Sewing (an outfit) for Kindergarten

This adorable girl is going to Kindergarten in a few days. In my culture it is actually what we call pre-school. Kids can attend pre-school up to three years before they go to primary school but some attend just one pre-school year right before primary school. 

When Mie from Sewing Like Mad (a great blogging friend) invited me for this series I was thrilled! So here I am today as part of the Sewing for Kindergarten 2014 edition! Along with my other blogging friend Monica from Adirondack Inspired who is also blogging for this fun series today on her blog! (Check the full blogging schedule at the end of this post.)
Mie asked some questions on the subject, so let's start with those and then we'll talk about the outfit (or outfits, actually) shall we? ;)

Is this your first time sending a child to Kindergarten? If not, what child number is this?
No. In fact she has already been at a day care and at pre-school for a few years - back in the days I had a job - until last summer, so going to a school won't be that new to her. Still, it will take some adaptation because she is going to a different school now (since we moved to another city one year ago) with a new teacher and new kids.

Do you feel like crying or celebrating? And what about your child?
I feel like crying... :) I stayed at home this last school year with her and it was so so good... She used to be a very difficult child - making tantrums all.the.time - before that... but she has calmed down since she is at home with me. So I am sad I won't be spending so much time with her (although I will appreciate all the quietness I am getting for a few daily hours now. ;) ) and I have to confess I am expectant to see if this is going to affect her behavior again or not...
She is excited because she knows she will be at a big school just like her older brother. (oh sibling rivalry... lol) But a few weeks ago we were talking about she being back to school and she was all happy but at some point she just said "okay, I am glad I am going to a big school but can we talk about this later?..." :) Hummm... okay, so she sounded not so excited right? Let's see how it goes in 10 days from now... (Is it really T minus 10 days now?... oh my, I think I am going to cry now...)

What type of school (public, private, homeschool) will your child attend?
She will be attending a public school. Public schools around here are very good.

What was your first day of school like?
I don't remember my first day of pre-school or kindergarten but I do remember my first day of primary school - which was in fact my first day at a big real school. My mom took me there and she said goodbyes about three meters away from my class room door. I remember vividly thinking, while walking towards the door, "I am not going to be a crying baby... I am not going to cry... I am not... going... to..." and I started to sob. LOL :) The rest of the school day was great! I remember the desks were on a "U" shape in the classroom and I instantly made good friends (I was a really extroverted kid, very friendly and chatty). Oh, and I fell in love with my teacher from day one. She was an amazing teacher and a sweet person. So I was good. :) 

If you got this far, you rock! :)

Now, to the outfit.

This lady is very sassy and energetic - she has never-ending batteries... Seriously! So I knew I had to make something practical. I obviously thought about pants + knit top. 
I ended up making a cardigan too because although it is still Summer around here and we are having some very hot days, these alternate with some chilly slightly overcast days - feeling almost like Fall already...

Cardigan: The Aster cardigan, pattern by LBG studio for Willow & Co.
I made a modified version of this pattern since the original one has an adorable collar and closes at the front with three buttons. I always love to make something different from the original pattern so I have opted to make it with a ties closure instead. I kept the 3/4 length sleeves - I think it  makes it even more adorable.

I used this thick structured striped knit that I found on a remnant bin at my local fabric shop a month ago. I don't know its name in english. It is a stretchy knit that feels almost like neoprene but is less stiff and more soft to the touch, and I think it worked wonderfully for this pattern.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram know I had to make a choice for the bias tape on the ties. For those of you who don't (you should ;) ) you can see the other options I had on the table here.

T-shirt: The Mae tunic, free (!) pattern from Straight Stitch designs.

I made this tee a couple of months ago. Kimberly asked for a couple of testers for this free pattern and I immediately offered my time. I was impressed that she was so determined to test this pattern even though it was going to be offered for free, so I was instantly motivated to test it. And I have to say that although it is free it is so well designed as paid patterns.
This knit tunic is very flowy, and have a tail hem and also a lovely pleated detail on the back. The instructions for the pleating are very clear so this tee is very easy to make.

Skinny pants: The Kudzu Cargos pants and shorts pattern, by the Charming Doodle for Willow & Co. 

Again, I modified the original pattern. A lot. I love it the way it is but I wanted to make some simple skinny pants to this little lady, so I didn't make any of the pockets and I jumped the super cool diagonal seam. I think I did the most possible girly girl version of the Kudzu cargos up to date. :)

I used three different fabrics: some pink stretchy poly cotton (again, I don't know how it is called), a floral printed stretchy twill (by the time I started to make these Kudzus, a few months ago, I was playing with floral yokes on several pants I made like the Serendipity ones) and a simple white rib knit for the back.

This pattern has two optional lengths (pants or shorts) and two different widths (straight or skinny), several pockets (kids love those! the more the merrier, right?), a mock fly and a (brilliant) rib waistband with a woven front, both making these pants to be super quick and easy to dress up.

So, this was the outfit I planned for this Kindergarten girl. 
Her plans are a bit different though... :) When we were talking about this outfit she said she already had chosen what to dress for school. She went for it and this is what she has in mind. A knit top (okay that's super) and a... skirt. What else, right?

What did I had in mind when I thought about making pants? What is that a little girl wants to dress all.the.time? A skirt. Or a dress. Anything with the twirling factor. That excludes pants, obviously. Silly me.

I'll be showing more of this other handmade outfit and share all the details, along with a list of must-have patterns for your Kindergarten or School kid's wardrobe, on another post sometime soon just in case you are interested. :)

Make sure to have a look at all these amazing outfits sewn for Kindergarten!