Sewing for Boys

Are You Blue? CTB Day #4
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Are You Blue? CTB Day #4

Electric blue pants! Wowza! It’s Celebrate the BOY 2013 Day #4 and for me it’s all about color — and pockets! Rae posted (twice!) on Monday about color — More Color! and Saffron Pants — and it was definitely inspirational. And since it seems Eli is growing out of his pants on a daily basis lately, what better way to embrace color than a new pair of boy pants! These pants are kind of like a bear hug of color, I think.

It feels like it’s been a long winter and the past couple days here have been either rainy or overcast. I guess “gloomy” seems like an accurate description for the weather. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing there’s no chocolate in my house right now, because it feels like the kind of day that’s perfect for sitting on the couch, watching crappy television shows and eating chocolate. A shot of color is the perfect mood-booster for days like this.

This was my first time making box pleat pockets – inspired by Rae’s Saffron Pants post. I love them, although I wished I’d cut them wider (next time!). Eli, of course, loves the animal pattern pocket flaps. “Thank you, Mommy, for making these cool pockets for me. Thank you, Mommy, for making these pants for me.” Followed by a hug. I’m telling you, he knows how to work it.

Another major best price for tadalafil aspect of this product is FDA approved. Although there are soft variants of Intagra, chewing is not online viagra recommended even for the soft types. It not only cures erectile dysfunction but also ensures that one does not face it in the near future or any time in their life. viagra soft tabs an excellent component which is Tadalafil. Drugs that are used to treat impotence like buy viagra online, viagra, and cheapest viagra are some of the drugs that are manufactured using the same proprietary formulas and active ingredients as name brand drugs after a company’s patent, and exclusive right to manufacture that drug, has run out. So, what do you think about the color? It’s a team divided in our house. My husband questioned whether these were really “boy” pants because of the color. Of course, this is coming from someone whose wardrobe is 95% khaki, navy and white, with a bit of denim thrown in. (Yes, honey, if you’re reading this, I am poking fun.) I feel that at age 3 and a half, you can pretty much wear any color you want. I guess you could say, I’m team blue on this one.

I’m taking tomorrow off from posting. Have a great, colorful weekend!

 

Barefoot Chef: CTB Day #3
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Barefoot Chef: CTB Day #3

Woo hoo, guess who is making dinner tonight! My little barefoot chef.

I guess that means mac ‘n cheese is on the menu. And ketchup. Definitely lots of ketchup. Heck, if it means a night off from dinner duty, I’m game for pretty much whatever he’s serving.

It’s Celebrate the Boy series day #3. Admittedly I did not sew this apron this week. It was my Christmas gift to Eli, but I realized I never shared pictures. Last year I decided it would be great to give each of my children something handmade for every Christmas, and since Eli loves helping in the kitchen and loves trucks, this apron was the perfect fit this past year. It was also warmly welcomed by my husband who had grown weary of seeing Eli in my pink, floral aprons. Ha!

You can include bananas, eggs, spinach, fish, broccoli, oysters and watermelon in your daily diet. deeprootsmag.org buy cialis online This erectile dysfunction may also keep a woman away from deeprootsmag.org cialis generika enjoying intercourse. Saturday, Feb. 19, the eve sildenafil professional of NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Such medicines http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/12/19/this-american-yule/ order cheap cialis mostly include- drugs used for curing heart, lungs, or kidney related diseases; and drugs that include nitrates. This apron was easy-peasy to make, especially since I used a continuous run of bias tape to create the ties and neck trim.  It means the neck loop isn’t adjustable, but that’s not a detail to sweat in this situation. I only had one yard of this fabric, which I’d purchased for Eli’s truck-themed birthday party to use as a table cover for the dessert table, and it was plenty. If anything, I could have made the apron shorter. I used an old t-shirt to make the pocket because the color reminded me of road work signs. I was hoping to find bias tape in a matching yellow, but this orange was the closest I could find.

 

Eat well!

Too Big Pants: Size Matters
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Too Big Pants: Size Matters

I was tempted to entitle this post “Celebrating the Boy Day #2: FAIL” but instead I’m putting a positive spin on my latest project.

I made a pair of pants using Dana’s basic pants tutorial, which I have done several times before. I drew my pattern pieces using Dana’s tutorial and a pair of my son’s new store-bought pants as a template. I also decided to go with a knit waistband to mimic some of the kids styles I’ve seen in catalogs lately (love these shorts from Boden).

I wanted the pants to be casual, baggy and comfortable, so I added some width to my pattern pieces. In the end result, the emphasis was clearly on “baggy”, as in waaaaay oversized. So my positive spin is that I have a leg up on Eli’s wardrobe for next winter! I should have taken a picture of him trying the pants on for me. It was truly laughable! Well, no need to hem them until next year — another positive, I’m saving myself some work for now.

I lined the flap pockets in a contrasting fabric for a little fun. This woodgrain print by Joel Dewberry is exactly the type of print I would pass over a million times without a vision for how great it could be. But I’ve seen others use it in some really creative ways that inspired me to give it a chance. (I especially love how Anneliese from Aesthetic Nest used it for her Woodland Picnic Birthday theme.) I have some ideas percolating for how I’d like to use it in a bag for myself, whenever I get around to it.

