
First of all let me say how fantastic it is to have the patterns sponsored by Project Run and Play and the fabulous fabrics by Raspberry Creek Fabrics. My girl has hit that stage between children and adult sizes ( leaning more towards adult ) and I had no problem finding patterns that will work for her and all my first picks worked size wise without any adjustments. The School Bella will be attending has some clothing rules. Sewing for school makes things a lot easier. Modern yet modest clothes are really hard to find for the tween, teen age group.
Outfit 1:
Banana Boat tee in Denim Blue and Dusty Red College Ruled Notebook Paper Print, Back to School By Bri Powell for Club Fabrics
How adorable is this pattern? I made no changes in the pattern as I have never sewn it before and I really liked the lines of the shirt for my tween. I love the ruched sides and my next attempt will be a dress.
The Notebook paper is my favorite fabric from the back to school line by Raspberry Creek fabrics. I can think of so many cool things you can do with this. I thought a sketched graphic would be awesome or a story line out of a favorite book. Bella did not go for this yet so I kept it simple. I used shoelaces instead of fabric for the drawstrings on the side in yellow and also yellow snaps for the shoulder tabs as it reminds me of a pencil. I love the neckline, it doesn’t drop too low but is still wide enough for easy on and off. Bella loves how we can change the length of the shirt with the drawstrings to adapt to whatever she wears with it.
Metro Pants in Light Chambray Blue and Off White Rayon Linen
The Metro pants goes all the way up to size 14 . I made a 12 and YAY , that means this will still work for her for a couple more years. I added belt loops, omitted the drawstring and made a belt with it. The fabric is perfectly soft and slinky and the denim color makes it great for matching a whole bunch of shirts. It has pockets!!!
Outfit 2:
Caraway Cardigan in Kelly Green French Terry Knit Fabric
Soleil Skirt in red linen ( This came out of my stash but these two fabrics will work fantastically from the Raspberry Creek Fabric shop ) the gingham one is already in my cart
The Caraway is a unisex button down cardigan. It goes all the way up to size 12 and I think we will get a couple of years of this one. This will be easy to age up too. It comes in 3 different lengths and she said she would also like the longer one with a belt. The green goes with all the pieces in this current wardrobe and with a lot of her graphic shirts that she wears so this was a big win for mom – YAY. Yellow snaps on the one side and blue snaps on the other side.
Who doesn’t like French Terry – I want to live in French terry in the Fall , winter and spring. Super soft, warm ,yet not too heavy.
The Soleil Skirt goes up to 10 but because of the elastic this can be adjusted to fit well into the teenage/ adult years. I love the faux button placket and the pockets. This will work great for both school and church and can be dressed up or down. With school when make skirts or dresses I want to make sure that she can still play and run around without struggling with movement.
Outfit 3:
I used the Story pattern and this fantastic vintage locomotion cloud print
If there were to be a showstopper to this collection, this would be it. It is all in the print. When I picked out my prints I knew this is something that she would really like and I love the Grey and Khaki colors as I think we can match this with a lot of shoes and jackets. This girl is all about the jackets and shoes lately. When it comes to the pattern, I’ve sewn the Story pattern a few times already so this was the pattern I was going to modify for my dress.
I cut the bodice right below the belly, and when I cut the skirt and the sleeve this is the method I use…….

For the skirt I lengthened it a little below the knee. I cut my rectangle pattern piece in 4 evenly spread quarters and opened it up like the sleeve as far as I could with the width of the fabric so I have a almost full circle skirt. I added elastic around the middle so the dress don’t stretch out.
Bella is not a dress girl right now but she desperately needs a couple in her closet. She liked it ok as we went through the process but after we took pictures she kept it on for the rest of the day and she admitted that she really likes it and I can sew her a couple more – BIG MOM WIN.
That is it for today. Big Thanks to Project Run and Play for having me and Raspberry Creek Fabrics for sponsoring the fabric. The Raspberry Creek Fabric shop is a go-to for all types of fabrics. Their club fabrics are one-of-a-kind and you will always receive quality fabric. Follow along for the Back2school blog tour HERE and get some great ideas and inspiration for your Back2School sewing.
Till next time……….