Ch-Ch-Changes

Ch-Ch-Changes... is the theme for Sewing By Ti's may blog tour. It was originally going to be called "Transitions" but that wasn't quite as catchy.

Transitions or changes is quite a broad theme. There are so many directions this one can go, and I think you will see a wide range of sewing ideas and inspiration during this blog tour. I'm focusing on sewing for my oldest daughter, as sewing for her has changed over the years. In fact, you could say that we are in a true transition stage as she is now a tween, the age in between a child and a teenager.

Yes, a tween, how did this happen? I can't be old enough to be the parent of a tween, can I?

In fact, when she recently told me she was a tween, I didn't believe her. She is nine years old, and I thought the tween years didn't start until ten. I even turned to google to prove her wrong. However, the first answer that popped up called the tween years between 8-12. This wasn't the first time google sided with Kylie instead of me.

Here is what popped up when I googled:

There seems to be a lot of different definitions and age discrepancies for the tween years, but according to this definition pictured, I actually have TWO tweenagers. Our second oldest is eight years old, and I just don't see her in this category yet. But no matter which definition you choose, there is no denying the tween years will be here in full force soon enough.

The thing about Kylie, my nine year old, is that she still marches to the beat of her own drum. She is very opinionated, loves fashion, but doesn't follow trends or fashion rules. I can't speak of all tweens in my blog post today, just my daughter.

As an example, unlike many of her friends her own age, she doesn't like leggings. She in fact, hates them. Some of her friends will only wear leggings according to Kylie. But not Kylie. I've made her and bought her many pairs that she refuses to wear. Thankfully, her sister Eve was happy to take them off her hands... errr legs?

Things she likes in fashion: the color blue, anything with texture, dresses, small details, jeans, science or dog themed shirts, anything unique...

When I decided I would sew for her for this blog tour, I knew I needed to make her a Daphne by Made for Mermaids. She begged me for one when I recently sewed her sister a dress from that pattern, which I blogged about here.

I chose some dotted chambray from Cali Fabrics, knowing she would like the texture.

Pattern: Daphne by Made for Mermaids (affiliate link)

Fabric: Dotted Chambray from Cali Fabrics

The verdict? She was so happy to see the dress! The first thing she said was "Wow, I just love old fashioned fabric! And the dress is so pretty!"

Old fashioned? I don't know why, but that made me laugh. I guess it has a classic feel to it.

It turns out, however, that she doesn't like wearing the dress off the shoulders the way the pattern is intended. It surprised me because she loved that about her sister's dress. She just didn't like the feel of it. I tightened the elastic to make it easier to wear around her neck like a peasant dress, and she is very happy with it.

Besides the change to the neckline (i.e. tightening the elastic), the only thing I adjusted was blending the height for her chest size. Her chest size is technically a size 5 according to the size chart, and her height is a size 10. I know from experience that it's best if I don't blend the sizes as drastically, so I went with a size 6 for width of the pattern and size 10 for length. The armscye, ruffle height, and dress length are all adjusted to the length of the size 10, but everything else is a size 6. The fit turned out great. No other adjustments were made.

There are some evidences of this transitional age period in our photoshoot.

Young enough to love ruffles. She tells me she likes ruffles, which she is happy about in the dress. I'm not sure if she will ever be too old to like ruffles. Who knows? I was just surprised it's something she likes at her age.

Old enough to wear wedges (with a bigger heel than I ever wear, I might add.)

Young enough to want to stop and pick the clover flowers.

Old enough to have dyed hair. She has had this blue streak in her hair for months now. It's just now starting to fade, but it's still pretty.

She's obviously growing up, but still enjoying childhood, as she should. There are some days when her attitude reminds me that she is approaching the teenage years, but overall she is the sweetest person you could ever meet. She cares deeply about others, has a passion for learning, and is a creative soul. I hope those things remain constant in her life as she continues growing up.

Here's to the tween years! May they be as fun as all of the other years have been so far.

To see how other sewing bloggers have interpreted this theme, check out the rest of the tour here (links will not be live until the scheduled date):

Sunday, May 1st- Sewing By Ti, Tenille's Thread

Monday, May 8- Sewing By Ti
May 9th- Sewing By Ti
May 10th- Sewing By Ti
May 11th- Lilliepawillie
May 12th- Sewing By Ti

Monday, May 15th- Anne Mari Sews
May 16th- Mahlica Designs
May 17th- Ma Moose
May 18th- The Fairy Dust Bin
May 19th- Harper + Lu

Monday, May 22nd- Margarita on the Ross
May 23rd- Very Blissful
May 24th- Creative Counselor
May 25th- Doodle Number 5
May 26th- Ade Says

Sunday, May 28th- Sew Like a Sloth
May 29th- Anne Mari Sews
May 30th- Stitching and Making