The idea for Knock it Off Tour was vaguely inspired by the Thea dress pattern by (the now closed) BLAVERRY when, nearly simultaneously, I ran across a fairly similar dress on Target’s website and Deb saw a similar dress in a H&M store window.
(It’s also not a new idea – ‘knock off’ or ready-to-wear inspired sewing projects have been around since time immemorial – but the idea for us to do the tour was inspired by that pattern).
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This is the actual Thea pattern promo pic:
The dresses we found:
Couldn’t find the exact dress Deb took a picture of on H&M’s website, but found a similar one here.
And the version of the Thea pattern that I made during testing:
It’s sad that BLAVERRY closed the shop last Fall because it is such a nice design, and I haven’t been able to find a similar girl’s pattern yet! My daughter loves her dress and calls it her Princess in Black* dress.
Psst! Want to see more pretty Thea’s? Check these links out: Sprouting JubeJube, MCB Creations, and SewSophieLynn
And so we present to you the Knock if Off Tour.
Looks inspired by ready-to-wear outfits sewn by some of the super hero moms out there. The moms who manage to sew an outfit (or two) for their kids or themselves, and still manage to get the kids dressed and fed in the morning.
We have a fun tour for you this week. 15 bloggers will be sharing what they’ve sewn. See the full list of stops just after the sneak peeks at the looks being shared today just below. Deb and I will also be sharing some cute outfits and showing what patterns can be used to reproduce the look, just in case you happen to like the outfits as much we do! (See the bottom of the post for some links to women’s Thea lookalikes!)
Here are today’s bloggers:
First up, Karly of Paisley Roots
Next is Essence of Adventures with Bubba and Bug
and finally Ajaire of Call Ajaire
The full list of tour stops:
Monday, April 24
Lulu & Celeste (you’re here!) – Call Ajaire – Paisley Roots – Adventures with Bubba and Bug
Tuesday, April 25
Sprouting JubeJube – mahlicadesigns – Sew and Tell Project
Wednesday, April 26
Lulu & Celeste – SewSophieLynn – Nini and Ash – Little Heart Threads
Thursday, April 27
Sprouting JubeJube – sewingbyti – Inspinration – House of Estrela
Friday, April 28
Lulu & Celeste – Duchess & Hare – Creative Counselor – FAM
Were you hoping I’d have suggestions for other PDF patterns that are similar to the Thea?
Me too! I didn’t think it would be so hard, but apparently there aren’t any knit dresses with box pleat skirts for girls. Or at least none that I could find easily. I did however find a couple tutorials to make a women’s dress similar, and one women’s pattern that looked similar from the waist up (ie no box pleats).
Merrick’s Art: Pleated Fit and Flare dress (free tutorial)
It’s Always Autumn: Perfect knit Fit and Flare dress (free tutorial) (this one explains how to do the pleats better)
And in case you want to use a pattern for the bodice and then follow one of the tutorials to make the skirt, there’s the Sew Caroline Out and About dress. Or use the bodice of another knit dress or top if you prefer.
But if you’re on the hunt for a pattern like the Thea that gives you the measurements needed to do the pleats for each size, I’m sorry I couldn’t find one yet. If you know of one let me know in the comments!
