Alyssa here, with some only slightly awkward pics and a pattern review of the Modkid Kyoko and Modkid Kyoko Misses. And for a bit of extra fun, I made both out of some adorable Riley Blake Knit Anchors.
Let's start with the Modkid Kyoko Misses pattern and the details:
• Sizes XS - XXL
• Shirt, Tunic or Dress Lengths
• Long, 3/4 or Short Sleeves
• Various neckband finishing options
• Optional Obi
• Knit or Woven
I chose: a knit short sleeved shirt with a neckband. When making the knit version, you may want to go down a size, because you'll have the stretch from the knit, that you wouldn't have with woven fabrics. My bust is actually outside range of the XXL (44"), so I went with the XXL and I really like the fit. It's not too tight where I feel uncomfortable, nor is it so baggy that I feel like I'm wearing a sack, which often happens with clothes at my size!
For my shirt I used the Riley Blake Multi Anchors. I found the fabric chart to be spot on for the size I made. I ordered a little extra to account for shrinking, easily had enough fabric to make my shirt, without having a bunch of extra left over. I did manage to eek out a strip for a head band for myself using the Whimsical Wraps Tutorial, though!
The pattern has elastic measurements in it, and instructions to customize the elastic to fit you exactly as well. I used the pattern measurements and found them to work well on me. I REALLY love the length of the shirt. The shirt has a nice a-line shape to it, that makes my hips look smaller and the length covers problem areas well (I think, at least?).
The pattern includes all pieces needed for bodice, sleeves, skirt, neckband, and obi. Since it is a paper pattern, the pattern pieces come nicely folded up with the pretty instruction booklet.
From cutting pattern pieces to trying on, this shirt took me about 2 hours to make (including breaks to make sandwiches for Connor, dance to our favorite songs, and solve random three-year-old-earth-shattering-emergencies), which I think is fantastic.
Now, let's move on to little miss in her Kyoko. Unlike the Misses version, the girl's Kyoko isn't written for knits, so I made a few minor changes as I went to make it work better for knits.
First, let's start with the details:
• Sizes 2T - 7
• Dress or Shirt Length
• Short or Long Sleeves
• Lined or unlined bodice
• Optional Obi
Since I made mine out of knit, I went with the lined bodice, because that was the easiest to modify for knits. For my bodice I used Riley Blake Anchors in Navy Blue. Follow the instructions up to step 3, and then take your bodice main and bodice lining and lay them right sides together and sew the neckline.
Then turn right side out and press well.
Now continue following the instructions for figure 9 of step 5 to do the crossover of the bodice. You can do the sleeves as written, but since you have a lined bodice, you can do the sides lined as well, which is what I did, by sewing the side lining seams, and then the side main seams, making them enclosed.
This means you will have to sew your sleeves in the round, so take your sleeves and sew the side seam of the sleeve. And then hem your sleeve 1/2" at the bottom.
Now take your sleeve and turn it right side out and put it inside your inside-out bodice (so right sides are facing) and sew the sleeve into the bodice. Note that the sleeves have a FRONT and and a BACK, so make sure you get them in the correct side. Then just sew the sleeve into the armhole.
From here on out, the instructions are pretty much the same, except I just hemmed the bottom of the skirt up 1/2" instead of using bias binding. For my skirt I used Riley Blake Anchors in Red and Red Half Inch Stripe alternating for the six paneled stripwork skirt.
I did consider leaving the Obi off of Inara's dress, but the dress is meant to be loose fitting, so if you don't want to do an Obi, then you'll want to consider sizing down TWO sizes from your child's standard size when doing knits, but remember to account for height OR doing an elastic strip like on the women's version to pull in the waistline of the dress. Inara is a standard size 8, and I sized down to a 7 for the knit change for this dress. This gives her a roomy dress, without it being too baggy on her, but without the sash it is definitely baggy (as it is intended to be).
The Obi is really fast to sew and I think the ribbon detail gives you a chance to add a cute pop of color as well. The pattern calls for 7/8" ribbon, but I used 3 pieces of 3/16" ribbon on each side to give it a little bit of flair.
If you couldn't tell, little miss is totally thrilled with her dress. She refused to take it off even after pictures! From start to finish this dress took about 2 1/2 hours to make. There are pattern pieces for the bodice, sleeves and obi. The pattern includes a chart with measurements for the strip-work skirt pieces. Oddly though, the kids version pieces were like paper, and the misses were more like tissue paper, not a complaint, just something to note.
The instructions for both the Misses and Kids versions were clearly written and easy to follow. The instruction booklets that came with both patterns were very clear and in depth. I've already planned out my next Kyoko and I know Inara wants another one too, so these are definitely a hit in this house. I'm really impressed at how easily the girl's version was adapted to knits and how lovely the fit is with the lined bodice and a knit obi.
What Whimsical Fabric do you think we should make our next Mommy and Me matching set out of???
Pick up the Modkid Kyoko Patterns at 30% off. Hurry though because this sale is today only!
Happy creating!
Alyssa Carrion
www.whimsicalfabric.com
