Easy Side Pocket Tutorial [from the K.I.D.S. series!]

This post was originally part of the K.I.D.S. series at Me Sew Crazy. I wanted to share the post and pocket tutorial here, in case you missed it the first time around!

I have to admit – I have never once asked my boys’ opinions on the clothes I make for them. Until now. Asking my five-year-old, Sam, to design his own clothing (and teaching him the word design, which he loves now) absolutely made his day. He didn’t even hesitate when I asked him; he knew exactly what he wanted:
The top is the shirt, bottom is pants, in case his drawing wasn’t *ahem* perfectly clear. He even was so kind as to label it with sticky notes – stripes and cars. And as I looked at his drawing, he told me several times, “The stripes go up and down, Mommy. Not side to side.” Well okay then.

I took a little liberty with his design, and went for a bit more subtle approach. The stripes on the tee are faint and the cars are on the side pockets.Apparently, I took a little too much liberty, because I have since been told that cars all over the pants would have been more acceptable…

The stripes were drawn with a fabric paint pen. They’re more noticeable in person than in photos. And they’re shimmery. Who says boys can’t wear glitter?

Both the pants and the T-shirt were upcycled from adult-sized shirt and pants and made from self-drafted patterns. Upcycling is seriously fun – and can make for such quick sewing. Reusing hems and waistbands for the win!What I really love about the pants are these pockets – they’re different from the usual cargo pants pockets you typically find, and they’re ridiculously easy to make in any size.

Here’s how you can make your own:

1. Cut out the shape of your pocket – you want it to be just slightly larger than you want your pocket to be in the end. Use pinking shears to cut around all sides.

2. Press the top edge down 1/2 inch and sew it in place using a straight stitch. This will become the casing for your elastic.

3. Thread 1/4 inch elastic into the casing. Gather the fabric slightly as you can see in the above photo. You want the ends of the elastic to stick slightly out of your casing.4. Press the curved edges of the pocket in about 1/2 inch.

5. Pin onto the outer seam of the leg. Line it up with the curve of the inseam, as you can see in the photo above. The pocket should then hit right at mid-thigh.

6. Sew along the curved edges to attach your pocket, and you’re done!Sam had a lot of fun designing … and now I owe him a pair of pants covered completely in cars. ;)

Big Island Board Shorts!

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. Your purchases help to keep this blog going!

If you are a Blank Slate Patterns lover like I am, you might have seen that the retro summer collection was just released this morning.

If you’re not already a fan, you will be after looking at this collection. Click here to visit Blank Slate Patterns. I think Melissa has some of the most well-written patterns I’ve ever used. Every direction is so clear and the photo-instructions are excellent. And the Big Island Board Shorts came together like a dream. Click here to view more detailsThese shorts are designed to be swim trunks if you want – but they could also be regular shorts. The pattern includes an optional swim trunk lining, which I can now add that to my list of things-that-are-easier-to-sew-than-I-expected-them-to-be.I made mine out of PUL [cloth diaper fabric], since I had some on hand. But you can use any quick-drying fabric.I even used some vintage bias tape that I’ve been hoarding, waiting for the perfect project. I think this showcases it beautifully!It hasn’t exactly been beach weather here, so our indoor photo shoot required chocolate bribery.I tested the 18month size, which was perfect for my 22 month old. They have plenty of room for a swim diaper, and are also perfect without [but if your child is potty trained at 22 months, don't tell me... I don't want to know]. I can even squeeze his cloth diapered bum in there – important for the drive to and from the beach or pool!Now all we need is some sunshine!

Summer Brights [part of the Knock it Off series!]

Today I’m super excited to be part of the Knock it Off series at Elegance and Elephants.

I’ll admit, I have a hard time shopping for regular priced clothes for my kids. Not only do kids outgrow their clothes ridiculously fast, but seriously… $25 for a pair of shorts that they’re going to get mud all over in five seconds? Um, no thank you.

So with a combination of upcycling and from scratch sewing, I knocked off this GAP outfit for my five-year-old [ahem, five and a half...].

I am loving the bright colors of spring! I had some green denim from JoAnn’s that was perfect for these simple flat-front shorts.And I added some faux back pockets, just for fun. :)The sweatshirt was upcycled from an XXL hoodie that I snagged at a thrift store a long time ago. It’s suuuuper soft. Upcycling tip: use existing pieces of the garment to create your own. I re-used the hood and part of the pocket. I also cut off the waistband and re-attached it onto the bottom of my sweatshirt. Such a time saver!The hoodie wasn’t a henley, so I added the placket and buttons. I did my stitching in a green thread to match the shorts… just because I liked the green so much.The gingham shirt was one that had been retired from my hubby’s closet. Have you ever sized down a button-up for your kiddos? So easy.

