I didn’t make many modifications. I shortened the pants to shorts. I also left off the drawstring waist and used a simple elastic waist. I left off the buttons on the pockets as well. Kid No 2 is not a fan of either. Drawstrings and buttons are his kryptonite. They also take longer, so I’m not complaining!
The pattern calls for 1 3/4 yards for the pants, but I got these shorts out of 1 yard of fabric.
A nice basic short.
The print is Scoot Scoot in Blue from the Havana collection by Monaluna. It’s a really nice, smooth organic cotton. I love the print, but unfortunately it was printed slightly off grain, which made cutting and pattern matching a bit of a pain. I’ve used other prints from the collection, without any problem, so I guess I was just unlucky this time.
Check out the pattern matching with those pockets.
Kid No. 2 loves bright colours and fun, but age-appropriate prints. Unfortunately, most of the clothes in the stores for boys his age are in darker, and/or more serious colours – lots of navy, grey and beige (yawn). One of the great things about sewing my kids’ clothes is being able to make them the things they really like.
The pants were a big hit.
This is also a stash-busting project for the Stashbusting Sewalong. I bought this fabric maybe a year ago, so I’m really happy to get it into regular rotation.
For Valentine’s Day, Mr Garment requested a pair of shorts. So easy! So quick! “Yay,” I thought to myself. “I’m set.”
He picked the fabric – some very dark navy fleece interlock. I didn’t have a shorts pattern for men, but I didn’t want to buy one for something so simple. So I used Vogue 8964, which is a pyjama pattern that I’ve used before. I knew the fit would be good and it was already traced out.
I whipped up a pair of quick shorts in an evening. The only changes I made were to add pockets and skip the fly and drawstring. They were fast, easy, fit well, and yawn, sooooo very boring.
So I asked Mr Garment if he would mind if I painted them. “Um, I guess so. They’re just for working out…,” he said with significant eyebrow raising.
So I made up a quick stencil and got some fabric paint and drafted him to the Rebel Alliance*. Less boring! And still good for just working out.
Drafted for intergalactic rebellion!
*Obligatory legalese: These are not official licensed shorts, and are not for sale. These are just fan art.
I can’t believe summer is almost over. This morning when we all got up in was only 10 degrees celsius. Brrrrr.
So I thought it would be good to clear my summer blogging queue, and make room for the fall sewing. This is one of my last summer sewing projects – two sets of the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as tops) and the Puppet Show Shorts, in sizes 4 and 7 for my bigger girls.
The Ice Cream Dress I’ve made before, twice. It’s just as cute as a top and even easier to sew. Since I was making matching shorts, I didn’t do any colour blocking this time around.
Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as top).
I love the way these turned out. The fabric, some quilting cotton, was chosen by the kids. I picked this up at one of the local chain stores. I figure these will look good with jeans and they can wear them through the fall layered over t-shirts.
Close up of the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress (as top).
To go with the tops I made the Puppet Show Shorts, also by Oliver + S. This was my first time using this pattern, and I made it in one of my favourite fabrics, Cotton Linen Chambray from Robert Kaufman. I originally planned to bind the bottoms of the shorts in the linen, but working with linen on the bias is tough. The binding stretched out so much the shorts were barely gathered at the bottom. So I ripped it all out and started again. Still looks cute though.
Oliver + S Puppet Show Shorts.
Now, some of you Oliver + S fans may have noticed that the Puppet Show Shorts do not come in size 7. I graded these up two sizes from the largest available, size 5. I also added two inches to the length, which is a little better for my 6-year-old. It wasn’t very difficult.
Cutest. Pocket. Ever.
I love the pockets on these shorts. Adorable.
I tried an indoor photo shoot on the day I finished, but it was doomed. This is the only good shot I got.
These are the size 7, and she really did need those two extra inches. Next time I’ll make the binding a bit shorter so that it’s a bit more gathered at the bottom.
We tried another photo shoot outside. This is the size 7.
I finished the outfits on a rainy day. After the first doomed indoor photo shoot we waited for a sunny day and had much better luck. But would the two kids pose together? “Nooooooo!” So you’ll just have to trust me when I say I made two whole outfits.
This is the size 4.The button was left from my stash. There were only two but they are a perfect match. Meant to be.
Another pair of Parsley pants! This time with dinos!
Dino shorts!
Last week was Kid’s Clothing Week (KCW). The idea is to sew for one hour (minimum) each day making kids’ clothing. I didn’t do too badly, but I had trouble sewing all week and blogging too. So this is the last catch-up blog post for KCW.
Dino shorts action shot.
