Have you been sewing along with Kids’ Clothes Week? It’s a seasonal challenge to encourage us to set aside one hour a day for seven days - and use that time creating projects for the kiddos in our lives. Recent seasons have each had a suggested theme, but all projects are welcomed and celebrated. For me, it’s a nice way to try to stay focused - sometimes it seems like most weeks are Kids’ Clothes Week in my house, but sometimes my sewing is haphazard. Anyone else have a stack of neatly cut fabrics, ready to sew...and then forgotten about or cast aside for something else? (“Honey, the kids’ pajamas are in my office - but they’re not quite finished yet!”)

This season’s KCW theme is Wild Things, and goodness knows I’ve got a couple of those around here. The obvious choice would have been to sew for my little guy, but that’s almost too easy. ;) I’ve got a stenciled shirt on tap for him later this week with a tiger face he’s requested, but first up is Miss P. She’s a little less wild, but has her fair share of love for the animal kingdom. When she turned 3, her aunt and uncle took her to Build-a-Bear for the first time and she picked this sweet panda. Miss P named her panda Pickles and they’ve had many adventures together. It seemed fitting to go with a panda-inspired look for my girl, and the Katy Panda dress from Coles Creations was a perfect choice. The fact that there was a matching doll pattern sweetened the deal for Miss P - coordinating looks are always a hit with her. I sewed up the size 4 with no alterations, and it was a great fit for my tall, slim 5 year old. I often add length to patterns for her, but I didn’t need to in this case.

I wanted to do a black and white look, but P insisted we add some pink. So a black and white photo will have to suffice. ;)

(What’s black and white and black and white and black and white? A panda rolling down a hill. Ha!)

I mixed and matched a print with some solids, and thought the mint would look nice with the black, white, and pink. The pattern includes templates for a few other animals as well, or the dress can be sewn without any appliques. The curved bodice would be a great place to use a small piece of treasured fabric or even remnant-size pieces. It is a fantastic fit and a quick fun sew, and could be easily shortened to a tunic or top length also. Measurements for arm bands are included in case you don’t want to add the sleeve extension and just keep the shorter dolman-style sleeves, too. I’m a big fan of Coles Creations patterns, and the Katy Panda dress is no exception.

After-school photoshoots are rarely a great idea (some might say they tend toward panda-monium ;) ) but my girl was so excited about this look that she was willing to take some quick photos right away. She knows she can’t wear it to school until I’ve gotten photos done, so it was a good deal for both of us. Her doll got a matching look, and when I decided that Pickles should have a coordinating ensemble (after all, she was the inspiration for this project) I used the bear tee pattern from Pickle Toes Patterns. Only fitting, I’d say. (Her tutu is storebought.) Miss P was thrilled with the new outfits, and her stuffed buddies looked pretty pleased themselves.