Aviator Pants. Yep, for girls too!

By now I am sure you have heard about the Bundle Up Boys sale. Unless you live under a rock. Which if that is the case, you probably don't have a sewing machine, or a computer, because you would be a bug and bugs typically don't have either. But you aren't a bug, so I am sure you know about the sale and all the awesome new patterns available.

 

When I heard about it, I was super excited! Boy stuff! Lots of super cool boy stuff!! Boys can be over looked a little bit in the pattern world. I mean, really how many ways can you make a pair of pants or a shirt? It's all in the details with boys. Details make things stand out and stand apart. These new patterns have some fabulous details. Cool, new, fresh patterns for BOYS! HORRAY!! And from amazing established designers!

But, like all things for boys, girls come in and take what they want out of it. I mean, really, girls have the best of both worlds! Anything for boys is socially acceptable for girls as well. Sadly, that doesn't work the same way yet for boys. I mean, girls can play with trucks and in the dirt and nobody really bats an eye. A boy playing with dolls and in glittery nail polish just isn't looked at the same way. For the record, my son has several dolls and loves to wear glittery nail polish of every color. ;) So, back on track, girls take the toys, the names (I'm not talking truly unisex names. I have read of a case of a girl even having the name Thomas!), and even the clothes off the boys backs. Case in point, the Aviator Pants by Winter Wear Designs.

When asked who would like to do a girly version of one of the new Bundle Up patterns, I jumped at it. Being the hypocrite that I am. ;) After thinking long and hard about it, I chose the Aviator Pants as my pattern.

Sorry boys, these pants ROCK on a girl.

Because I sew for an older girl, 10 for the record, I keep my fabrics simple. I went with a dark charcoal gray ponte fabric from JoAnn's as my main fabric. The pattern features some pretty sweet triangle accents at the bottom of the pant legs. Super visible in that picture above because I used the same fabric as my main fabric for those. ;) Again, keeping things simple and clean for an older child. You still get the super cool effect, just much more subtle. My accent fabric for the cuffs, waistband and inside of the front pockets is a knit cotton lycra. And I used a hot pink knit interlock for the welt pockets in the back. I did interface those like crazy to help hold the shape.

My daughter absolutely loves, loves, LOVES these pants. The styling is right up her alley. She isn't super girly girl. She will wear dresses occasionally and likes pink. But she has a bit of a rocker style and these pants totally delivered it.

They are totally comfy and perfect for rocking out in the back alley. LOL Because 10 year olds so often rock out in alleys right.

I did add a little girly touch by stitching a heart under one of the welt pockets.

How freaking sweet is that? Little touches are pretty key for girl clothing, also.

I also added a little zipper cargo pocket on one leg. She loves that little element! Because, you know, girls like pockets as much as boys do.

These pants are a total win for girls!

You can see the triangle accents here. The pattern also has an option to just do a straight leg. But really, the triangle is super easy to do and adds such a nice element of design, even when done in the same fabric as the rest of the pants. You can also leave the cuffs off, but that's no fun either. And bonus, cuffs are easier than hemming.

I found the fit to be right on. Kate here is a size 10 ready to wear and according to the size chart, she was a 10 for these also. So guess what! I sewed a 10 up and they fit spot on. The pattern has the option for just a yoga waistband, that I did here, or adding elastic for some extra support. I will be going in and adding the elastic to these. The ponte fabric has a bit of weight to it, so the elastic is pretty warranted. I think if I would have picked a lighter weight fabric, she wouldn't need the elastic.

Sorry boys, you have to share one more thing with the girls. I definitely will be making up a couple more pairs of Aviator Pants for Kate this winter.

BUT WAIT...................

Of course, I HAD to make a pair for Thomas as well. I mean, come on! It is Bundle Up BOYS after all.

I didn't even measure him. Crazy sewing was happening there! I traced a 5 and went for it. And they fit! Perfectly! I did add the elastic to the waistband of this pair. I cut the elastic to my standard Thomas's elastic size and they are perfectly perfect. Perfect!

