Concert time!

I almost titled this post "How to dress a boy for a concert". True. It's awfully long for a title, though. But really, that it what this post is. Did you know that you have real choices when it comes to what you can dress your little man in for his little holiday concert this year? You don't HAVE to do khakis and a button down, or a polo. Really. I mean, if you want to, go for it! But you can do so much more!

We went with hipster musician.

Nobody ever said that musicians have to be composed. ;)

But we can fake composed.

So, want the details in this outfit? I knew I wanted to do a giant bow tie. I used Peek-a-Boo's  Little Gentleman's Tie. It was really fast to sew up. And I love that all the seams are hidden or enclosed so it has a really nice finished look. I did a child size for a slightly over sized look. And really, yellow polka dots had to happen.

 

Okay, maybe we can't fake composed.

His shirt is Peek-a-Boo's Classic Oxford. Hands down, one of my favorite patterns. The results are so professional looking. You can't see it, and that's okay, but the collar and cuffs have fun contrasting fabrics. I love little touches like that. He knows he has bikes on his cuffs and he loves it.

Now the vest. That vest melts my heart! It's brand new in the works from Love Notions Patterns. You can follow her facebook page to find out the minute it's released.  The vest pattern is great! A very fast sew! And this can be casual, or dressy like I have done here. I want to make another and add welt pockets. 

Wow, he looks way older than 4 in that picture above.

The pants are Small Fry Skinny Jeans from Titchy Threads. I have eyed that pattern for quite a while now and finally took the plunge and bought it for this outfit. Gotta say, LOVE it! Such professional results! The sizing was good. Thomas measured a 3 for his waist and hips and a 5 for length. I extended them a few inches past to do a cuffed leg.

And then, we have the purple Converse. He decided he wanted purple shoes last week. He was thrilled when we went and bought them. I had a heck of a time keeping them clean for the concert because he wanted to wear them every single day.

There you have it! One very stylish boy. We received a lot of compliments on his little outfit. And I gotta say, he did stand out a little bit. It could be because he was making faces like this though.

He was so excited to play on the stage. He has watched his sister preform for years. Unfortunately, my seat, though excellent for pictures of Thomas, was not so hot for getting pictures of Kate.

This was my view, if I hung my head out into the aisle. And the teacher leaned slightly to the right.

 

 And I could only see her for this one part of the concert. For her other song, with the larger group, I couldn't even find her shoes. LOL

I did get this one before the show. Not a good one. She was too busy chatting with her friends to hang with me for a minute to change camera setting between a bright stage and a dark corner.

 (sssshhhh! that dress is store bought. It's a hand me down from her sister from several years back. She almost went with a handmade dress, but then saw this hanging. And well, this was a bit fancier and she won't really have another chance to wear it.)

Oh well, I do have many beautiful shots of her from her past five years in the program.

Just not tonight.

He concentrated so hard during his songs. He has practiced hard since he started playing in early October. Or was it September? I can't remember. Bad mommy moment. I should be able to count the days he has been playing, right. Oh well, fourth child and all that jazz.

"What?! You don't know exactly how many minutes I've been playing cello?!"

This guy couldn't have been a bigger ham. Such personality.

So now are you armed with ideas for what to sew for your little man for his holiday concert?

Take a bow, buddy. You worked hard and you deserve it.

Bravo!!!

This post contains affiliated links.  :)

One Thimble

Have you heard of One Thimble? It's an amazing digital sewing magazine packed full of pdf patterns of all types. Boy sewing, girl sewing, home sewing, it's in there! And at the end of this post, you have the chance to win a copy of this quarter's issue!  When I had the opportunity to review a pattern for them, I jumped at it! I chose to review the Make a Splash Swim Bag.

Because One Thimble is based in Australia, this quarter's issue is full of summer patterns. But that doesn't mean that they can't be used in the parts of the world that are moving into winter! I'm in the heartland of America and winter has arrived a bit ahead of schedule. So instead of a swim bag, I made a back pack. 

