{Henry Shirt & More Elephants}

I'm a little behind getting this one posted!  The June patter in the Sewing For Boys sew-along was the Henry Shirt.  I was so excited to see that Stacy picked this shirt because I had just bought the perfect fabric I knew would make a fabulous Henry Shirt.  The fabric I used was from Ed Emberly's Happy Drawing line for Cloud 9 Fabrics.  On top of being cute it is 100% organic cotton and so soft to the touch.  I used the Elephant print for the front, back, yoke, collar and side pockets, Gray Scribbles for the side panels and inner yoke & Green Scribbles for under side of the collar.

I have learned many different techniques sewing the patterns from this book.  This shirt features a bias yoke.  I was a little confused at first but dug right in, followed the instructions and without much difficulty the shirt was done.  I love the side panels and the curved shape of the front panels.  The added top stitching just adds a more professional touch. 

The pattern calls for snaps or buttons.  I really liked the look of the snaps in the book photographs so I set out to find plastic snaps because the metal ones I've used before just wouldn't look quite right.  I ended up getting KAM snaps and they are SO easy to use, I want to use them on everything now.  I had a gift certificate on eBay so I headed there and found so many options.  The package purchased allowed me to get two different colors so I choose grey and green.  I decided that the gray snaps looked better but in the end added one green snap in the middle just to mix things up.  I also figured it would help my son get the snaps aligned correctly.

A note about the fit:  Like most patterns in this book this shirt tends to run wide. For my son (who wears a size 4 in commercially made shirts) I made the size 2/3 with the length of the 4/5 and could have easily added another inch or inch and a half to allow for growth.

 

 Luckily for us our local zoo was opening a brand new elephant/Asian animal exhibit this summer.  Milo loves the elephants but 2 who had been at the zoo for decades had been off display for the prior 6 months to get used to their new home and new elephant friends.  Decked out in his new elephant shirt we went on opening day to say 'Hi' to our old friends Mimi & Dolly and check out the new guys as well.

After finishing the Henry Shirt I had quite a bit of left over fabric and because it was a bit more expensive than I normally pay I was determined to use it all. I ended up making a pair of treasure pocket pants...

I made a matching Gone Fishing Hat..

I also made a flashback skinny tee (from Made By Rae) in white knit with green collar and sleeve binding that I freezer paper stenciled the elephants on...

 

Lastly, I made a pair of Made's basic shorts with a stenciled elephant.

 

 

A cute little elephant wardrobe inspired by son's love of elephants and my love of matching kids clothes (I've been ruined inspired by Gymboree).

 

 

{Heartbreaker Pants}

July's Sew Along pattern was the Little Heartbreaker Pants.  I know I'm behind on posting this one but the pants turned out too cute to not post about them.

 

 

This one was an easy one!  I had a pair of Heartbreaker Pants that I had started last Christmas in a black corduroy but ended up abandoning them half done when I realized how much too big they were going to be.  When I the pattern was announced in July I dug through the project pile determined to not only finish them but give them a little extra pizazz too.  The pants now fit my little guy in length just about perfect however the waist is still quite big.  The feature of this pattern that I liked the most was adding an adjustable waistband.  The perfect solution for a skinny kid :0)

The pocket lining is a black cotton print that match the suspenders I made him last Christmas and will still work perfectly with these pants too.  I decided to add some octagon shaped knee pads in a back and white hounds tooth corduroy to give them a little more personality. 

I love how they turned out.  I think paired with a nice bright lime green button down shirt and maybe those black suspenders from last year they will be just perfect for the Christmas card picture this year!

A Toe Tapping Good Time

{Luka Hoodie}

I've fallen behind in my post for the sew-along, hopefully I'll get caught up soon!

 

August's pattern for the Sewing For Boys Sew-Along is the Luka Hoodie.  The think the most fun part of making kid's clothes is choosing the fabric.  I've been holding onto this navy & white elephant fabric for a while now.  When I saw it on Etsy I knew Milo would love it but hadn't found the right project until now.  I paired it with some navy sweat shirt material that I already had.  The challange with having an almost 6 year old (who isn't much bigger than an average 3 year old) is using novelty fabric in a way that isn't too "little kid" anymore but still looks fun.  I love how it turned out!