And following in his big sister's foot steps, he loved these! He said they are very cozy. Which is a good thing, because the kid will only wear cozy.

I used some amazing cotton lycra for the main fabric and the triangle accents. I bought my cotton lycra at Purple Seamstress on facebook and can't rave enough about her! The fabric is amazing quality. And more importantly, the customer service is superior! I messaged her asking how fast she can get this fabric to me for this project and she had it across country in three days. And that is her standard shipping!! Awesome. His tee shirt fabric is from Purple Seamstress as well. The pattern for his shirt is the Grand Slam from Peek-a-Boo.

The little modification I made to Thomas's pants was to do a zipper welt pocket in the back.

I love the color contrast on these. And look at those beautiful seams coming together in the triangle. Perfect! You can also see the faux piping I did for the front pockets. Pretty sweet detailing that is in the pattern directions.

So it's official. This pattern is a win for BOYS and GIRLS! If you want to sew up some Aviator Pants for your kid, boy or girl, you have to hurry! The bundle sale ends tomorrow! After that, you have to wait until the patterns go on sale individually later this fall. Don't wait! Think it's too hot still for Aviator Pants? There's a shorts option as well! So what is your excuse now? That's what I thought.

Go grab the pattern before it's too late and you regret it.

:)

 Disclaimer: I did receive the pattern for the aviator pants free to do a girly spin on it and blog about it. My thoughts of the pattern are mine and mine alone. They are pretty sweet pants. :)

Boys CAN Wear Boarder Prints

Moms of boys, have you been jealous of all the great ways girl mommas can use fabulous boarder prints? So many great dress and skirt patterns work wonderfully with boarder prints, especially the beautiful Wee Wander Summer Night Lights.

Well, boys can wear it too. ;)

My handsome little man is wearing a Peek-a-Boo Classic Oxford turned camp shirt. I used my tutorial found here at Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's Blog.

Check it out, that beautiful boarder print wraps all the way around making a darling little scene around the bottom of his shirt.

Thomas loves it and calls it his lighting bug shirt. He loves catching lighting bugs so I knew he would be all over this print. And he was! He called dibs as soon as I opened the package and showed it to him.

This would be such a classic, kinda retro feel photo if it weren't for the lovely temporary tattoos his big sister put on him. Totally forgot about those until we were on location getting dressed, sun setting and we had just 15 minutes of good light left. Oh well. It's my little guy and I'll keep him.

I LOVE making oxfords! There is just something about making a shirt that has details and looks so polished that thrills my inner sewing geek. I can't get enough of little details like that contrasting collar stand lining. Yum! Want a better shot of it? Of course you do!

Ahhh, look at that! And that contrasting yoke linking gets me too. Little touches like that to boy's clothing can really take it to the next level. The shirt has snaps, at the boy's request. He doesn't like buttons. He can do them, not sure why he doesn't like them. I think he likes to rip his shirt off like the Hulk. Snaps allow that. ;)

Did I just open up the door to boarder prints for boy sewing? I know I can't wait to find more and sew up more camp shirts for the fall with them!

Bundle Up Boy's Blog Tour

My first blog tour!! I was so excited when I was asked to be a part of the Bundle Up Boy's blog tour!

There are so many great patterns, I couldn't decided what to choose! But I finally got it narrowed down to Brownie-Goose Pattern's Butler Britches that I paired up with Fairytale Pattern's Letterman Jacket.

 Seriously, how great are these together!

  I love the look we came up with!

First, let's talk pants.

Brownie-Goose Designs Butler Britches

They look a bit different than the pattern shows, right. 

 

Well, I was sewing along, minding my own business and BAM! The fabulous lines of the Butler Britches just smacked me in the face and begged me to leave the cuffs off the pants entirely. It wasn't until after a lot of mental back and forth though! Do I dare leave off a key element of the design?  I finally went for it and so glad I did! I did ask Amy, the amazing designer of Brownie-Goose, and she gave me the thumbs up to go with it. :)

The pattern has two options for the pocket style. LOVE the pockets on these! 

