Tickle Me Pink Ruffle Tank and Shorts

I took a short hiatus from sewing for my daughter and I missed it more than I thought I would! There are just so many more possibilities when it comes to girl clothes and I missed the creativity of mixing and matching patterns and notions to make a completely cute outfit! So the last few days have remained gloomy here with on and off again rain but that just made me want to put together a fun and completely weather-defying outfit that would brighten our days while we were stuck indoors.

I had cleaned out my daughter's closet the last couple of weeks- yeah, it took that long- and realized she didn't have very many shorts for the upcoming summer. So I figured I could make her a few more but make them in a style that reflects her personality so that she'd actually wear it (unlike those poor paper bag shorts here.!) And these ruffle shorts were what happened. Part skirt, part short, all cute and colorful. Then, of course, if you make a pair of shorts this cute, you gotta make a top to go with it. My daughter has one tank in her entire wardrobe- unbelievable, I know- so I made her one in pink seersucker because I knew she wouldn't wear the sea green shorts unless it was paired with pink.

And I embellished as much as I dared but trying to stay practical as well. These clothes will be worn and washed, hopefully through next summer as well, so I didn't want to put so much stuff on it that it would start falling off bit by bit through each turn in the dryer. I'm already worried about the buttons even though I know I sewed them on very well!

You notice how my model looks so cooperative today? It's because I bribed her with M&Ms. Her face, before the bribe, was priceless. Even at four years old, this girl has got the "Mom, why are you doing this to me?" look down perfectly. And the groan and the sigh that usually comes after the look is just indicative of what a wonderful teenager she'll be some day. What works as a bribe for a teenager that won't cost me an arm and a leg??? I predict that M&Ms won't always cut it. 

Doesn't it look like a peplum tank? I love that the pieces are separate and she can mix and match the shorts with whatever she likes and she certainly does like to change about three times a day!

I love ric rac and fabric rosettes. Throw in two of my favorite fabric textures, stripes and polka dots,  and it just can't get any cuter. The polka dot fabric was also used in this outfit here and that was also a favorite outfit for my daughter and me. I have maybe a quarter yard left of it and I'm looking forward to what else I can add it to because it just adds an element of unexpected fun.

This was such a fun outfit to sew and I think she's pretty darn happy with it too. She even told me that if I add some fabric flowers to the paper bag shorts then she'd wear them too. Uh-mazing what power those fabric rosettes hold, huh?! Well, if that's all it takes to make her pull those other shorts on, I guess I'd better get to it! Thanks for stopping by today!

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