 

Usually I make a size 2/3 in pattern from this book and add a bit of length but this time I decided to try the size 4/5.  The hoodie is definately big on him but I figure he can wear it for quite a while this way.  Choosing which fabric to use for each pattern piece was a bit of a challange because there are so many possible combinations.  I traced out the pattern pieces and then decided what fabric to cut each one out of to get the look I was going for.  The book refers to Main, Contrast, & Lining fabric but I just couldn't visualize it until I had all the pieces to look at.  Here is what I cut out of each fabric

Elephant Print Fabric:

1 Hood Back Panel

2 Hood Side Panels

Pocket

Secret Pocket Flap

 

Navy Sweat Shirt Fabric:

2 Top Front

Back

1 Hood Back Panel (used as lining)

2 Hood Side Panels (used as lining)

Bottom Front

2 Sleeves

 

Navy Flannel (lining):

2 Top Front

Back

Bottom Front

2 Sleeves

 

Yellow:

Secret Pocket

 

 

 

During the construction I added a few details.  First is adding some white piping between the upper and lower front portions.  I also did quite a bit of top-stitching in white to add a more finished look.   I also added a strip of the elephant print to the flannel (lining) sleeves so they could be turned up. The biggest challange was to use a zipper rather than button closures.  I will say that took a couple of attempts and plenty of seam-ripping but I am pleased with the out come.  The last detail was to add a casing at the bottom.  I used a small button hole to add some elastic cording and a cord stop.  The hoodie was quite wide on my son and this brought it in just enough to be more functional for him.

 

 

 

 

Even though it is still quite hot for August, I know this jacket will get plenty of use through the fall, winter and spring here in Colorado!

{Tracheostomy Treasure}

I can hardly believe that 3 years ago today my little boy started breathing without the assistance of a hole in his neck. 

 It was a big step that hardly seemed to phase him and today he knows why he has the scar on his neck but doesn't really remember having the trach.  He has been very interested in what he did as a baby though so we have been talking about how he was born and he was very sick and he stayed in the hospital for a long time. 

 

For many parents a trach is something that is feared, a last resort.  To me the trach was a life saver because without Milo would not have survived.  I welcomed it into our lives (I pushed the doctors to do it sooner rather than later) and was a bit apprehensive when it went away.  Life has been a little simpler for the last 3 years but I cherish this piece life saving medical technology.  I wanted to find a way to "honor" Milo's trach.  On the day his trach was removed one of the respiratory therapists at the hospital said I should bronze one of his trachs and honestly I looked into that but at $120 is was a bit cost prohibitive.  For a long time I pondered how to creativly and stylishly display a trach. 

***For those who are not familiar with trached kids I thought I should explain how I ended up with multiple trachs to use.  Tracheostomy tubes (trachs) are removed and replaced (very quickly) every week or two.  The old trach can be cleaned and sterilized.  We reuse the sterilized trachs a couple of times then I saved some for crafting later.***

Christmas 2009 I turned one of his old trachs into a Christmas ornament for a favorite nurse who was moving away.  While it turned out cute I wanted something I could display year round.  About a year and a half ago I finally came up a great idea.  I incorporated an old trach and a trach chain (that was never successful in keeping Milo's trach in) along with some charms, beads, and personalized charms.  I ended up with two different treasures. 

Milo Trach Treasure:

I selected silver square alphabet beads, a blue ball chain (like dog tags use) and colored metallic beads.  I found all of these at Hobby Lobby.

I cut the chain to an 8 inch length and layed out the design I wanted to use.  I then slid the beads onto the chain and threaded the chain through the flanges of the trach(where the trach ties go). 

The tricky part is balancing the weight of the beads to keep the trach from tipping forward. I tried gluing the chain to the cannula but hot glue wouldn't stick to the trach.  I ended up using a piece of  thread to tie the chain to the cannula.  If you look close you can see the knot beside the clasp. 

The finished product hanging on an ornament stand.

Placed on a bookshelf with the photo albums for all to see.

Believe Trach Treasure

I wanted this one to be a little more elaborate.  I used the trach chain that we tried to use with Milo's trach but it just couldn't keep the trach in my active boy.  The balls on this chain are bigger than the store bought one I used for the other treasure so I had a harder time finding beads but I ended up discovering the blue beads at Hobby Lobby, since then I have seen this style of bead at many different stores.  I also wanted to incorporate the date that he got the trach and the date his trach was removed.  I found an Etsy store that would custom make these rectangular pendants for a reasonable price.  I also got a round pendant with Milo's name from a different Etsy store.  I found a package of charms with a little boy and the word "Believe" that I knew I had to incorporate.