There are also two different waistband styles as well, flat front, or elastic throughout. I went with the flat front and I think these could be pulled out when he needs a dressier pair of pants, they look so clean and modern.

I used a super light weight denim for these. They are so soft and comfy! He requested more of these. Honestly! So I have more planned, of course! I want to do a pair in flannel for him for pajamas. I can't wait to get to those. :) I have some beautiful Michael Miller broadcloth in a gorgeous gray that is set aside for a pair as well.

 

The fit on these is perfect! Thomas is really skinny and tall. I went with the size 2T for the waist and then used the size 5 for the rise and the inseam. The rise is a bit high for his liking, the waist sits right across his belly button. Next time I will probably use a 3 or a 4 for the rise. Clearly his height is all in his legs and not his torso.

The directions are written up in a very nice way and have lots of little tips for avoiding mistakes. Things like marking which rise is the front so you don't sew your pockets on the wrong side. Not that these pockets wouldn't be adorable in the front also! These pants are a crazy fast sew without the cuffs. The instructions for the cuffs is very clear, so I can't imagine they take a long time to do either. I'd call this a one nap time pattern.

Now the coat.

Fairytale Pattern's Letterman Jacket

This Letterman Jacket is the bomb. That is all. Enough said.

I went my own direction with it and totally ignored the fabric suggestions of fleece, sweatshirt fleece, twill, bottomweights, denim, corduroy, flannel backed satin and faux leather. I used knits. Specifically, I used a sweatshirt knit (black fabric) (not sure why it is called that, it's nothing like a sweatshirt. It's more like a thick brushed interlock.) and french terry (yellow) and a ribbed knit as suggested for the waistband and cuffs.

"Want me to smile like this, Mom?"

 I also fully lined this bad boy with some soft cotton/lycra fabric. The actual pattern for the Letterman's Jacket is unlined, which is great for the fabrics actually suggested for the pattern! But, between the lighter weight fabric I went with, and the fact that little man is a sensitive little guy and seams drive him mad along his neck, I altered the pattern and lined it.

(yucky iphone picture)

So, I took all those wonderfully cozy fabrics, a great pattern and then throw in some BATMAN! How could this coat not be loved by a four year old boy?

The large Batman symbol on the back is a hand made applique. I used the same french terry as I used for the sleeves. The rest of the patches are from an amazing hoodie I bought from Target a few years back that was long out grown.

It was really hard to cut into this. He LOVED this hoodie and wore it all the time. I am so happy that the elements of the hoodie can live on though!

The pockets are traditional letterman jacket welt pockets. I heart welt pockets!

(Don't fall for the puppy eyes. He can fake sad like nobody's business!)

I placed a patch on the upper sleeve like you can find on many letterman jackets.

He is such a tenderhearted guy. He was watching some older boys play and the two oldest left the youngest behind while he called for them to wait up. It concerned Thomas a lot that the boy was left by his friends. Such a sweet kid I have.

And a huge goof ball at the same time. LOL

Thanks for stopping by and check out our new look using Brownie-Goose's Butler Britches and Fairytale Pattern's Letterman Jacket! Be sure to check out all the amazing blogs along the tour!

 20th Boy, Oh Boy, Sew Like My Mom, Sew a Straight Line

21st Made By Sara, Friends Stitched Together, Max California

22nd Just Joshin, Kid Approved, Gracious Threads

23rd Mimi's Mom, Feather's Flights, Once Upon a Sewing Machine

24th Handmade Boy, Made By Momma, Bee Quilted Beauties

25th Handcrafted By Red, The Crazy Tailor, Kelly Hogaboom

26th Mae&K, Get Your Crap Together, Lady and the Gents

27th Paisley Roots, The Berry Bunch, Knot Sew Normal, 

 BabyFish Designs, Rebekah Sews, Lady and the Gents

28th Swoodson Says, Petit a Petit, Kelly Hogaboom

29th Beaza & Llama, Shaffer Sisters, Fabulous Home Sewn

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post. I did receive the two patterns I reviewed for free. My thoughts and opinions on the patterns are purely mine.

