The Ugly Sweater

When I saw that Karly from Paisley Roots was having an ugly sweater contest, I knew I needed to play along. What a FUN idea!! So, after some brainstorming, this is what happened. I think it's quite awesome.

I used Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shops, V-Neck Cardigan and color blocked it into three sections on the front using solid red and green cotton lycra and two prints

ADVTee by Sofilantjes

Today I'm sharing my version of the ADVTee by Sofilantjes. I have never tried a pattern from Sofilantjes before. I have to say, they are really nicely done!

Wear to Where Blog Tour

Hey, everybody! Thanks for stopping by for the Wear to Where Blog Tour. If you are new to my blog, hello! I'm Kelly and you will typically find me sewing up kids clothes. Mostly for my 5 year old son, hence the name, Handmade Boy. However, occasionally, I will sew something for myself and this was a great excuse to do so! For my theme, I chose tailgating. I really needed some new clothes for fall and this theme fits right into my everyday style.

I knew I wanted, NEEDED a vest. I have been searching for one in stores forever and have not been able to find what I wanted.

Gracious Threads New Look Blog Tour and SALE

I am so excited to show you my take on the New Look theme for Gracious Threads Blog Tour! I started with some adult clothes I found on sale/clearance racks that needed a New Look.

Swoodson Says Tour

Hey guys! I hope your autumn is off to a great start! I know ours is and it's been loaded with hikes exploring nature and collecting rocks and leaves. Swoodson Say's Little Collector Backpack is the perfect take along for our adventures!

This bag is a great size for a younger child. Thomas is five and 48" tall and it fit him perfectly.

Pattern Smashing Time

Today, I'm over on Peek-a-Boo Pages sharing how I smashed three PAB Patterns to create the two shirts above. Hop on over and find out how you can make your own Henley Raglan!

Time for School Wardrobe Capsule Tour

 I am bursting at the seams to share what I have been working on since July! It's been a HUGE project but it is so rewarding to have it done. Well, almost, I have a few more pieces I want to add, but I ran out of time. Life, what can you do but roll with it, right? 

When I was invited on the Time for School Wardrobe Capsule Tour, I jumped on it! What a cool concept! And it's really perfect for independent kids who like to pick their own clothes but have a dad who kinda cares that they match, just a little bit. And while Thomas homeschools, he still needs clothes that look nice for his weekly cello lessons and trips to the library. And simply because we live in a civilized society.

 I don't do a lot of formal planning when I sew. It just kinda happens. No sketches, no real set goal, no picking a color pallet, or even choosing fabrics ahead of time. I just sew with a general idea in mind.

Love Notions Boyfriend Cardigan

Fall is coming! Fall is coming! Is anybody else doing a happy dance like I am! I love fall because I am a hoodie and cardigan fanatic! And luckily for me Love Notions just released her new Boyfriend Cardigan yesterday and I am in love with it. 

Not JUST a Sunsuit Tour

When I was invited to join the Not Just a Sunsuit Tour by Call Ajaire, I was super excited for a couple of reasons. First, I like the challenge of sewing trendy clothes that have the RTW look my tween looks for and this pattern looked perfect for that challenge!

Canadian Designer Blog Tour

I am so excited to be participating on the Candian Designer Blog Tour hosted by Lulu and Celeste. I am espcially excited to get to sew something up for my big old seventeen year old son! (And, will be sewing more with the coupon at the end of the post!) He kinda gets the short end of the stick when it comes to getting handmade goodies. Which is sad because he WANTS them. Yes! Even teens can appreciate a handmade item. And with a great pattern and the right fabrics, you can even make COOL handmade clothes for teenage boys. 

I have been eyeing Thread Theory for a while now. I hadn't taken the plunge to purchase because I haven't seen a whole lot of talk about them and I wasn't familiar with them. But, when I saw they were one of the designers on this tour, I JUMPED at the chance to sew one of their patterns for my son. We went with the Newcastle Cardigan.

