Thursday, January 29, 2015

Patterns and Pink

Are you as excited as I am about Boys Can Wear Pink? Do you need some great pattern inspiration so you can sewalong with us? Here are a few patterns that would be amazing with pink for a boy.



You can go subtle and just do a pale solid pink, go a bit more bold with a pink gingham or go all out and do a pink floral shirt!




Or how about a cool pink v-neck t shirt with Patterns for Pirates Deep Sea V Neck. 

 


 

You could always make some pants with pink trim using The Coastal Cargos by Blank Slate.



Or be really bold with some bright pink skinny jeans using Titchy Treads Small Fry Skinny Jeans!


 

A pale pink sweatshirt using Love Notions Samson Sweater will give you a cool 80's vibe. Or go modern with some amazing Birch Organic fabric featuring coral pink giraffes!
And guess what! I have a coupon code for you to use at Love Notions. Use 'handmadeboy' for 20% off either of her boy patterns through February 2.



Looking for a small touch of pink, Peek-a-Boo's Little Gentleman's Tie would be great in pink paisley. 


So many different ways to incorporate pink into a boy's wardrobe! 
This should give you a good starting point to help you get prepped for next month! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

This post does contain affiliate links. What that means is that if you purchase from one of those links, I get a small percentage of the sale. I do think all these patterns are fantastic and would highly recommend any one of them! 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Girls Bundle UP!


By now I am sure you have heard that the Girls BundleUP is out and in full swing. BundleUP is a great way to score a bunch of amazing NEW patterns, from your favorite pdf designers for an fantastic deal. Who doesn't love a deal? I know I do!


I am so lucky to be a part of the blog tour! I love blog tours. It's so cool to see what people can do with the patterns. Seeing different takes on the same patterns helps you see what YOU can do with that pattern. Different perspectives can help inspire you to think beyond the cover shot, or even the tester photos. Blog tours can open your eyes to patterns that you may have not even know you NEED.

I was able to pick two patterns to showcase for my stop on the tour. And, I had a hard time choosing! I had to have Jocole's Girl's Wideleg Pants.


I have the women's version and LOVE them. I knew Kate would love the girl's. And she does! I was impatient and sewed while she was sleeping and didn't measure, so these are actually a size too wide for her, but I think they still look great.


I used a mid-weight denim from JoAnn's. After constructing the seams, but before topstitching, I used sandpaper to distress the denim to help them look more ready to wear and less "Hey! My mom made my jeans!"

Pockets are a must. I admit, I always consider skipping them on the kids clothes. Fast and easy are often requirements for me because my "to sew" list is a mile long. But I took the extra 10 minutes and added the pockets. I never regret it. And the kids are always thrilled to find them.

I also added a faux fly with my topstitching. The pattern doesn't include this in the tutorial, but I wanted to make them look more like jeans.


The pattern includes three different styles of knit waistbands. (which I forgot to photograph, sorry!) A skinny knit band, regular, or fold over yoga band. I went with a regular waistband.

Jocole went with her usual routine and has a huge size range available with this pattern. 16 sizes, newborn, 3m, 6m, 12m, 18m, 2t, 3t, 4t, 5t, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, and doll! You can sew shorts, capri or full length pants with this one pattern. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. She has a great guide for how to measure for the proper size. There are two different pocket styles, or you can omit the pockets all together. This pattern is great for woven fabrics or knits and the fabric guide includes measurements for both 58-60" wide or 42-44" wide fabrics.


I paired the Wideleg Pants with Foo Foo Threads Adeline Cardigan and Dress.

I upcycled a sweater I found in a thrift shop for this and could not be happier with the results! (I wish I would have remembered to take a picture before I took the scissors to that sweater. It was a basic women's cardigan, size xl.)


I used the existing buttons and hems so this was a VERY fast project. The actual pattern is for a lined knit cardigan, but to be able to do this with the existing hem and buttons, I did not line my cardigan.

For the collar, I used one of my husband's old t shirts that matched the gray cardigan almost perfectly. To finish off the neckline, I folded over the edge to the wrong side by 3/8". and stitched it into place. Raw edges are often left unfinished on ready to wear sweaters, so all my seams are unfinished and trimmed to 1/4". The only thing I would have done differently is to have done a stay stitch along the neckline. My sweater knit is light weight and the neckline stretched out a little bit because of it. But even with that, I love the cardigan and so does my daughter.