Did you hear?! Bundle Up Boy's Sale

Have you heard about the awesome Bundle Up Boy's Sale coming up August 22-29? If you didn't know, Bundle Up is a "collective of your favorite established PDF sewing pattern designers coming together to offer you a sweet deal on hot new patterns." That is the description from the website. :) Each bundle is themed, this one being for boys, YEA!! All of the patterns are new release, so no worries about if you have the patterns already, because you don't! AND, you can decide which patterns you want! You buy a minimum of 6 to take advantage up the bundle, but the more you buy, the more you save. Cool, huh! (There is a surprise at the end of this post!)

So, have I mentioned that I was lucky enough to test not one, but TWO of the amazing new patterns?

The Scientific Seamstress's Field Research Pants and Pattern's for Pirate's Lumberjack Shirt

Isn't he styling! Let's start with the Lumberjack Shirt.

This cozy shirt pattern is loaded with options! You can make your shirt lined, or unlined or with a collar or a hood. I went with a snuggly flannel shirt lined with cotton knit and a knit interlock hood that is lined with jersey cotton. This shirt is a great weight and is perfect for a light jacket even.

This instructions in the pattern and nice and clear. Even if you haven't done button cuffs on a shirt, you can get beautiful results with this pattern. As you can see here, I was lazy and simply serged my layers together. It was a bit thick to fold over and hem like the pattern instructed to do.

The hood is a great option for us. This little guy loves to keep his head warm when it is the slightest bit chilly out, so I know this will get tons of use! And when it gets cold, I can actually layer this shirt under another light weight coat without a hood that he never wants to wear, because of missing said hood, and he will be nice and toasty well through November.

The option of the double pockets are nice. Next time I think I am going to modify things a bit and add side seam pockets. Because a boy can never have enough pockets, right?

This shirt also rocks on a girl!

Isn't it sweet! She loves it and has requested another from hot pink and black buffalo plaid. Girl has good tastes!

Awe, the magic of a photograph. Looks like they adore each other doesn't it. Ha! They love to drive each other crazy! Siblings, they will be nice to each other as adults, right?

Okay, back to business! The second pattern I tested was the Field Research Pants by Scientific Seamstress. 

If you are looking for a pair of pants that are a bit more challenging, these are your pants!

The instructions are fantastic and you will feel like a rock star when you get that zip off pant leg installed. That's right! The pant legs zip off!

 

Look at that zipper! I'm telling you, they go in so easily and beautifully you will amazing yourself!

 

The pants are corduroy, though it doesn't look like it. It's rather light weight so they aren't so hot when they are in shorts mode.

Speaking of shorts mode, I blew his mind when I zipped the pant legs off! Love it!

And have you noticed all the pockets? There are SIX! Two back, two front and two cargo pockets. Pockets gallor! Perfect for all the trinkets he finds hiking. Care to guess how many CLEAN rocks I have in a jar on my washing machine?

Aren't they sweet! Like the belt? I'll do a tutorial on that soon!

LOVE these two patterns together! He makes for one stylish four year old. Not to mention he is all set to go exploring through the woods this fall. He loves hiking and can't get enough of it, so I imagine we will get a lot of use out of this set.

Here are a few more shots, because..... well, I can!

Now, are you ready for the surprise? You can win the collection of Bundle Up Boy's patterns before you can buy them! Are you excited? I know I am!

Go HERE for your chance to win the collection!

Go HERE to check out all 12 amazing patterns in the bundle!

*Disclosure: I did receive the two patterns I tested for free in exchange of testing them out. The opinions on the patterns are all mine. Yep! I really do love them!