One Thimble Issue 7: Prince Hoodie

One Thimble Issue 7 will be released soon and it is packed with an amazing set of patterns. I was invited to sew up a pattern to share with all of you and the Prince Hoodie by Tigerlily Patterns was perfect for my little guy.

If you are looking for a quick sew that will impress your little guy, this is it!

Jillian Tank Women's Bundle UP

Women's Bundle UP is live and wow, it's a great set of patterns!! It had the hardest time choosing what I wanted to make for the blog tour. I finally decided that I HAD to do the Jillian Tank. And I am so happy with it!

If you are new to Bundle UP, it's a set of patterns by different, well known and established designers and each one is NEW. You get to choose which patterns you want and by bundling, you get an awesome discount! The more you bundle, the more you save!

Time to Travel Ebook Review

If you have little ones, you know how hard it is to sew when they are awake. I mean really, how many times can you throw your buttons on the ground and actually have your child stay interested in sorting them out for you? I think that lasted for all of 0.3 seconds when I offered that game to Thomas. But today, the struggle was a lot easier! That is because I had a ton of great activities to offer him thanks to the new ebook Time to Travel from Sewing with Boys.

 Don't let the title fool you! This ebook is for way more than when you travel! Though it does have a lot of great tips inside for making actual travel easier with little ones. ;)

Make Believe Week

Chelsea from GYCT Designs is hosting Make Believe Week. It's such a great idea and it has been so fun seeing the great things all the bloggers have come up with! We are big fans of playing make believe on many levels in our home. All of my kids have been known to wear a dress up outfit to Target on more than one occassion. And Halloween costumes are used year round and worn until seams burst because the kids refuse to believe they have out grown the item. LOL So needless to say, I jumped at the chance to play along.

I also love to tie in a good theme. ;) And luckily for me, this guy had a birthday on Sunday.

You see where this is going, don't you. ;)

Thomas is Lego obsessed. He builds every single day. He has sat at the kitchen table with his new sets the last two days straight barely stopping to eat.

The Pattern Exam

I am so happy to announce that The Pattern Exam is off and running! I have been working on this project with a great group of bloggers to help you decide which pattern is best for YOU. The Pattern Exam is not about telling you which pattern is best. Nope! What we do is the grunt work. We take a set of patterns and give you a list of the features of each pattern. It's all available on a cute handy chart so you can easily see which patterns have the features that are most important to you. We also give you a personal review of each pattern, what we liked and how the fit was for our child. We are not comparing the patterns to each other, but giving independent reviews of each. You can find out more about our process here.

Our first group of patterns is underwear. To see which ones we reviewed and what I and the other bloggers had to say about them, hop on over to our blog! You can find my review here.

I hope this helps you decide which pattern is best for you! Have a set of patterns you want reviewed? Let me know! Have some features you love in your patterns that we are missing? Let me know that, too! Next month is leggings!

Boys Can Wear Pink Winner!!!

Thank you again to everybody who participated in Boys Can Wear Pink! You can find the round up of all the bloggers who participating by clicking on the Boys Can Wear Pink button on the side bar.

The winner of the giveaway is

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Kari!!!

 I have sent you an email already. Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prizes. :)

Thank you to all the wonderful sponsors! 

 

  

One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

Remember, #boyscanwearpink !!!

BCWP, Day 28

Today is the last day in our Boys Can Wear Pink series. It has been FANTASTIC!! I have truly enjoyed seeing all the great looks created by everybody. To wrap things up, Scary over at Shaffer Sisters made a gender rules breaking outfit for her little cuddle monster.

 Today I have one more look to share as well. Did you know I have a teenager? A big boy teenager. I do. He doesn't like to have the camera pointed at him often, so you won't see much of him. And because he is a teen, I try very hard to respect his space and coolness and not drag him around into the little world I live in here occasionally. But, my big old 17 year old thought this bow tie was pretty sweet and he asked if he could be the one who modeled it for me. (Really, I was teasing him one day with it and told him I was going to make him model it for me and he jump at the chance to do it. Cool, huh!) So here he is, making his blogging debut.