See the cute gather at the sleeve cap? Such a sweet look!

This was my first Foo Foo Threads pattern. I can see why everybody loves them so much! Very detailed instructions from everything on how to choose the right fabrics, how to cut them and even how to iron them properly! The section about how to determine the correct size was just as detailed, so you will get a fantastic fit. The options are overflowing with this pattern as well! Cardigan or dress, ruffle sleeves or plain, ruffle hem, plain hem. Oh and let's not forgot sleeveless, short sleeves or long. The sizes range from 0-3 month to a girl's 10.




Thanks for stopping by and checking out our look!

I was given the two patterns used in this post. The opinions of the patterns are my own.

Don't forget to pop over to Pattern Revolution to win one of these amazing prizes!
http://patternrevolution.com/blog/2015/1/22/bundle-up-sewing-bee-and-giveaway
Be sure to go see what the other bloggers have done with the great patterns in this bundle!


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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Boys CAN wear pink!

The blog has been quiet for a little while and it's time to change that up! I've been working hard on a lot of things. Lots of planning and sewing of course! And starting February 1st, things are going to be hopping over here!

I am so excited to announce my first blog series!


And let me tell you, it's going to be a big series! It will run the entire month of February with a new blogger each day showcasing how their boys wear pink. We are breaking the gender rules! Pink is NOT just for girls!

AND..... there's a giveaway at the end.

Pretty sweet, huh!

Are you interested in creating some awesome pink fashions for your boys? I hope so because we are having a sew-a-long also! I'll give you the info for that later.
Need some great fabric to play with us? Check out this amazing fabric from Mabel Madison.


Just a little pink, nothing crazy. I bet any boy would be thrilled to have a shirt or pair of pants made out of this. Or a jacket! This would be a cool jacket.

Now this is a bit more bold. I admit, I love it! And I have some plans for this knit next month.


Another boy print that isn't afraid of a little pink.


There is way more over at Mabel Madison! And to sweeten the deal, I have a discount code for you to use over there! Take 15% off your purchase with the code PINKBOYS from now till 2/28.

Purple Seamstress also has amazing fabrics! She has an entire rainbow of cotton lycras and a ton of fun coordinating striped knit fabrics. You can find her on Facebook here or at her store front here. She runs regular sales on Facebook so go like her page to stay up to date with all the latest finds. Just message her and let her know what you would like to purchase. Simple as that!

And then there is Funkalious Fabrics. 
Tell me a little boy who wouldn't love a shirt out of this for Valentine's Day!


Hawthorne Threads  is another great source for boys. Check out all the great stuff they have! They have a large selection of wovens and they have knit also. And a lot of it!

Fashionable Fabrics has this amazing print!


 This would make an amazing bow tie!



Fabric Worm is another great place for fabric. Like this fun fish fabric.

Windham Fabrics Ahoy Matey Fishy Friends in Red

Of course, all of these great shops have lots of boy fabric that doesn't have pink in it, also!

I am not an affiliate with any of these shops. They are just shops I have used in the past for great fabric and want to share the love!

Need great patterns for sewing up some pink boy stuff? I'll share those later in the week. ;)
I'm so excited! Tell me what pink awesomess you want to make the boy in your life in the comments!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Project 365

I started up a new project this year that I'm rather excited about! It's called Project 365. The goal of the project is to take a picture everyday for a year. I'm all of four days into it and I'm still doing it! Whoo hooo!! If you would like to follow along with what I'm doing, you can find the pictures here on my photography blog. To catch you up, here is what the first four days included.

Day 1.


Day 2.


Day3.


Day 4.


Day 5 can be found here.

I plan to link over each week to share what I have been doing. You can also follow along on facebook for daily updates. If I was cool and organized, you could follow along on instagram. I'll get there eventually, baby steps, guys.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy New Year!!

I know it's been super quiet around here lately. I'm sorry! The holidays and sickness and waaay too many projects have taken priority.




This little guy had a rough few weeks.

But we made it through the holidays!

My goal for this blog in 2015 is to bring you more tutorials and share with you more great patterns for boys. Ya know, typical bloggy goals.


I hope you had a fabulous 2014!!! Let's make 2015 even more fab!