Top Knot tunic - the lazy edition

When Miss R saw a green and blue romper I made for her baby sister she asked me to make her something from the same fabric. I was more than happy to grant her wish :)

I 'hacked' the Top Knot romper/dress/tunic pattern by Calk and Notch to make a top for Miss R. This, my friends, is the laziest hack I have ever done.

I feel that both Miss R and I stepped out of our comfort zone with this project, and we both were rewarded for it.

I don't think Miss R has ever really liked green. Blue is a dangerous options as well as it can be hit and miss. Yet, she loved the combination of these two colours and fabrics.

I used Artie Blue jersey from MaaiDesign and green merino/fleece bland from The Fabric Store to make this top. They say that blue and green shall not be seen, however I disagree. I find this combination in particular exceptionally bright and cheerful. Besides, both fabrics are so soft and cuddly, this top is just what one would want to wrap themselves into on a cold winter day.

Using knit fabric was the most obvious way to 'hack' the pattern to me. This move was inspired by Mie and Shelly. It is not unusual for them to sew garments designed for woven fabric using knits.

Using knit fabric allowed me to simplify the pattern a lot. In fact, I only used three pattern pieces - the front and the back bodice pieces and the sleeve. I omitted button up closure and simply cut front bodice piece using the centre line as a fold line. I think that by omitting the closure I highlighted the pleats on the shoulder seams. These pleats are such a beautiful detail. I replaced neckline facings with a binding. Simple an lazy? Well, yes and no.

This top was the first child's garment I made a muslin for before cutting into my good fabric. In fact, I made two muslins.

I made the first muslin using the original bodice and sleeve pattern pieces to see how the top would fit when sewn with knit fabric. I have never attempted this before and I was not too sure what to expect. When I checked the fit I decided to lengthen the top by 8 cm. I should mention that Miss R is 116 cm tall and I made size 4 top for her. The sleeves didn't really need any adjustments but seeing how fast Miss R is growing I decided to lengthen them by 2 cm just in case. I lowered the back of the neckline by about 2 cm also.

I was just about to cut into my good fabric when my inner voice suggested to make another muslin. So I did a quick check only using the front and the back adjusted pattern pieces. I am so glad I did as it turned out the top was not long enough and the neckline needed to be lowered more. In total I lengthened the top by 11 cm and lowered the back of the neckline by around 3 cm. Now I was happy with the fit all I needed to do was to calculate the length of the neck binding. Easy-peasy.

Miss R loves her new top, and I love seeing it on her. I keep on thinking I should make a warmer weather version of this 'hack'. I have made all the required adjustments and sewing another top would take next to no time at all. I am just worried Miss R might grow by another 5 cm before she can wear a summer version out and about. Oh, decisions, decisions!

The pattern is fantastic. Seriously. Gabriela considered every tiny thing designing it. There are markings and notches where they need to be to make the process smooth and enjoyable. This was the first time I tried a 'trim-less' PDF pattern. The pattern offers a number of views: a romper, a dress and a tunic. The size range is from 18/24 months to 12 years. I think my big girlie would enjoy twirling in a dress version of this pattern and I imagine my little one rocking a Top Knot romper... when she grows into the size range :)

So, what do you think about my hack? Would you like to see more inspiring versions of this pattern? Please visit other tour participants for more inspiration!

You can purchase The Top Knot romper/tunic/dress pattern HERE.  Gabriela is offering 20% off her patterns until the 1st of July with the code tkt20.

To top things off Gabriela organised a fantastic give-away with some rather exciting prizes! You can enter the give-away below.

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