Place a pattern piece [or a folded shirt] on top of the button-up shirt. If your pattern piece is for knit fabric [like mine was], give some extra seam allowance. Cut around the pattern piece, cutting through both the front and the back. DO NOT cut through the button placket or the collar. Leave those in-tact.

Note: Unless you’re making a shirt for something super formal like a wedding, you can most likely get away with leaving the collar in-tact for an older child. Or if you have a smaller child, use a smaller shirt. It will be a little big, but not so noticeable that you need to go through the trouble of messing with the collar.Cut off both sleeves and cut them to match your sleeve pattern piece [or use a shirt that fits your child]. Re-use the hem of the sleeve to make it an even easier sew.

Enter super fancy graphics…

Unfold the body of the shirt and the sleeves – sew the sleeves on. 

Sew along the bottom of the sleeves and down the sides of the shirt. Seriously easy.

Thanks for popping in today! Happy sewing. :)

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Classic Polo from Peek-a-boo Patterns

Is it wrong to love a shirt? Because I totally do.

And the baby wearing it. Obviously.

The Classic Polo, this newly released pattern from Peek-a-boo Patterns, is my new fave. How did I not know how easy it is to sew a polo shirt?! Because it is ridiculously easy. Especially with Amy’s super clear instructions. Click here to view more details [affiliate link]I tested the short-sleeved version [the pattern includes both short and long sleeves] in the three month size on my [98th percentile for height] seven week old. Side note: newborn sewing takes scrap sizes of fabric and barely any time. Love.
I used some knit I had picked up at a rummage sale last year. I had assumed the stripes were horizontal, but when I realized they were vertical, it suddenly screamed vintage baseball. So vintage blue buttons were the clear choice.He’s a fan. I mean really, a polo shirt that’s super cute, and I can sew it up before the baby starts crying? Yep, I’m on board with that too.

And while you’re sewing, it’s Thrifty Thursday at Peek-a-boo Patterns, and these super cute convertible pants are half off today only.

Perfect for spring and summer! Click here to view more details [affiliate link]

Surfer Slacks

As promised, I’m sharing with you another one of the patterns I had the privilege of testing for the Pattern Anthology collection. [If you missed yesterday's post, read it here to see the Submarine Pullover!]See Kate Sew is another pattern designer that you’ve got to know if you have littles to sew for. She has such a great style. Her little girl patterns kill me with cuteness. And as a mama of two, she knows a thing or two about what kids like to wear. This pattern was, of course, no exception!
The Surfer Slacks are a super easy sew. I don’t think you need a lot of sewing experience at all to sew these, especially with Kate’s great photo instructions that are very clear and easy to follow. There is one pattern piece for all the leg pieces and the pants have an elastic waistband, so they sew up really quickly.

The cuff detail at the bottom of the pants is my favorite part, and a fun way to highlight a fabric. Plus, you can pull the cuff down as they grow and extend the life of the pants. Win! The main fabric I used is a lightweight corduroy, which will carry really nicely from winter to spring. If winter ever ends…

I tend to make my oldest pants that are much slimmer, since he is ridiculously skinny, so at first I wasn’t sure if I would like the fit. But after watching him in them, I realized that the looser, relaxed look works for him too. Perfect for my boy who is running, jumping, and moving all.the.time.

Speaking of fun details – how great are these back pockets?

Don’t forget, the Pattern Anthology has patterns for boys AND girls and is a limited time package that you do not want to miss.

AND just to repeat what i said yesterday, I WAS GIVEN THIS PATTERN IN RETURN FOR TESTING IT AND GIVING MY HONEST FEEDBACK, BUT I DON’T GET ANYTHING FOR TELLING YOU HOW AWESOME IT IS – OR FOR TELLING YOU ABOUT THE PATTERN SALE. I JUST KNOW THAT YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT THESE PATTERNS. :)

Pink and Pincushions

Well today I’ve got two posts up on other sites that you’ll need to pop over and check out.

Here’s a sneak peek at the outfit you can find at Alida Makes as part of her Calling All Kids series.

And I’ve got an awesome tutorial for a pincushion/needle book for my regular contributing post to Simple Homemade.

So click over and check those out! Have a wonderful Monday, friends. :)

 

 

Easy DIY Baby Pants Tutorial

With a house already full of boys, I haven’t had the need to buy much of anything for this new babe. I did want to make a few things for baby, however, and one of my favorite things to make is baby pants. Okay, pants in general are a fave, I’ll admit, but especially baby pants. Everything is much better in miniature version.

There are two things that I really love about sewing knit baby pants: they are a super quick sew and they take very little fabric.

Don’t have a baby to sew for? This tutorial is basically an updated version of my lounge pants, so you could easily make these for any sized kid.

