Stitch ruffle sections together at sides.
*Gather upper edge of ruffle.
*Finish lower edge of ruffle. Trim is optional.
*Pin upper edge of ruffle to lower edge of tunic. Adjust gathers, baste, and stitch.


Modifications
* For the second and third version, I used elastic thread for gathering the upper edge of the ruffle. Why didn't I think of using that for the first version? I wound some elastic thread on the bobbin, loosened the tension a notch and voila, the upper edge of the ruffle had already gathered on its own! I left enought elastic threads of the end so that the gathering does not "escape" and pulled those ends to further gather the upper edge.

* I raised the inset or modesty bodice panel another inch

* When Heather tried on each top for the first time, I lightly marked the points belowthe front edges on which to tack inset to secure the fronts edges and thus prevent them from "flopping about".

*For the third version (Target bullseye version), I added a white strip (about an inch wide after folding in half lengthwise) to the upper edge of the inset. I like that it stabilizes the neckline and raises it to a more appropriate level.

Conclusion
Definitely a simple and stylish top for your fashion conscious young lady. If you have this pattern and plan to sew this view, note the level and drape of the neckline and securing the inset to each of the front edges. The flounced bottom, fun fabric and trim give character to a plain knit top.