Made by a Fabricista: Kimono and Jacket for Fall in Florida!

"I hope that my daughter grows up empowered and doesn't define herself by the way she looks but by qualities that make her an intelligent, strong and responsible woman."  Isaiah Mustafa

I am all about the palm trees and the 80 degrees. I am in love with Florida weather and would not trade it for the snow and frigid cold.  I have been lucky the last few years to be able to wear summer type clothing most of the year.  Even though it doesn't snow here, once in a while we get to dress up in sweaters and boots when the temperature drops to the low 40s.  Lucky for my daughter and I, we get to wear kimonos, light weight jackets and sweaters during the fall season.

My daughter fell in love with my pink kimono (here) and insisted that I make a mini size version.   She actually wanted a light weight rayon kimono and jacket made for her birthday.

She loves when we dress up in similar colors or matching prints.  On the first of the month, she is  carefully searching for fabric and planning our makes and looks.  Since we spend a lot of time hanging out, running errands or going to local events on the weekends, I opted to created a versatile, comfy look;  a kimono for her and a pencil skirt for me.

When I saw this amazing solid chocolate brown polyester spandex double rib knit  fabric (here), I was excited as I knew I wanted to make a fitted pencil dress and skirt.  My skirt was an easy sew using the Pamela's pattern knit column skirt pattern that I won (here).  I wanted to make something quick that I can wear casually or dress up.  My biggest pet peeve with sewing is matching the seams and of course, this was my first attempt working with this polyester fabric.  I opted to use my knit needle and a zig zag stitch.

Arielle loves the pineapple fabric that I ordered for me and begged that I create the kimono she wanted with it.  There are currently 3 selections available in different colors; burgundy (our favorite for Fall), black and navy as seen below. Go grab a couple of yards before it's sold out!!!

The pattern I selected was Simplicity 1108 VIEW C (here) as it was my second time creating this kimono.  I decided to modify to knee length for her and cut the XXS which is perfect for her sense of style, size and age.  She is excited to rock it with turtle neck sweaters when the temperature drops.  The only modification I made to the pattern was adding a yellow cuff sleeve (2 inches).  She wanted to add her own spunk and selected a piece of yellow fabric from my stash for this kimono, and pockets on the jacket. 

Second Look!! A Jacket (Pattern: Mimi G Simplicity 8227 )

This pattern has 3 views ( a dress, jacket and leggings) and I definitely will be making all 3.  My daughter fell in love with the look and feel of this amazing 100% cotton whimsical floral print (here) the minute she opened my package.

My daughter has been eyeing this pattern for sometime and wanted the right fabric that suites her taste.  She did not want a belt and wanted to use the remaining yellow fabric for the pockets.

I am a bit obsessed with matching prints and side seams.  I hate to see stripes, patterns that are misaligned on ready to wear garments.  I also try to ensure that when sewing with PRINTS, my side seams especially are aligned with the flow of the pattern not just the print.

I am happy with the finished look of the kimono and jacket.  My daughter truly loves the fact that her mommy sews her clothes and is always proud to let the world know my mommy made it.  I am pretty sure she will be rocking one of the looks next week at Thanksgiving dinner.

I am super excited to get started on our holiday looks for a family photo shoot and can't wait to share.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!!

Marica at OVERDRIVE after 30