After allthosedresses, a certain someone was feeling a bit left out. And I had been promising to sew up this dinosaur print that has been in my stash for ages. So this was a great excuse. Originally I was going to turn this fabric into a shirt, but it’s way more practical as shorts.
I made these shorts on the long side.
These are the Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae. They are the same as the pair I made previously, but I skipped the flat front, and this time I used an 8″ inseam. My son is a fan of long shorts, and this way he might even get to wear them next year too.
I made these shorts in a size 6.
I made box pleat pockets, which are a big hit. The pattern says you can adjust the pockets for a cargo look, but I stuck with the standard pocket placement. I also followed the included instructions for pin tucks.
Side view of the dino shorts. I made them an 8 inch inseam.
And again, I followed the online tutorial from Made by Rae on using flat felled seams with this pattern.
A good view of the box pleat pockets. I top stitched and edge stitched.
These were an even bigger hit than the last pair, but then dinos are always awesome!
Sewing Level: Intermediate (with the modifications below), or beginner.
Modifications: I followed the included instructions for added pintucks on the front and back, and box pleat pockets. I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. I also used flat felled seams in the inseam. I made these as shorts with an 8″ inseam.
Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.
These are the Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae, and the fabric is Bella Flower in Blue. I made the pattern as shorts, added pintucks, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband.
I am really happy with these. They aren’t your boring, everyday shorts. The pattern has a number of variations included, and there are additional tutorials for this pattern on the Made by Rae blog. I opted for added pintucks on the front and back, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband.
I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. You can see the pintucks here as well. I also used flat felled seams inside (sorry, no photos).
I also followed Made by Rae’s instructions for how to make shorts from a pants pattern, and partially followed the tutorial for how to make super seams where the Parsley shorts are used as an example. I used flat felled seams for the inseam on my shorts.
I was going for a surfer girl look, and I really like how these turned out.
Here are the shorts are on my 6-year-old. I was going for a surfer girl look, and I think this is a success largely because of the fabric. It’s fun and not too precious for my big girl. I made the shorts in a size seven, though according to the pattern sizing my daughter should be in a six. But seven fits perfectly and should last the summer. I’m so glad I opted to go bigger.
Just the right length!
I used a 2.5 inch inseam when making the shorts. They end up being long enough that the box pleat pockets have enough room, but still look girly.
I love this pattern! And kid #2 has already requested his own pair of shorts, so the kids like it too.
There was quite a bit of extra fabric, so I decided to make a headband to match. I used this German pattern from Erbsenprinzessin. But things went badly awry. The headband turned out to be way too small. We don’t have a shortage of small heads here, so I was hoping it would fit my two-year-old, but no!
The first headband was so small that only my smallest could wear it. And she has no hair!
The only head that would fit is my 11-month old, and she has no hair! I’m not usually one for headbands on babies (I think she looks a bit like a ninja), but since I had already sewn it up, I figured it should be worn at least once.
I also made a matching headband.
So back to the drawing board! I made the whole thing again much larger and it seems to be a big hit.
The headband is in two pieces with elastic in the back only.
Now that I have the sizing right, I’ll probably make this pattern again.
Sewing Level: Intermediate (with the modifications below), or beginner.
Modifications: I followed the included instructions for added pintucks on the front and back, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband. I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. I also used flat felled seams in the inseam.
Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.
Summary 2
Pattern Review: Haarband für Kinder by from Erbsenprinzessin (in German)
The pattern is very easy to follow. The only changes I made were to switch an elastic waistband for the drawstring waist in the pattern, and turn the pants into shorts. These fit a little large, but by the time it’s really summer, they should be just right.
Whale Sandbox Shorts Pocket. Check out that top stitching.
I love those whales! Check out those matched up pockets and that top stitching.
Whale Sandbox Shorts Pocket. Check out that whale matching.
All the fabric was from my stash. The whale print is left over from my whale quilt. I’ve already used the pattern a few times. Even the elastic came from my stash. That brings the cost of these shorts to $0! Not bad.
For my older girls I had made spring dresses a while ago. But since I hadn’t blogged about them, I thought I would do that now. These are both the Ice Cream Dress by Oliver + S.
Cat Ice Cream Dress
This pattern is really a dream to sew. There are almost no seams to finish, it’s very quick to sew, and there is a lot of room for creativity in fabric choices. My kids love these dresses!
The fabrics are Red Ladybugs and Liquorice cats by Ann Kelle.
Ladybug Ice Cream Dress
Three spring outfits ready for the snow to melt. THis post is linked up with Make It, Wear It.
The Finished Garment 