Today my son put the elephant one to the test at the library.

He packed it up! He had nine books inside and had plenty of room for more, had I let him. This bag is a seriously good size!

 

The wide opening made it really easy for him to get the large books into the bag independantly.

The draw string style was easy for him to cinch up and throw on his back.

Even though it is a bit large, my 4 year old had no problem wearing it and toting his collection around the library with him.

That's a LOT of books for a back pack that fits comfortably on a child!

Wonder what else fits in this bag?

How about all of this! And there was room for me! This is a set of size 5 jeans, size 6 light weight hooded jacket and tee shirt and two piece pajama set. Oh and can't forget the teddy bear. All of this is in the bag in the picture below.

 

In the flower bag, I have your gym gear basics, women's running shoes, large water bottle, small towel, workout shirt and capris. I could have also gotten my knee brace, shower towel and small toiletry bag in there.

The pattern itself was really easy to read and follow. There are no pattern pieces to fit, instead measurements are given to cut out. It's really simple to do! Each bag took me about 30 minutes to complete.

Would you like to sew your own up? Enter to win a free copy of One Thimble!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And check out the rest of the tour to see more great samples and reviews of the patterns in this quarter's issues of One Thimble. 

Friday 11/14: Pattern Revolution, Once Upon a Sewing Machine

Saturday 11/15: Handmade Boy

Sunday 11/16: Mimi's Mom, Rebekah Sews

Monday 11/17: Ellie Inspired, Handcrafted by Red

Tuesday 11/18: The Crazy Tailor, The Berry Bunch, Friends Stitched Together

Wednesday 11/19: Made by Sara. Bee Quilted Beauties

Thursday 11/20: Gracious Threads,  Lady and the Gents, Shaffer Sisters

Friday 11/21: Knot Sew Normal, Beazza & Llama, Mae & K

I was provided the pattern I used in this post free of charge in exchange for sharing my opinion of the pattern. All thoughts are my own. Yep, I have some.

Look out! It's a girl post! More out of the Aviator Pants

This year my daughter (10) wanted to be Catwoman for Halloween.

She kept pointing out all these skin tight costumes in her online searches.

Yeah, not happening.

I must admit, Halloween is the time of year that I am hands down most grateful for my ability to sew. I have only been sewing for serious sport for about four years. I have been sewing Halloween costumes for 15. Once a year I would get out my machine and go to town. Some years, following a big four paper pattern, and some years, making it up as I went along. I would make them whatever they wanted to be. I just knew hands down, that my girls would not be sporting one of those skimpy, sexed up, hardly any fabric involved, costumes the stores supplied.

Have you ever googled "tween girls Halloween costume"?

Yeah, again, not happening.

Now back to Catwoman. I'm not a prude. At all. BUT, I will not be allowing my 10 year old daughter to wear a skin tight spandex body suit. Nope, again, not happening. But of course, this is what she wanted to be! After a little thinking, I found a way for both of us to be happy.

Here in the lovely midwest, it is typically pretty chilly on Halloween. So the entire outfit is made from cozy warm microfleece. It has the fitted look that says "Catwoman" to her, but isn't skin tight, which makes her daddy and I very happy.

She also got to wear a bit of make up for this shoot, which she absolutely LOVED. Not going to happen on a regular basis, but for Halloween, totally appropriate.

We went with the Julie Newmar version of Catwoman. I am thrilled with the whole look.

Somebody please tell this kid she is only TEN!

Her pants are the super awesome Aviator Pants from Winter Wear Designs. I so love these pants! This is the basic version, no pockets, no accents. I took them in a bit at the hips and thighs to make them a bit more fitted, but left them loose on the bottom. The only thing I would change is that I wish I would have taken advantage of the waist band and used it as the belt, instead of making it separate. But this way they are more wearable after Halloween is over. :)

They are clearly comfy enough to take on Batman with some fierce foot moves.

The shirt starts from Heidi & Finn's All You Need Jammies. I widened the neckline and added the short cowl to it to mimic the neckline in the original costume.

