| Petite Stitchery & Co | An Upcycled Sleeveless Laurel

I am really feeling this Bohemian trend that's been going on for the last few years. I'm not usually one to follow trends, but all the ruffles, hi-low hems and tops that dip on the sides are just so girly that I can't resist wanting to dress my daughter in every new trendy style that comes out. The downside is that my daughter is so small that I'm usually not in love with the fit on most store bought clothing items. So, I started with the  Petite Stitchery Laurel Tunic & Dress Pattern. I then headed to Walmart with my little and we picked out a polka dot shirt ($5) and 3 panda rib knit shirts ($1 each) so all together I spent $8 plus thread to make this cool summery dress. Note: I received the pattern for free in exchange for my honest opinion which I'm giving to you.

*This post may also contain affiliate links which means that if you purchase through the links I won't have to upcycle Walmart t-shirts all of the time.

I kind of despise having to attach neck and arm bands AND I knew that I wanted to transition the pattern into summer-wear by making it sleeveless, which means I mostly abandoned the original pattern instructions. To do this, my best solution was to line the bodice including the sleeve holes. I cut two bodices from the same fabric and found this tutorial by Crafterhours to help me out. I had a hard time when it came to actually finishing the straps according to her instructions. The first sewn side of  each strap came out right, but I just couldn't get the outer one closed. I ended up cutting them at the shoulder seam, finishing the strap sides and sewing them back together with my shoulder seams exposed, but my neckline and sleeves are finished and I did french seams on my bodice and skirt sides since my serger is out of order. I also narrowed the shoulders, because that's what you want to do if you are converting a sleeved garment to a sleeveless garment.

For my daughter I blended a 2T & 4T together which was a little difficult on the curved parts, but I think the fit is perfect for her size and height. The "V" got cut deeper because I traced the 2T line instead of the 4T line, but it works for us because of her huge hair.

 I had a little trouble with the ruffle not fitting the bottom of my dress the way it should, but I discovered later that I had dropped one of the ruffle strips under my sewing table so it was actually short a ruffle length meaning it came out pretty decent, all things considered. 

I won't talk about how she thinks tooting her lips is a modeling face.

Here, you can see that I really should have under-stitched the lining to keep it from being seen. Since I left the inside lining open I can probably still go back and do it because no amount of ironing fixes this problem. If you haven't heard of understitching there's a free tutorial here*. After that I'll also stitch in the ditch to close the lining.

We seem to have a growing color scheme in my daughter's closet right now. It started with this top and mint pant. Then I paired the same pants with this white top and now I'm back with more mint and black and white polka dots. Have I ever mentioned that I love black and white, polka dots and mint? I coax my daughter into liking my fabric choices by taking her with me to pick them out. She did, however,pick out a neon pink shirt with cats for me to upcycle into another Laurel, let's just say that I'm less than thrilled about it, but I love making her things that she loves and I think that this pattern is definitely a winner even if my sewing skills weren't. <3 Goofy "model"  face to follow.

Have you tried any Petite Stitchery & Co? What are your favorites? Link your creations in the comments so that can check them out. For more inspiration join their Facebook Sewing Group, but don't get mad at me if you become addicted to their super trendy, but comfy style.

 Seriously, though,  I'd love for you to share your projects with me. *Trying not to seem desperate.