procrastination project: field trip raglan tee

October 26, 2012October 27, 201211 Comments

sometimes (a lot of the time) i’m a terrible procrastinator. as i write this post, i should be finishing Em’s costume so I can move on to her flower girl dress. i should’ve also been making her costume when i sewed this raglan tee:

sometimes when you’re knee deep in pink fleece making a top/pant/hood/trunk combo, you just need a twenty minute break to sew something super easy, you know? this field trip raglan, which i had cut out during KCWC just in case i needed to deliver a death blow to my friend Rae over there (haha), was just the ticket.

it’s size 18-24 months, made with cream super soft organic bamboo jersey something-or-other that i found in the remnant bin at josephine’s dry goods, and a maroon men’s t-shirt i got at Target for $5.

i left the bottom hem raw, and used the existing neck ribbing and sleeve bindings. no hemming on this shirt, and it was all sewn on the serger except reinforcing the bottom side seams, quick quick quick. helped that i’ve already made it once before!

(his sister took a field trip to the fire station this week; he has commandeered the hat)

so yeah, nothing fancy or groundbreaking, but the boy needs some long sleeved shirts heading into fall, and quick/easy finishes make me very happy. i’m falling hard for this pattern; want to make more ASAP!!

okay i’d better go finish that darn pink elephant now…have a happy weekend!

vintage may inspiration: strong boy

May 10, 2012October 16, 201319 Comments

i had decided that for my “inspiration leading up to vintage may” projects this week, i wanted to make something for my daughter and something for my son. but the idea that i had for him, which nestled itself in my brain and would not budge, was an old timey striped swimsuit/strongman type outfit (like this). it seemed so impractical, but was so funny to me that i just couldn’t shake the thought! so i made it.

originally i thought it should be one piece with sleeves, which is completely out of the box of what i’d have him wear, but after consulting various sewing blog confidants (especially this jess), i decided to make it a two-piecer, remixing rae’s flashback skinny tee into a tank top and making my own shorts pattern. the band at the bottom creates the illusion that it’s a one-piece romper, but it’s not!

the outfit is totally ridiculous, and it cracks me up with his little belly. i think he’ll get a lot of use out of the tank this summer, and i’m sure he can wear the shorts as pajamas at very least. and by the way – 17 month olds are terrible models! he wanted the “boos” off of the glitter wand i had taped them to and would do no “lift the barbell above the head” type poses under any circumstances. he started running off almost as soon as i could set him in place. it was one of those situations where i took a bunch of photos and prayed a few turned out. ha!

anyway, here’s a quickie tutorial.

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STRONG BOY TANK TOP

to turn the flashback skinny tee into a tank, narrow the shoulder seams 3/4″ (on the 12-18 month size). if you’re adding a contrast band as a hem, shorten the length 1 1/2″. i should have scooped out the armhole a little more, it cuts into him a bit. next time.

sew the pattern per rae’s instructions, attaching the neck binding as directed (the fold-in-half-and-sew-to-the-right-side method). use that same method to attach a hem band (total width of your tee minus 1″, 4″ height, and then fold it in half to make a 2″ band), and arm hole bindings (cut 2″ wide, and about 1″ less than the armhole width).

i used a serger for the whole thing and it went super fast. done. i’ll probably tweak the armholes a bit and make more of these for summertime. oh and the binding is actually bright red, but i couldn’t help but do some vintage photo processing on these. when else but during vintage may, eh?

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STRONG BOY SHORTS

make a pattern using pajama or knit pants that fit your kid well. i wanted mine slim fitting but a little wider than the PJs he has. add plenty of room at the top waistband to cover the kid’s diaper if he/she wears one – the shorts look silly if you just hold them up, but it’s necessary.

create a front and a back. cut two of each.

sew the side seams of each leg, front to its corresponding back, right sides together. then sew the crotch seam. turn one leg right side out, place it inside the other leg, and sew around the inseam. serge the top, fold down to create your elastic casing, and sew (leaving an opening for the elastic). insert elastic to fit. hem the shorts (highly recommend using a walking foot and a stretch/zigzag stitch if you’re using jersey knit).

just a few more silly photos…

he read his book and now he’s tired.

if you make a strong boy (kid) outfit using this mini-tutorial, please add it to the vintage may flickr group! i’ve got a round up coming soon, so chop chop! 🙂

today jess over at CINO is talking about vintage notions! check out her post here.

KCWC spring 2012: day 2:: stripey sailboat top

April 25, 2012October 16, 201329 Comments

a couple of my goals this week are to sew for both my son and my daughter, and to use both new and familiar patterns. yesterday’s was for her and new, so this is for him and familiar. it’s also a good layering piece, since our springtimes tend to be sunny and 75 one day, and rainy and 50 the next. gotta layer up.

the pattern is the oliver + s sailboat top, in 2T (his 12-18 month one is getting too small, and the 18-24 month measurements didn’t look much bigger). i REALLY love this pattern. the fabric is a men’s sweater from old navy in kind of an interesting vintage-y sweatshirt knit material. it actually frays a bit, so i serged everything on the inside. i applied interfacing under the buttonholes as instructed, and otherwise just sewed it with a longer straight stitch, since it’s a loose-fitting top with a neck opening that doesn’t need to stretch. this top works really great with a heavier interlock type knit, IMHO.

after seeing jessica’s awesome yellow topstitching for her winning PR&P design this week, i decided to go nuts and add yellow topstitching and buttonholes, with minty green buttons. it’s not a color combo i’ve used before, but i LOVE it on him! it feels both neutral and fun.

the top is too big and the sleeves are way too long, but that’s what he grew out of first on his first sailboat top, so i left them. this kid grows really fast and the wide hems actually look pretty cute cuffed up, especially while he’s doing mischievous boyish things like trying to squeeze himself behind the fireplace screen…such a toddler now!

up tomorrow – a new pattern for her!