I love that she can use the base of the costume for everyday wear. This top will be darling with some jeans and boots this winter.

The ears and mask are self drafted. The ears are simply two layers of fleece sewn wrong sides together and hot glued onto a headband. The mask is a sheet of glitter canvas held on with an elastic strap tucked under her hair. The necklace was a cheap score from Walmart of all places.

The belt is some fantastic gold spandex. I just cut a length a couple inches smaller than her waist and sewed it into a tub.

The entire get up costs around $20 and is not a one time wear. She loves it, I love it. It's a definite win!

My little super hero and his villainess. If you want to check out how to make the Batman costume, I have a full tutorial over at Peek-a-Boo!

Don't let them trick you, they are total goof balls!

And totally ready for Halloween!

If you missed anybody on the Aviator Pants tour, go back and check them out!

Tour Stops:
Pattern Revolution       10/20
Paisley Roots                10/21
Handmade Boy             10/22
Sew a Straight Line      10/23
Lady & the Gents         10/24
Shaffer Sisters              10/24
Additional Fun      10/25

 

Want a little treat of your own before Halloween? Head over to Winter Wear Designs and take advantage of her first site wide sale! Use the code AVIATORTOUR for 15% off any pattern (except bundles) until 10/26. Or you can buy both the women's and children's aviator pants bundle and save 30%!

 

He wanted to sew something

For the past week, Thomas has been begging me to teach him to sew. Last night was a pretty good opportunity so we ran with it. I asked him what he wanted to sew and he said a coat with buttons. We decided some simple pajamas pants were a better idea. He asked if he could pick his own fabric. Of course!

We ended up with these.

Yucky grainy picture. Sorry, he only let me grab one and then he was off. So no chance to actually correct my settings after getting this way underexposed shot. It happens.

Pony fabric. Never mind the yards and yards of super boyish prints I have. The kid wanted ponies. He loves My Little Pony and can name them all.

He was super thrilled to get to sew! Until, I made him pin. He didn't care for pinning. Can't say I blame him, I don't like to pin either and avoid it as much as possible.

He LOVED feeding the material into the machine though.

And he did a super job at keeping his seam allowance nice and even. He is detail orientated and this is a task where it paid off!

We had to make it so he could use the foot peddle. That was his favorite part!

And the ironing. Let's hope he always likes to do that!

He was a very proud boy when he was finished! Of course he didn't do it ALL himself. I cut the pieces, serged, pinned the inseam to make sure it lined up and threaded the elastic.

He, of course, wore them to bed last night and has no desire to take them off today.

People may have been shaking their heads, but I did let him wear them to the grocery store today. He had on shoes at least, no slippers!

Goofy face when he realized I was taking picture of him eating his cereal and watching Curious George this morning. 

Of course, I had to make him a shirt to match his new pajama bottoms. ;) It's a good thing his dad is super cool and not a "my boy must be a BOY" type of guy. He did shake his head, chuckle, and remind me about how thrilled I was to have another boy when Thomas was born. LOL Hey, my boy can wear ponies and purple!

I can see these sewing lessons continuing. He is very proud of himself and we actually got this accomplished in about an hour. Not bad.

I made pants! Winter Wear Aviators Tour

Back in August I made my youngest two some awesome pants for the Bundle Up Boy Tour using Winter Wear Designs Aviator Pants. I simply LOVE those pants on both my son and daughter!

So, when I was invited to participate in the Aviator Pants tour to celebrate the release of the woman's version, I couldn't say yes fast enough! I mean come on! Look how comfy those things look. And they must be, because each kiddo has pulled their Aviators out of the drawer multiple times already this fall. I needed in on that comfort!

Now, it's time to get real. And I mean REAL. When the tester photos of the women's aviators started making their appearances on Facebook, I was a little blown away. Those testers made those pants look GLAMOROUS. The styling was amazing. They paired their Aviators with heals, ballet flats, blazers, jewelery, you get it. They looked awesome.

