HotPatterns Weekender Sunshine Top and Dress

I just got back from a family trip to Cabo, Mexico. It was wonderful, although it did have some stressful moments, as you do with small kids. In preparation, I made a couple of HotPatterns Weekender Sunshine Tops, and also made a dress version.

It's very easy and fun to make. And by easy, I mean I could probably cut out, interface and sew one of them during a decent naptime. How awesome is that? It did take me a couple tries to get it right.

The first time, I used an interlock knit, which was definitely not flowy enough to really work. Then, I had to figure out which neckline size to use so my other "girls" wouldn't be on display. I ended up using the size 10 neckline (and top of sleeve), a size 16 around the bust and for the back, and tapered the waist to a 14 just on the front, to take away some of the excess volume.

I'd watched the YouTube videos and saw that Trudi had made a dress as one of the variations and, knowing I'd want a comfortable, pretty dress for Mexico, decided to try it. I found a really cool black and white sequin trim at JoAnn's and went with a black poly knit for the fabric. It turned out really well.

I put in an elastic waistband to give me a bit of definition. I tried just using a zig-zag stitch to attach the elastic directly to the fabric, but it was a massive fail. So, I did a bit of a cheat and used a 1/2" bias trim as a casing for a 1/4" elastic. I cheated again, sewing the top of the casing, fitting the elastic closely to the top stitching, stitching the bottom of the casing, leaving a couple inches open, tightened and secured the elastic, then closing the casing all the way.

It's a really cute, comfortable, casually elegant dress. With some cute gladiator flat sandals (from Target), it was the perfect outfit for the trip.