Turquoise Buddies

This top was worth the 2-month wait for the young lady in our household. 

"Mom, can you please make this top, please...?"

Pattern Description:
Girls' tunic, dress, pants, and jacket from the Hannah Montana series.  Sizing: Girls' 8-16. I sewed a "8" for my 7-year-old daughter.

Instead of a plaid, I sewed Heather's tunic in a turquoise-colored baby wale corduroy.

Yes.  I thought the directions and illustrations combined were simple and straightforward.  But then any pattern from the Big 4 companies seems like a breeze after working through a typical set of directions from Burda Style magazine.

The dress went together with little problems. It is fairly simple to sew, but I would not recommend it if you want to sew something that takes only one evening such as a knit top that uses only three pattern pieces. This tunic/dress requres the front, back facing, collar, and sleeve plackets to be interfaced.

The details that I like are the...
* criss-cross placket that secures the lower edge of the front opening

* buttoned sleeve tabs

The details that I find "questionnable" are the...
* the collar finished with a back facing, which immediately can make an outfit look less RTW, especially with the back facing flopping about. A fellow PR'er who also used this pattern addressed the issue of collars not having stands in her review.

*neck opening, because if it were any smaller, my daughter would had a more challenging time to slip the tunic comfortably over her head: I can imagine her engaging in some sort of wrestling match or a tug of war with the shirt! She had just enough clearance with the size "8". If I make this again in the near future, I would use the "10".

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did not make any major alterations. I took at most 1/2" from edge of the sleeve caps due to the excess ease I encountered when setting in the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This style seems to be a "hit" with the young ladies. All of the coordinates are practical and stylish basics, while still being age apppropriate. This style would work nicely for us grown-up ladies, too.

Conclusion:
Next to the Jalie twist top, this my daughter's new favorite!

Here's Heather's fuss-free pet, having one her favorite treats.

Heather found a little top from her "infant" days that she kept for her dolls. I sewed it from a either a Simplicity(??) pattern for infants/children.  It was one of my earlier attempts at sewing clothing for children.  I re-drafted that dress and a lining.

A front seat for tonight's Grammy Awards. 

Here's a special invitation to a Grammy Awards tribute with Barbie and the Patternmakers.