If you know my crazy love for upcycling, you have to know that I adore using thrifted T-Shirts for baby pants. Not only does it make these even that much faster to make, it also gives you so many great fabric options. [the two pants on the right were both upcycled from thrifted tees!] And obviously, stripes are always a good choice…

1. Lay a pair of baby pants on top of your fabric/thrifted tee. You want to line up the outside seam of your pants with the folded edge of your fabric. Cut around the pants, giving yourself a little extra fabric around the side for a seam allowance. [for baby pants made out of knit, I make the front and back the same, but you can always make the back a little higher if you need some room in the booty]

Be sure also that you add some extra length at the top for the waistband. How much will depend on how wide your elastic is. I prefer to use fold over elastic like this:

for baby pants, since it’s soft and won’t dig into baby’s skin at all.

2. Sew down the inseam of each leg, with the right sides of the fabric together.

4. Turn the pant legs right side out. Pin the legs together at the center seam and sew.

5. Sew the ends of your elastic together. My elastic was about 14in. long, allowing room for overlap as the ends were sewn together. I don’t want my pants to be too tight, and I cloth diaper my babes, so I don’t need the pants to be super skinny. And my babies tend to be well over eight pounds. If yours are smaller, you might want to use less elastic.

6. Fold the top of the waistband over the circle of elastic and pin in place.

7. Sew the waistband down, being careful not to sew the elastic at the same time.And then sew up a bunch for all the babies you know, because it was so ridiculously quick!

C’mon, baby, you’ve got some sweet stripey pants waiting for you!

Cool Cardigan… with mix and match patterns

Have y’all seen Blank Slate Patterns by Melly Sews? This girl is a fellow boy-mama and a pattern making machine.

I recently sewed up the Cool Cardigan for my oldest. And seriously, this pattern is fabulous.

I used the size 5 and it was mostly a good fit. My dude is RIDICULOUSLY skinny, so when I make it again, I’ll for sure take in the sides.

I had ordered both knit fabrics from Girl Charlee, and I really like it a lot, though the sweater knit turned out to be much thinner than I had anticipated [only because I failed to read where it said "lightweight" - woops!]. So I upcycled an old sweatshirt and lined the cardigan.

I love the combo of the argyle and stripes. The contrasting bands and pockets are a great feature. I omitted the buttons on the pockets, because I knew my 5yo would never use the buttons and they would end up just driving him crazy. Plus I only used three buttons instead of four, like pattern called for, because… well, I only had three matching buttons. ;)

As long as you don’t have prego baby brain like me, this pattern is a pretty quick sew. If you do have prego baby brain, just expect it to take a little longer, as you stare at the pattern instructions without understanding even the simplest of steps. [cut on the fold.. what does that even mean?! kidding. sort of.]

And p.s. don’t forget, today is the last day to buy the Sew Fab e-pattern bundle! I’ve never seen a pattern deal like this before, so if you haven’t scooped this one up, be sure to do it today!

The Grandpa Inspired Look – sewing along with PR&P’s boy week

Well I’m sewing along with another week of Project Run and Play! Really, how could I not sew along with boy week?

I decided to sew for my three-year-old, because honestly, I don’t do that often. Poor middle child. Plus, he’s my most reluctant model.

As I lay awake the other night [seriously, pregnancy insomnia? I'd like to sleep while I can, thankyouverymuch], I knew exactly what I needed to make for my middle man. Inspired, once again, by this photo:

My grandpa seriously knew how to rock the plaid pants. Instead of going plaid this time, though, I went argyle. Argyle! I seriously love this fabric.

The pants are made from this yummy Kaufman 21 Wale Cool Cords Argyle Brown that I got from fabric.com. It’s a self-drafted pattern based on another pair of his pants, and they fit him exactly the way I wanted.

The shirt is upcycled from a men’s tee and self-drafted as well, though I wish I had made the neckline a little bit higher. This dude of mine has a large head and since I don’t sew for him terribly often, I always overcompensate.

Then to take the grandpa inspiration to the next level, I sized down a thrifted sweater. I used the existing neckline, which meant I had to move a button up. It ended up a little bit big, but he should be able to wear it for awhile.

The pants also have a little flare at the bottom [which I could not capture for the life of me, since he was being oh-so-cooperative].

Flat front, elastic back. Best style for a three-year-old.

He really was a fan of the clothes. Maybe just not a fan of me….

And then he realized just how crazy his mom is for making him stand in front of the open door in twenty degree weather.

 

Linking up with Make it Wear it on The Train to Crazy.

A slow-going KCWC

Kids Clothes Week Challenge is wrapping up.

I managed to get three pieces sewn this week, even with a two and a half year old who just gave up his naps. [sigh]

In my dream world, I would have gotten more done. But I’m happy with the pieces I did create. And as soon as the weather and my kiddos cooperate, I’ll show them to you.

Did you sew anything for KCWC?