Elsie Marley Knock-Off

I have been trying harder to keep up with the routine of KCWC this time around. Sometimes, it depends upon inspiration -- whether or not you get something done. Well, when I saw Meg's post of her daughter in this hip outfit on Elsie Marley, I swooned. I absolutely loved it. And...wanted it.

At first, I thought, I'll just do the leggings, since I already have flowery knit fabric. But then I realized I had some brownish linen in my stash too. I kept eyeballing the pics on Meg's blog. Then I just went for it.

the leggings:
For the pattern, I used some leggings that fit my daughter well. Then I used this blue knit I had from Girl Charlee. I thought (eh-hem) I had enough, one of the legs is pieced together, mostly on the back in about 5-6 pieces. But it works. I also have been too lazy pressed for time to figure out the double-needle I bought way back when, so I just eye-balled the hems.

the tunic/dress: 

I like challenges. I think I have said this before, but I am over-confident with my sewing skills. I still consider myself a novice/beginner and everything I sew is a learning experience. But, as I said, I REALLY liked Meg's work on the Simplicity 7241,  so I thought I'd give it a try. And I tried really hard. Want to know what I messed up on did differently?

For one, the clever little back pocket covers up the gooned-up job I did on the bottom of the zipper.

The sleeves are also too long/tight. Need to chop those.

And the neck gapes open a wee bit. And you might not realize it by looking at these pictures, but the skirt portion flares like a bell. Need to fix that too.

Oh please, last picture, I promise.

But I really do love the outfit. It was my first time sewing anything with linen, and I enjoyed it immensely. (I also think it was one of the few times I've created something from a solid color. Huh.) Anyway, it was a fun experiment. My daughter wore this outfit to playgroup this morning and I think she looked pretty cute. And, as stated before, when inspiration strikes (thanks, Meg!) ya gotta just go for it.

*** UPDATE: The new and improved tunic is HERE.