I decided to use the chain in the same length my son wore it and it turned out perfectly.  I chose a layout for all the beads and charms then threaded the chain through the trach's flanges.  To balance this one I found that if I placed one of the balls from the chain in the end of the cannula things balanced out just right.  You might have to play around with the chain to find the right balance based on what chain, beads, charms, etc you use. 

 

To hang put sewing thread or fishing line through the flanges and tie together.

The finished product:

This treasure is hanging in my bedroom. 

I had a set of cubes on the wall just waiting for something to fill them.  I attached a little clear Command to the inside top of the cube to suspend the trach in it's own little cubby.

I just love how both of these turned out.  Crafting with unusual items is always a challenge but the result can be extraordinary.  What unusual items have you turned into treasures?

{KCWC Day 7 ~~ Jean Shorts}

Today's project was pretty simple, a great way to finish off the week.  I went though my son's shorts and realized he didn't have any jean shorts for the summer.  The thought of buying a couple of pairs ran across my mind but then I remembered a couple of pair of too short jeans with holes starting in the knees.  Perfect!

I started with two pair of jeans, thread that matched the topstitching on each pair & fabric for a hem facing.

Of course both pair of jeans are the carpenter style with the pocket on the side.  The position of the pocket and the knee holes pretty much determined how long the shorts would turn out.  The pair on the right became the more traditional frayed cut-off shorts because there wasn't much room between the bottom of the pocket and the hole.  After cutting one leg I folded the jeans in half and cut the other leg to match.  I sewed a line of stitching about 1/4 inch from the bottom and helped them to fray a bit.

For the other pair I went with a more finished look.  There was more room between the bottom of the pocket and the knee hole so I more length to work with.  I used a hem facing to add a bit of interest.  It also requires a smaller hem on the jean shorts.

I think they turned out great and I'm sure they will get tons of use this summer.  The best part is that I saved myself some $$!

{KCWC day 6 ~~Pajamas}

Today's inspiration came from a crossover tee that I had cut out last fall but never finished.  It came together very well and I decided to make a pair of pants to complete the outfit so I made the sleeping johns. I still had some of the blue knit left over so I made another pair of jammies.  This time I used the flashback skinny tee with short sleeves and I shortened the sleeping johns into shorts.  Now my son has 2 pair of mix & match pajamas.  Living in Colorado means some nights can get cool in the spring and fall so a good mix of long and short work well.

Pattern:  Top--Crossover Tee by Growing Up Sew Liberated

             Pants--Sleeping Johns by Growing Up Sew Liberated

Fabric:  Blue interlock & Chocolate brown 1x1 ribbing both from Jo-Ann's

Construction:  These both came together very quickly and I love the results.  The instructions and illustrations in the book are great.  I will definately be making more of these :0)

Pattern:  Top--Flashback Skinny Tee from made-by-rae.com

           Shorts--Sleeping Johns from Growing Up Sew Liberated

Fabric:  Blue interlock & Chocolate brown 1x1 ribbing both from Jo-Ann's

Construction:  Rae's skinny tee went together like a dream, love this pattern and all it's options.  The shorts were quite easy, I just cut off the legs of the sleeping johns pattern and added a bit of ribbing.  My son will be extra comfy in these this summer.

{Treasure Pocket Shorts}

While making a pair of treasure pocket pants I thought they would make great shorts for the summer too.  Since it's Kids Clothes Week Challange I figured now was as good a time as any to try it out.  I used fabrics I already had and the pair of dinosaur shorts turned out wonderful.

Fabric:  medium weight denim with embroidered dinosaurs from Jo-Ann

medium weight olive green denim from Jo-Ann

Dinosaur print remnant that I think was from Wal*Mart

Pattern:  Treasure Pocket Pants from the Sewing For Boys book

Adaptation:  All I really had to do was cut about 6 inches off of the bottom of the legs.  Since the pant legs are pretty straight, the hem facing piece was even the correct size so no changes had to be made to it.  I didn't have much of the print fabric so I only used it on the upper side panel and the hem facings.

  Unfortunately I didn't position my pattern pieces quite right and one of the dinosaurs was decapitated when the waistband went on, oops!