And then, I started to have a small panic attack.

Because, that's not me. Yeah, I can style and dress my kids. They look pretty awesome if I say so myself. And I CAN style myself. BUT, I'm never COMFORTABLE when I dress like that. And I don't mean that the clothes aren't comfortable, it's that I don't feel like ME. I'm super casual. So, staying true to me, I bring you the super casual, super comfy, super, youaretotallygonnawanttomakeapairlikethistoo Women's Aviator Pants.

These are made of minky. Yeah, they are way awesome. Jealous?

You are. And that's okay. They are super cozy for lounging around on the sofa with a little crochet project.

Yeah, who am I kidding? That project is MONTHS old and should have only taken me a week to finish. I'm more likely to be found like this in these pants.

Yep, doing dishes. Hey, at least I'm comfy! Let's talk the outfit. My awesome minky Aviators are paired with a tank top layered with a size XL maternity hoodie that I can't bare to part with. It's ENORMOUS on me (I wear a size medium or large shirt to give you an idea of how enormous.), but I love it so it stays in my closet and I wear it like a robe.

They are also wonderful for that calming morning cup of coffee.

Yeah, my morning caffeine consumption looks more like this.

I know I'm not alone guys! Remember, we are being real here!

Actually, super real. That floor is in the process of being ripped out. New flooring goes down in a few days!! I'm beyond excited!!!!

Back to pants.

I also made a wonderful pair out of french terry for my sporty look. Paired with a hoodie. And running shoes. Fancy pants here. I actually wore this outfit out last night. People will attest to that. They saw me. My husband says that one day people from an ambush make over show are going to show up at our door. Really, is that a horrible thing? All expense paid shopping trip and mini vacation without the kids for a few days? Sign me up!

When I came out in these for pictures, my daughter said "I thought we were doing more pictures? Where are your pants?" When I told her these were them for this round, she said they looked store bought. Calm down, it's a compliment. Her next question was where my glasses were. I forgot them and was too lazy to go back for them when I was half way up the steps and noticed. So, I'm squinky. But oh well. Real life, remember.

I plan to use these for running also. So I figured that would be a cute way to model the pants.

Did you know it's HARD to look cute and fake run at the same time?

How about a fake fast walk instead? I'm sure my neighbors were very confused by the action going on in front of their houses.

So ,those are my Aviators. Super simple. I went with the front pockets but left off the cargo pockets and the cuffs. Making these, I found out my body is a complete mess and I had to blend a few sizes together to get the proper fit for me. You would think I would know this since I can never find pants that fit me well. Even sweats pants will be huge in the front rise and waist to fit my hips and butt. Apparently, I have quite a butt on me because it is two sizes bigger than my waist and my front rise and a size bigger than my hips. THREE blended sizes and FOUR muslins later, I had some good fitting pants! The muslins are wearable, but not for anything outside my living room. I have standards, folks. Not high ones, but I do have them.

All that said, I am really happy with the pattern and my pants! The way the pattern is nested made it really easy to blend the sizes to get a fit perfect for me! There are also tips and alteration lines for customizing the rise and the inseam in the pattern. I will no longer be fumbling around a store trying to find comfy pants to fit me!!

You don't want to miss out on the rest of the tour!

Tour Stops:
Pattern Revolution       10/20
Paisley Roots                10/21
Handmade Boy             10/22
Sew a Straight Line      10/23
Lady & the Gents         10/24
Shaffer Sisters              10/24
Additional Fun      10/25 

And to make it even more awesome, head over to Winter Wear Designs and take advantage of her first site wide sale! Use the code AVIATORTOUR for 15% off any pattern (except bundles) until 10/26. Or you can buy both the women's and children's aviator pants bundle and save 30%!

Then, pull some minky off your shelf and make the most cozy lounge pants ever! I am doing that next. My 13 year old was promised a pair for playing photographer for me. :)

Disclosure: I did receive the Women's Aviator Pants pattern for free for participating in the tour. My opinions, thoughts, and goofiness, are all my own.