[VIVmade]

I just made up the After School top for my 2.5 year old son in 3T–love the pattern paper and how instructions are so detailed btw. I can barely get it over his head with both buttons in the front and the back opened up! I’m pretty sure I made it up properly b/c it looks just like the picture and the only change I made was to add length to the torso. Is it b/c the pattern was designed for girls (I dunno if toddler girls have smaller heads :p) or did anyone else have a similar problem? The 3T size was perfect for his shoulders and arms.

[Jess M.]

Hmm, that’s weird. I recently made this for my daugther and it was huge on her with the button sections opened. I honestly could’ve made it a size smaller and it would’ve been fine.

Maybe double check your tracings (or however you do your pattern pieces) with the original to verify you traced the right size?

I’m constantly posting here about neck opening fit issues with my daughter.

[meleliza]

I haven’t tried this pattern yet, but have the found the necks of playdate and ice cream to be small for my daughter. She has an enourmous head (as only I can know, heehee) and I have adjusted those patterns to accommodate. Here’s how I altered the ice cream dress: http://queenoftheflies.blogspot.com/2011/09/back-to-school-big-heads-printable-and.html. Just glancing at the pattern, I think you may be able to do this even after the fact with just a little unpicking. You could cut the slit and finish it either with a facing as I did or with some bias. HTH

[VIVmade]

Thanks for the advice and comments. This was my first time with the pattern so I will make another one to make sure I had traced the pattern size correctly as suggested. Enjoyed your blog entry and helpful idea as well meleliza. Now that I think about it, his winter hats are sized for 4-5 year-olds, although I never thought his head was extra big or anything (that’s through mom-coloured eyes) haha

[meleliza]

I don’t know where they get hat and mitten or shoe sizes. My oldest son always wore hats for like grown up kids his head was so huge! And his feet – nearly as big as mine and he’s only 6.

And, I recently traced off the facing of a sunday brunch jacket completely wrong and didn’t realize until I tried to attach it. The lines of the 24month size ovlapped with the 2t size in just such a way that it was easy to confuse them. Just those two sizes and just that piece. Was a pain to remake the entire facing with bound edges too! But my fault, really.

[VIVmade]

I re-made the top but moved the chest seam down 3/4 inch on the front and the back. Worked really well–easy to get over my son’s head but still kept with the pattern’s lovely design elements. I put 3 buttons on this time but I think it would look equally nice with 2 buttons, which will be more spaced apart than in the original design. I also added piping and made the facing in a contrast fabric which made the construction more straight-forward as you can identify the facing versus the fabric yoke easily. Here’s a photo of the finished top if you follow the link below. Happy sewing everyone! Wish there were more boy patterns 🙁

http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.320151165.jpg