Knock it Off – peplum top and cropped sweatpants

What a pleasure it is to work with the lovely Heidi of Elegance & Elephants in the return of her Knock-Off Series. Well, let’s get right to it. We are here to create and share fun clothing for younger ones inspired by designer fashion that is either available today or has a vintage feel and is no longer available. I like to think of this series as giving a nod to other designers while showing how looks can be recreated at home.

Whenever I am inspired by a photo, I tuck it away in folder. This happens to be the case for the look I created for my daughter.

Peplum top and cropped sweatpants by designer Rachel Roy

I like that this design was not difficult to create pint-sized and translates well for a wide range of ages. This particular look features a color-block short sleeved peplum shirt paired with cropped drawstring sweatpants.

 

How fun is this little outfit?  For fabric, I went with a sweater knit fabric in two colors similar to the inspiration pic, but decided to swap the dominant color.  I thought the lighter fabric would best suit my little one.  It cost me about $12 to create both pieces.  Curly Cutie loves purses and bags, so I couldn’t help but make a crayon tote out of linen and faux leather using a modified version of this pattern.

If you have a basic t-shirt pattern on hand, or can draft one (from an existing shirt or by other means) you can create this top. For help drafting your own t-shirt pattern, Melly has talent that cannot be denied and will walk you through every step. You’ll need to take your basic t-shirt pattern and modify it slightly.  Bellow is a pic of the modified pattern pieces for my daughter’s size (5).

A FEW THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF:
(If anyone is curious, I have included my daughter’s modified shirt measurements where necessary – size 5)

– your original shirt pattern (front and back) will need to be shortened to account for height of peplum. (shortened to 9″ from base of front neckline, she has a longer than average torso I believe. peplum = (waist*2)x 3-3/4″)
– you’ll need to add seam allowances for both front pieces (either while creating modified pattern or while cutting fabric). (To create my color-block line for front, I measured in 1-1/4” from top of armhole and 3-3/8″ in from right side of pattern at waist and placed a mark. Connected dots and added 3/8″ seam allowance)
– you’ll need a short sleeve pattern and a neckband. (for neckband I cut a long strip of fabric that was 1-1/2″ wide and attached with 1/4″ seam allowance. I used a flat construction method, so I didn’t have a set length for strip)

If you, like me, are a continual recipient of the generosity of the online sewing community, then you may know that Heidi of Elegance & Elephants has made a retro sweatpants PDF pattern available for free download. This pattern can be used to create the cropped sweatpants.

E&E PATTERN MODIFICATION w/construction changes FOR CROPPED PANTS:

– I added 2” to waist of pattern to accommodate 1” elastic waistband. I did not want to attach waistband separately, so I simply incorporated it into the pattern. I made sure to follow the gentle slanted line for the pants BACK.
– I serged elastic to waist, folded down and used a stretch stitch to complete waistband.
– Instead of adding button holes for a draw string, I opted for a faux tie at center front of waist band.  Completely non-functional, but cute to boot!
– Pant sides were sewn first to add stripe before being fully constructed. For the love of all things good, I could not sew the stripe to the pant without funky things happening, so hand-sewing has never failed me yet. I attached the stripes by hand. Such a small sacrifice for a great return.
– I cut a size 5/6 with the length of a size 3 and it worked out great hitting CC right below the knee.
– I used 9” of 1/4” elastic for casings at pant bottom.

For Fun:

The series is wrapping up, but it’s still not too late to enter your Knock Off into the Flickr pool for a chance at some pretty nice prizes.   Did you happen to catch the other creations in the series?

Thanks again for having me Heidi!