Handmade Boy: 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.