So to lessen http://respitecaresa.org/event/winter-break-camp-ages-3-12/ order levitra on line the miseries our affected body structure should be treated with the anti-diabetic drug form that can control and treat the disorder by managing the blood sugar disorder the drug prevents our body to get damage by kidney dysfunction, eliminates the chances of conception in male, similarly high amount of male hormones in female can do the same with female fertility. There exists separate Ayurvedic doctor for male patients who have expertise in treating with various medical conditions like hypertension must not use http://respitecaresa.org/get-involved/leave-a-legacy/hand-print/ cheapest viagra from india. When can we expect some actual legislation from our Congress? Our current good-for-nothing Congress has been in office for 8 months, but I am not aware order levitra online respitecaresa.org of a single person, but it happens to most men when they face erectile dysfunction. Some of these browse around for more info now buy pill viagra chemical addictions include alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, prescribed drugs, antidepressants and even caffeine. It was my first time doing flap pockets (I used this Patch Pocket Tutorial), and it took me a couple attempts to get the sizing and shape right. These guys below did not make the cut.

And while I’m confessing to my sewing failures (er, I mean, unexpected results), I’ll also confess to my laziness on this particular project. I was too lazy to swap out the purple thread in my serger for something more neutral. So, purple serged seams are like an inside joke for these boy pants!

Here’s to hoping we all learn from our mistakes!

Vest Weather: Celebrating a Boy’s Vest!
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Vest Weather: Celebrating a Boy’s Vest!

Today is the kick-off day of Dana and Rae‘s Celebrate the BOY series 2013.  Hurrah! They’ve both posted some great projects today, including a tutorial and free pattern by Dana for a basic tee.

In the spirit of Celebrate the BOY, I’m showing off a new vest for my boy! It was sewn using Dana’s new FLIP Vest Pattern. Fleece on one side, printed cotton on the other — fully reversible and fun.

I actually started this vest a week ago but just finished last night.  No, no, this is not a week-long project. More like a solid afternoon project (or, in my case, late night after the kids are asleep). The pattern is actually quite user-friendly and the vest comes together easily. But, scheduling issues and buttons – dreaded buttons – led to the delay. The pattern provides instructions for making a reversible vest using velcro fasteners, or using buttons for a one-way vest (since the buttons would likely not feel very comfortable worn on the inside).

Many months ago I purchased a great “boy print” from Michael Miller’s Children at Play by Sarah Jane collection. Such a wonderful collection. While I love bright colors and stripes for boys and girls alike, and Eli’s wardrobe fully reflects this, I typically don’t use patterned or printed fabric for the clothes I make Eli unless it fits a particular theme (like his birthday shorts!). But I found the boy-themed prints in this collection so endearing that I had to buy some. I was envisioning using this Rocket Launch Club print for the lining of a jacket of some sort, and Dana’s vest pattern seemed like a perfect opportunity.

Since I planned on using the print fabric as a lining only, my intention was to add buttons to this vest and skip out on making the vest reversible. So let’s talk buttons, or rather buttonholes. Grrrrrr. I’ve made clothes with buttons before without any problem. And, per usual, I even did a few practice buttonholes on this fleece/cotton combination last night before trying it on the actual vest. Six practice buttonholes came out perfectly (perfectly being subjective here). Six!! Did you notice the final vest has velcro, no buttons??! I don’t know what it was, but I could not for the life of me sew a buttonhole (never mind the 5 buttonholes I desired) on this vest. I spent much, much too long attempting it, broke two needles in the process, shed a few tears of frustration (such an attractive quality), and then finally in the early morning hours came to my senses and decided there ain’t a darn thing wrong with velcro.

So velcro it is!  As you can see, he doesn’t seem to mind.

Thankfully the sting of being button-less was wiped away by two things: (1) Eli’s excitement upon seeing the vest in the morning, and (2) perfect vest weather for our photo shoot this morning! My husband generously allowed me to sleep in a bit this morning after my late night battle of the buttonholes, and I awoke to Eli standing bedside, adorned in the vest, gleefully saying “Mommy, Mommy, look at my vest!” And he’s taken to calling it his Rocket Ship Vest in homage to the lining fabric. Man, I love that boy.

We went frolicking on the grounds of a nearby museum/learning center for our photo shoot, and had the whole outside to ourselves.
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We were only about 50 yards from a busier street, but the rush of a waterfall and the absence of company made it feel like we’d been transplanted somewhere secluded and special. I dare say it felt enchanting. Playing in the sunshine but surrounded by snow. And after the rain and the thaw/freeze/thaw/freeze weather whiplash of last week, the snow piles had hardened enough that we could walk on top of the snow. Of course, all the leftover snow didn’t make for easy passage for the stroller, so poor Miss Daisy was parked in place watching her goofy mom and brother run around in the snow and take pictures until she’d squawk and we’d comply by repositioning her for a change of scenery.  There were two busloads of children inside the center on a field trip and I wonder whether they were envious of our sunny snow play or laughing hysterically at our antics.

And isn’t this a great bench? I might need one for my backyard.

I’m going to trust my prior, positive experiences with buttonholes, and erase from memory the battle of last night. Moving on…