Isn't he handsome. :) I made this bow tie using Peek-a-Boo's Little Gentleman's Tie pattern. It's the child size, but other than the neckband being too small for an adult, the size of the bow tie looks nice. I made this for Thomas. Never in a million years did I think this guy would want a pink plaid bow tie. But he loves it and kept it. I need to make a new band for him. We safety pinned it on here. LOL

I know the vest is way cool also. I didn't make that. Though I have been challenged a bit to make a vest myself using this one as a guide. I love a challenge, so I may just do that. But for those interested, the vest is from The Buckle. I have no clue if they still have it. We got it back in December.

Today is also the last day to enter the giveaway! TONS of fabulous prizes are going to been given to one winner. I will announce the winner tomorrow and email the winner as well.

The prize package includes:
One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

Giveaway rules:

By entering into the giveaway, you are agreeing to the following rules:

International entries welcome, but winners outside of the US will be responsible for shipping of physical prizes.

You must be 18 or older to enter.

Winner will be notified via email within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to all the awesome sponsors and bloggers who participated!! If you want to see all the looks created for Boys Can Wear Pink, click the button on the sidebar, or go here.  This has been a fabulous first series and I plan to do more and to repeat this next February! 

 These two guys would like to remind you that boys of all ages can wear whatever color they like, be it black, red, blue or pink! Colors do not assign gender. Use whatever crayon in the box makes you happy. And if somebody dares to break your crayon, just pull out a marker and go to town.

BCWP, Day 27

Today I am going to share with some something that I have already shared, but it is worth bringing back for this series. This shirt.

I adore this shirt. Everything about it. I love this fabric so much. And seeing everybody use it for girl's items made me want to use it for Thomas even more to prove that it is gender neutral. But because of the little pink flowers, it was being used pretty exclusively for girls. 

As you can see, it is very much a "boy's shirt" on Thomas. He loves lighting bugs so this shirt is one of his favorites. :)

And did you know that boys can wear pink underwear too? They can. ;) I'll spare you the model shots, but I can assure you that they are freaking adorable on him and he thinks they are the funniest underwear in is collection.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excuse how terribly wrinkled they are. He actually does use these. They are clean, I promise. But really, who irons underwear? 

There is still time to entire the giveaway! It ends tomorrow and I will share the winner on Sunday, March 1. It's a pretty amazing prize package, so you don't want to miss your chance to win it.

The prize package includes:
One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

Thank you to our amazing sponsors! And there is still time to save 15% at Mabel Madison using the coupon code "PINKBOYS"! That deal ends tomorrow as well. And you can share your pink creations on facebook using the #boyscanwearpink. We would love to see them!!

BCWP, Day 26

Just a couple days left in Boys Can Wear Pink. The bloggers aren't slowing down with their awesome looks, though! Danielle from The Kisses Co. created several looks using pink for her boys and they are so handsome!

And Meriel is sharing a sweet look perfect for a little baby boy that is colorful and cheery on her blog create3.5.

There is still time to enter the giveaway sponsored by these awesome people!

The prize package includes:
One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/preview/1/

And you can check out all the looks for Boys Can Wear Pink here!

BCWP, Day 25

Friends Stitched Together is back and this time Tasha has a look to share! Her little guy designed an amazing shirt that he is super proud of! I love that he got into designing a shirt for himself.

Erin from The Bugs Bit is also with us with looks for the guys in her family! Her husband really jumped on board with this proving that boys and men can wear pink!

BCWP, Day 24

 Pattern Revolution is joining the series today with several looks for Boys Can Wear Pink!
  Three completely different looks were created by a few of their team to show how  pink can be worked into a boy's wardrobe.

We also have Sara from Made by Sara with a really great way to add just a touch of pink to a boy's wardrobe. Because let's face it, some kids (boys and girls!) don't want a screaming pink article of clothing. I am in love with the striped fabric she used!

