Today is a big day!
It's the first day of the Bond Top Pattern Tour... 
And, the first day of KCW...
And I am super excited for both!
When Stacey asked me to be a part of the Bond Top pattern tour I signed up immediately! I love the style, design and the mixing of knit and woven fabrics!
I also love that it's a pattern for boys!
At first, I thought that I would be making one just for Henry, but then with my recent string of bad luck with him even putting on the clothes I make, I thought I ought to make one for Violet too...and, as I was sewing hers up...inspiration struck... 
A Bond Top and a Bond Top Dress! I let her try the shirt on first, and then asked her if she would rather a shirt or a dress, the answer was an affirmative "Dress!" And so, while she was sleeping, I added a simple circle skirt (using Dana's tutorial) to the bottom of her Bond Top.
The skirt itself, was 10" long, with a 1/2" hem (sewn with a double needle). I made the skirt and hemmed it first and then added it to the bottom of the Bond Top with a 1/4" seam allowance. Violet's waist measured 23" and with the 2" addition that Dana calls for in her tutorial the bottom of the top and the top of the skirt fit almost perfectly. The skirt was a little bit wider, but I added a couple small gathers to accommodate that.
The dress has a fun drop waist, and of course, since it's a circle skirt, it's got plenty of twirl! 
I'm not sure it's necessary to say, but...She LOVES it!
And Henry, despite his threats of "I don't like that shirt", actually put his on! Along with jeans, briefly, and some other accessories... 
He looks so handsome! And, he promises that he will wear it again. We shall see!
Anywho, the pattern...I really do love this pattern! I love the fact that Stacey mixes wovens and knits together as a compromise for those children who would rather stay in their jammies all day long...
MINE! 
The pictures and instructions are easy to follow, with lots of helpful tips. There are only six pattern pieces. And, because of it's Henley style (read, not a ton of buttons!) it comes together fairly quickly. 
I will admit that I had some difficulty with the placket, though for the first placket it was most definitely due to "user error"...I accidentally cut straight through the back flap of my placket when I was cutting down the center! ACK! And, being a little lazy, I made due with my mistake rather than picking seams and starting all over again. For the second one, I may have forgotten to read the instructions...oops!
None the less, both shirts came together wonderfully! 
The fabric...for Violet is WIDEscreen by Carolyn Friedlander and Fox Family (this seems to be popping up everywhere!) and for Henry is Free as a Bird by Cloud9 and two sided red cotton (this stuff is heavenly soft and amazing!).
I am so happy with the way both of these turned out...and the kids both seem to really like them, bonus! And, I've got some pretty fabulously silly pictures of them too...because for some reason they were in a crazy mood come photo time...I blame it on being Friday afternoon! 
Thanks so much to Stacey for letting me join the pattern tour!
In honor of the pattern tour and Kids Clothes Week, Beatnik Kids will be having a sale on the Bond Top pattern, simply use the code BONDTOP at checkout to receive 2 dollars off the original $8 price.
Also, don't forget to stop by to see what Olga made today for the tour!
Happy making!
