lounging

Lately, I've found that big projects benefit from a break here and there. So, I trace off patterns that are next in my queue, cut some things out or even stitch them up if it doesn't mean too many thread changes. Last weekend, I banged out pj bottoms for P from the Sleepover pattern.

I haven't sewn pjs for the kids before, though so many people like this project. My boys go through pajamas faster than just about any other kinds of clothes. It hasn't seemed like a good use of my precious sewing time to make something that will get quickly destroyed. However, it's become difficult to keep my oldest in pajamas because the crazy laws in the US regarding children's sleepwear.

So I took the plunge. After all, few things are easier than a simple pair of elastic waisted pants. If he likes them and they don't wear out immediately, it would be a good use of my time. I had some cheap shirting in my stash from some Joann sale that I would probably never use for anything else. I drafted P a 10slim by cutting 10 at the waist and length, but 8 at the hips. He's 53" tall right now after a recent growth spurt, but it turned out the 10 was still way too long. I cut off the cuffs and turned up a quick and dirty hem. If they last long enough to need extra length, I'll add cuffs later.

He has worn them to bed once or twice and you can see they also work perfectly for playing angry birds on the iPad. He also chose some shirting when we were at Joann for another pair.  I want a shirt too, Mom! Sheesh, my bad.

halloween

 This was the first year my boys have been interested in Halloween. They were scared of costumes in the past or something and who really wants to force a little kid to eat tons of candy? But last year, dad took them trick or treating and they had so very much fun that they finally realized that Halloween is (duh!) pretty cool. This year, I made sure they got costume requests in early. 

Though I was exhausted after K’s birthday bash, I couldn’t let that stop my boys from properly observing one of the high holidays of childhood. While I left the actual sewing to the last minute, I had a plan for the costumes and had sourced almost all of the materials already. Putting them together wasn’t hard at all. I highly recommend this superhero cape pattern and the free matching downloadable applique patterns.

It was surprisingly fun sewing for the boys. I don’t get to do it much. I suppose that sounds more like a personal choice, but it’s just not practical. They are also so hard on their clothes! Why spend the time making khaki cargo pants that I can make neither as nicely as Lands End or as affordably when they’ll just tear out the knees in no time? But costumes I can do far better than most junk out there and the boys loved them! My oldest kept saying “oh, thank you, Mom!” and “I love it, Mom!” and “you do really nice work, Mom!” Can you imagine? Melt. 

Then I volunteered to go read a spooky story to my son’s kindergarten class and suddenly Catherine needed a costume too! There was some green sateen in the queue for a play dress and some yellow wool felt left from another project.  I made a Music Box Jumper on Saturday, finishing everything with the machine to save time. It is a play dress, after all, so it doesn’t need any fine finishes. 

This pattern will clearly become a winter wardrobe staple. There are just four simple pattern pieces (plus flaps) so you can trace and cut quickly. The construction is traditional, so you don’t have to pause to figure out any unfamiliar techniques. It would be easy to add pockets and I would like to experiment with fewer buttons at the back. There are a lot of possibilities – piping would be nice, as would some ribbon or embroidery. In corduroy or wool, it would add nice warmth to winter layers. In velveteen or voile it could even look fancy. And of course it looks great as is, but I’m a sucker for an inverted pleat.

 Sunday, I tackled the costume part. At first, I planned asort of petal necklace but then thought it would be nicer if the petals framed her sunny face. I considered wire or interfacing and then copied this very helpfulproject on the purl bee, opting for a hood instead of a headband. I used McCalls 4478 for the bonnet in scraps from the jumper and lined it with cotton flannel for warmth. Then I topstitched two rows of petals to it by machine. It was a little fiddly, but it ultimately saved me time. I tacked the petals together halfway up to help them stand up. 

I’m pretty pleased with the result, but it doesn’t take much to make this cutie shine!

 Hope you had a happy Halloween too!

one more for the boys

Before the end of boy month, I've one more project to share. Can you guess what this is?

Here it is chugging off to work, that very favorite of all boy vehicles...

the digger! Excavator, as the boys would correct me. In proper CAT yellow too.

My second son became interested in "diggies" at 18 months when the Easter Bunny left a small plastic one in his basket. He took it to bed with him that night and every night thereafter for a long time. He sparked my older son's interest in diggers and our walks became city-wide hunts for machines. No matter how urgent my rush, I had to stop at every construction site to watch the diggers work. For his second birthday, we had a veritable army of diggers atop mounds of "dirt" frosting.

 and everyone dressed appropriately as well. 

For quite a long time, it seemed we all lived and breathed diggies. Diggies became diggers and now my very grown up boy will say "No, Mom, that's an excavator!" (or loader, or grader or whatever else such machines are called.) That's 3 1/2 for you.

My Diggie Boy sweater includes an intarsia design is mostly from Lucinda Guy's Big Digger Sweater in Handknits for Kids. However, her sweater called for a dropped shoulder and instead I followed a generic scheme for a set-in shoulder from Ann Budd. I added a knitted hem at the bottom and sleeve cuffs and buttons on the shoulder so the crew neck would fit over the head of a two year old.

Also, the boys pointed out that the shovel in Lucinda Guy's design was facing the wrong way. I corrected that and I suggest you do as well.

Next, we're getting back to girl stuff, though there are also boy projects that won't make the boy month cutoff. I'm very excited about my current project. In fact, I've scheduled a professional photo shoot to show it off properly. Please come back to see it!

exciting little things!

This finally arrived in the mail! And I have to admit, I squealed just a little. And clapped my hands. And I might have jumped up and down, just a little. 

All other sewing projects are being abandonded in favor of this cape.