Thank you to all the bloggers who have participated!!

BCWP, Day 23

We are in our final week of the Boys Can Wear Pink series! Today we have two amazing bloggers sharing their looks.

Emily from Lady and the Gents has her boys sporting super cute appliqued shirts. I love how these shirts turned out! I love the touch of pink with the gray and black.

Also, Essence from Amazing Adventures with Bubba and Bug is back with a second look for Boys Can Wear Pink. This look is completely different than her first look. Today her son is rocking a brightly colored oxford that would cheer anybody up!

Don't forget we have a giveaway going along with this series from this list of amazing sponsors!

The prize package includes:
One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BCWP, Day 22

Today we have two fantastic bloggers showing us two entirely different ways that boys can wear pink! First up is Melissa from Rebel & Malice with a super cool floral shirt.

 

And we have Kate from The Fairy Dust Bin with a super fun and cute pink robot tee shirt.

 

Both of these are such great looks!! Thank you for joining the series ladies!

BCWP, Day 21

Super crazy day today for us! I hope you guys all had a chance to stop on over at Phat Quarters Blog and check out what Gemia did for Boys Can Wear Pink today. Boys can totally wear pink bandana bibs with hearts on them! I love it!

BCWP, Day 20

Today, for Boys Can Wear Pink, we have a pink wearing divo courtesy of Roxanne from Pen, Seb & Rox. (A divo is a boy diva. True story, Roxanne looked it up!) This little guy knows what he likes and has his own idea about style. And boy, does he ever have style and the personality to go with it!!

Your little guy is amazing, Roxanne! Thanks for sewing for him and the series!

BCWP, Day 19

You are not going to believe the look put together by Michelle at Falafel and the Bee! This is total manly pink awesomeness. There is nothing girly about pink here! Michelle sewed this amazing vest for her husband for Boys Can Wear Pink. My son would LOVE a vest like this!

Thank you, Michelle and thanks to your husband as well!

BCWP, Day 18

How about a little retro feeling look for today's Boys Can Wear Pink! Jessica from Squishy Face did just that for her son. And he rocks the look!

Thanks, Jessica!! I love your look and how much your son owns it!

BCWP, Day 17

Today, Jessica from The Berry Bunch has a great pale pink and brown outfit for her guy for Boys Can Wear Pink. I love the style of that shirt! And the stripes are too fun!

This outfit looks so comfy! Thank you for joining the series, Jessica!

BCWP, Day 16

We have made it over half way through the series! Remember that freezer paper stencil I shared with you on day 1?

Well Karly from Paisley Roots did her own version of the shirt for her little guy. I LOVE the colors she used for the shirt!Be sure to check out her page for more details of her handsome little guy's new look!

If you are still wanting to make you own shirt, you can find the Silhouette Studio file here.

The PDF version, for those who don't have a Silhouette, is here.

And for those who embroider, Jazzy Zebra was totally cool and made both embroidery and applique files for FREE that you can find here.

If you make a shirt, or anything pink for your boy, I would love to see it! Join the Facebook group Sew for Boys and share what you made with the hashtag #boyscanwearpink. 

And don't forget the prizes we have from these amazing sponsors!
You can also get 15% your purchase from Mabel Madison using the code PINKBOYS through 2/28.

The prize package includes:
One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 To see a round up of all the bloggers looks we have had so far, you can click on the Boys Can Wear Pink button on the side bar, or click here.

BCWP, Day 15

We have some not so little boys today showing us that even the big kids, and dad can wear pink and make it look cool! Essence from Adventures with Bubba and Bug made shirts for her son and husband that will make any big boy want a pink shirt.

Thanks Essence for proving that the big boys can wear pink, too!

BCWP, Day 14

Happy Valentine's Day! Today's pink look is brought to you by Rachel from Handcrafted by RED. She created an awesome shirt for her little Paw Patrol fan. I can't let Thomas see this one, or he will be adding to my project list for sure!

Thanks, Rachel! I'm so glad your little guy loves his shirt!