'Sewing for Boys' May Sew-along

I can't believe how quickly May has gotten away from me.  School is ending, the sun is shining, and I very nearly didn't finish the May 'Sewing for Boys' Sew-along.  I pulled it together just in time.

I abso-freakin'-lutely  love the Mimi's boy suspender shorts, but they are too little for my Josh.  So, I settled for making the hat and belt combo - I may make some suspender shorts for my nephew in the not-too-distant future (he is only 4 months old, so he is still too little for them!).

Let's start with the positive, shall we?  Josh loves his Going Fishing Hat!

The unfinished look of the hat was a good thing for me, since I was rushing a bit to finish.  I used two woven fabrics - Alexander Henry Osteology and a Lotta Jansdotter print.  I wish the hat was just a bit bigger on him, but it will fit for the summer, which is the important thing.  I'll have to say, I didn't follow the directions very closely - I cut out the pattern, skimmed the instructions, then sewed up the hat a couple days later without looking at the directions again.  Josh likes hats, so I hope he'll get a lot of wear out of this one.  Too bad he can't wear this hat and his bike helmet at the same time!

Now the not-so-fantastic.  I felt that the Hold 'Em Up Belt didn't come together as well as it could have.  The thing that seemed most problematic was the length that was suggested in the instructions - adding 6 inches to your child's waist measurement didn't seem to be enough.  Josh was wearing jean shorts when he tried it on, and it barely fit.  Perhaps it would be more helpful to measure the circumference of the pants that your child will wear the belt with, rather than his or her actual waist.  Next time I make a belt, I'll probably make it with 10 inches added to his waist measurement.  The other problem was entirely my own - I think it would be nicer with a heavier interfacing than the one I used.  Not such a big deal.  Next time I may just do a double layer of interfacing.

The final problem had very little to do with the belt - Josh was in a terrible mood and didn't want to be photographed wearing it.  So here's a picture of him starting to cry while holding it:

Poor guy!  I am planning to make another, longer, heavier version to hopefully make him happy.  Really, I don't think the belt was the problem - we had a long, tiring Memorial Day weekend.