PR&P week 2: tiny timber

January 13, 2012October 16, 201320 Comments

thank you soooo much to everyone who voted for my sweet tartan dress last week on project run & play! this week’s theme is boy week! yay!

poor boys, they get the short end of the stick in the sewing world. i think it’s just so hard to make boy clothes “special,” you know? it’s easy to draft a flouncier, twirlier, rufflier dress, or use a fantastic print for girls, but boys…it seems that the closer you can come to making them look like adult quality clothes, the better the result. so that was my goal here, for the most part. i wanted to make an outfit that would be very true to where my little guy is growing up (the outdoorsy, woodsy pacific northwest), but i also wanted it to be very comfortable and “finished looking.” though i did throw in a little fun too. gotta have a wink! here’s my sketch (i decided against the fargo hat):

i started with the pants. i used the basic pocket pants from “growing up sew liberated” as my base (what a great book that is – i’d been dying to dive into it). i downsized them from the smallest size given (2T) to 12-18 month size, slimmed the leg width, added a full flannel lining, lowered the front rise, changed the curved front pockets to slant, did a flat front waistband (with gathered elastic back), added button loops, faux back pockets, and did lots of topstitching to mimic a fly and flat felled seams. phew! it took a while!! i needed to use a montage on my PR&P post, but here are a couple better photos of the details…

i knew i wanted to leave the pants long enough to cuff them up to show the lining. oh man, i’m so jealous of him wearing these! the lining really is like wearing pajamas, it’s some of the softest flannel i’ve ever felt. i like the “traditional” red and black lumberjack plaid, too (this is the last of the plaid! i realize i did it last week too but i just couldn’t resist).

for his sweater, i’m a big fan of the shawl collar. i love it on men, and i thought it’d be really cute on a 13 month old boy. i washed and dried my husband’s old sweater to felt it, and it sewed up just fine! it’s 100% merino wool. i kept the existing hems on the sweater, and drafted my own pattern. it was fun figuring out how to make the shawl collar, though. the shape is a big football, pretty much, then it’s folded in half and the raw edge is attached, overlapping the ends. the leather button helps keep it down. i also appliquéd little oval microsuede elbow patches to the sweater (find my elbow patch tutorial for elsie marley here).

after that, i had a good basic outfit but i thought it needed a little something extra. so to complete the look, i made a flannel scarf (it’s a big rectangle that i sewed together and turned, topstitched, then added a big buttonhole in one side to pass the other end through), and a little felt coffee cup! i contemplated many felt portland-y accessories (a hatchet? log? fixie bike?) but figured that with all the coffee i drink to keep myself going after late sewing nights, a coffee cup was the most appropriate and recognizable. however, he didn’t want much to do with it! he kept throwing it. he must prefer stumptown coffee to starbucks…

so here’s the part where you go vote, if you haven’t yet. if you like my Tiny Timber boy look and want to see more from me, head over to project run & play to vote here! the voting was really tight last week, so every last one counts. thanks so much!!

that’s right, he’s pointing at YOU! go vote! 🙂

**Voting is now closed**

homemade halloween 2011: winnie the pooh

October 31, 2011October 16, 201311 Comments

happy halloween!

i don’t know if i’ve written too much here about the personality of my little guy. we got pretty lucky. he is mellow, almost always happy, rarely cries, and even his “stranger anxiety” consists of simply suspiciously eyeing the stranger, larry david style (versus his sister, who would burst into tears at even the most loving of great aunts). when i read him books, he laughs. he claps when i sing him songs. he’s a joy, and just slightly dopey at times (he usually has a red mark on his forehead from bumping into things). put simply, he’s a tubby little cub all stuffed with fluff.

we were brainstorming his costume this year and throwing out much “cooler” ideas but then thought of winnie the pooh, and it had to be. he’s sweet, he’s got a little belly, he’s winnie the pooh!

you’ve already seen his sailboat pants. i actually made them expecting this to be his costume. the project i tried to get to but never completed for KCWC was his hood, in matching honey-colored corduroy (it’s the oliver + s cozy winter hood from “little things to sew,” lined with joel dewberry woodgrain just like the pants). instead of ribbon, i made a thicker strap of corduroy and attached it with a button.

his undershirt is from old navy, but i couldn’t find a plain short sleeved red shirt, so i decided to make one. it’s the raw-edged raglan from “sewing for boys,” but nothing is raw edged! i sewed it right sides together at the shoulder seams and used a XXL men’s t-shirt (again from old navy, actually about half the price of his undershirt), so i could utilize the finished sleeves and hem. i also double folded the neck binding…so yeah…nothing is raw! also, the pattern starts at 2T, so i shortened the length and sleeves before cutting.

on a last-minute whim, i also made him some coordinating shoes. they’re the cameron baby sneakers from i think sew. i actually had a little trouble with them, but i’m not sure if it’s because i was sewing late at night at the end of lots of projects, or because i decided to use suede from a long-ago thrifted jacket for the soles, but they turned out pretty cute in the end.

since he’s not walking yet, here’s a better view of the shoes. they’re also lined with woodgrain, of course.

and now, winnie and angelina together! i think the fact that he is a pleasant baby really helped ease the transition from one kid to two. his big sister adores him. huge sigh of relief!