My 5 year old requested this, in red. So then of course my 3 year old wanted one too -- in pink. Pink is his favorite color, which I fully support because it is the very best color. But I'm not sure Explorer Barbie is a good look for a little boy.

snow days coat

pattern: School Days Coat from Oliver + S
fabric: wool coating with cotton lining and insulated interlining

A while back, I had the chance to take a workshop with Liesl Gibson. Oliver + S is well known for their excellent directions, so can you imagine how great it was to have the real live version right there helping you? This workshop was held at Cloth and Bobbin in Narberth, PA just outside of Philadelphia. I can't believe it was a year ago! However, I had made the coat to be worn this year and haven't taken any pictures of it until today when I got it out for boy month.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the coat actually came together. I probably wouldn't have attempted a coat pattern had it not been for the workshop. I had long wanted to take one of Liesl's classes but the ones held nearby at Spool were always for dresses! When Cloth and Bobbin advertised this, I jumped at the chance to make something boy from Oliver + S. There are many steps and you should take your time with this, but the instructions are, as always, so wonderfully clear and helpful that it works out just fine. Before sewing it, I spent time studying the construction of some of the nice coats in my closet to see how things went together. I wouldn't recommend this for your first sewing project, but an intermediate sewer can definitely do this.

Some things I like about this pattern include the detailed explanation not only of how to construct the lining, but why. So what you get here is a lesson in garment construction, which is above and beyond what most clothing patterns offer. I also adore the toggles and snaps. When I made this, the hardware was sold in a little package. I think it's great when the store that sells the pattern also sells things to make the pattern. Another nice detail is the patch pockets on the front that look very cute, but also contribute to making this an accessible coat pattern. As you can see, his cold hands fit very nicely into the pockets. The hood was, I think, easier than a collar, and also sweeter.

 

I may have spent more time looking for boy appropriate fabric than I did actually sewing the coat. The outer fabric is a charcoal wool coating that I scored at Cloth and Bobbin just before the class started. Everyone else in this workshop was making such adorable and beautiful girl coats with linings of bright and lovely quilting cottons. And though there were plenty of things like rocket ships and cutesy blue stripes to choose from, I simply didn't see any of those things on a nearly grown up boy of five. I also don't like using your typical polyester lining fabrics and silk seemed a little over the top. So with time running out before the workshop, I had to simply get what I could. The lining you can see in this picture came from JoAnn in the homespun section. It's a small scale cotton plaid, which complements the charcoal wool nicely. Quilting cotton advocates might turn their noses up a this, but these fabrics come in a variety of stripes and plaids, perfect for boys.

I used a rather stiff interlining, because it was all I could get. If I were to do this again for a winter coat, I would order proper Thinsulate from somewhere. For a fall jacket, cordory, twill or denim with a cotton lining would be plenty. My ideal lining fabric might be something like a shirting, but I'm still not really sure. I do, however, remember thinking when the coat was finished, that it wasn't nearly as hard as I had imagined and I could do it again every year. We'll see about that, but it is a wonderful pattern.

Celebrating the Boy

I wasn’t planning to celebrate the boy this year. For five long years, I’ve done nothing but celebrate the boy! I’ve been reading Made by Rae and Made for a few years and when they launched Celebrate the Boy last year, I was so excited to finally find crafty people who were enthusiastic about their boys. But that was last year. I was newly pregnant with what I had to assume was boy number three. I was preparing to throw my whole heart into a lifetime of being a mom of boys. When we got a little princess, I planned nothing but an entire year of celebrating the girl!  After all, I had waited a very long time for this.

Yesterday, I got a rare hour to myself. The sitter stayed a little late and I got to wander to a cafe, sit with a coffee and a magazine to watch the people and the city traffic. Suddenly, a fire truck roared by with sirens blaring and I thought, “wow, that really is shiny and fast and so very, very red!” There it was. I felt - even if it was only a little - excited. About a fire engine. How differently I see the world now!

At our baby playgroup earlier that morning, we had talked about birth order and favorites. They know how happy I am to have a girl and didn't believe she isn't the favorite. Though she is undoubtedly special because she is a daughter, I find myself much better able to appreciate the boys now that I have some balance, now that I’m not as overwhelmed with the testosterone in the house. So I guess I really do still celebrate the boys in my life. 

Still, sewing for boys is not as much fun for me. They’re hard on their clothes and I don’t like to spend my time making them things they will destroy. Also, it’s very difficult to find good quality apparel fabrics. Now that mine are no longer babies, the cute or loud quilting cottons simply don’t suit them. I like boys in traditional things like stripes, plaids, tartans, herringbone, camo, shirtings, or graphic tees.  What I think comes more easily for boys is knitting. And so for Celebrate the Boy month, I would like to share my very best boy project of all time.

Knitting is a time consuming process, and one that doesn’t always work out the way you intended. Fixing mistakes is more difficult and more costly in terms of precious hours. This sweater was a special request by my oldest and to fulfill it, I had to design it nearly from scratch. Pip had asked for a Ferrari sweater. And for my dear oldest child, it couldn’t be just any Ferrari. I searched the internet for the very best of Ferraris and decided on the Ascari Ferrari 500 that won Silverstone in 1952 and considered by many to be the finest Ferrari of all time. Next, with a little help from hubby, we turned that picture into a knitting chart. Then, I learned how to do colorwork. I decided on a stylish zip neck and a flattering set-in sleeve and used Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns to work out the details for my gauge. 

My notes on Ravelry indicate that I started this in the spring, worked on it all summer and finally finished in late fall. But it’s a beautiful sweater, one of the finest in my eight years of knitting. If this isn’t a tribute to just how special my guys are to me, I don’t know what is.