Sewing for Boys April Sew-along

When the 'Sewing for Boys' April pattern  was announced, I wasn't sure that I would participate this month - I've already made two pairs of the Treasure Pocket Pants (a pair with Penguins and a pair with Puppies).  So I felt that we were in a good place with Treasure Pocket Pants already.  Then I realized that this was an excellent opportunity to sew something cute for my 3-month-old nephew.

Now, you may be asking, "How did you sew these for your nephew, isn't the smallest pattern size 12-18 months?"  Okay, so maybe you weren't asking that at all, but I'll answer anyway.  These pants are 12-18 months, and I'm thinking they'll fit my nephew next fall/winter.  He's a big baby, so I'm guessing that they'll fit sooner rather than later.  Unfortunately for us, this means that we won't have any cute photos of babies today.

One reason that I made these way-too-big pants was the fact that I already had all of the materials in my stash.  My aunt gave me the tan canvas/denim fabric that I used for the main part of the pants, and I bought the cute owl print at Sew to Speak.  For the record, the owl print is a Tammis Keefe/Michael Miller print - the third Tammis Keefe print that I've bought.  I love them all!

I didn't really do anything special with this pattern.  The waist facing is narrower than the instructions require, and I used a slightly differnt method for attaching the bottom hem facings, but these are really minor changes.  You may also notice that I used the main canvas fabric for the top side panels, while in the past I've used the contrast fabric all the way up the side.  I really like the result either way.

Of course, even though the recipient is out of town, my son couldn't resist the opportunity to have his picture taken.  Comparing this photo to the pictures of him in his puppy pants really makes me realize how badly this boy needs a haircut!  I promise - short hair will be in the very near future.

Josh's Treasure Pocket Pants Redux

I already wrote about the lovely Treasure Pocket Pants pattern from 'Sewing for Boys'.  I liked them so much I made a second pair.  This time I used some soft, tan corduroy and a Dog print fabric by Tammis Keefe.  Instead of using contrast fabric for the waistband, I used the main fabric, mostly because my piece of Puppy fabric wasn't wide enough to cut one long strip; I would have had to piece it, or have sideways dogs.  Josh is (obviously) pretty happy with them.

 I finished sewing these pants late on Friday night, and I left them on the back of a chair, expecting Josh to see them.  Sure enough, when I came downstairs on Saturday morning, he was wearing his new pants!  Seeing a cute kid in cozy new pants makes this mama very happy.

Josh's Penguin Treasure Pocket Pants

If the little boys that you know are anything like my son, they like to pick out really impractical prints at the fabric store.  Recently, I was left wondering how I would make stylish pants out of the penguin fabric that Josh selected - he specifically said that he wanted me to make pants with it.  So, I was super excited when I saw the Treasure Pocket Pants pattern in Sewing for Boys.  These pants are a great way to showcase a neat print while using a sturdy, practical fabric as the body of the pants.




I used the quilting-weight Penguin fabric for the side-panel accent, and a sturdy denim from Sew to Speak for the body of the pants.  They turned out great!  Josh looks stylin' in them, and the mix of fabrics was a good compromise.

The book isn't exactly clear about how to achieve the look in the photo - experienced readers will pick up on the differences, but others may not.  In the book's photo, the accent fabric doesn't go all the way up to the waistband, but Josh's pants have penguins all the way up the side.  The book doesn't do a good job of explaining that they've followed different cutting instructions to get the pictured product.  This wasn't a problem for me, but others might be bothered by this.

Overall, Sewing for Boys is a really nice book.  I wish they included more pictures and diagrams for the patterns themselves, though the big pictures of the finished products are really nice.  I'm just disappointed that the patterns only go up to Size 6-7. Unfortunately, my 6 year-old boy won't be able to fit in these clothes much longer.  Perhaps my (soon to be born) nephew will need some Treasure Pocket Pants of his own someday!  In the meantime, I'm planning to make another pair for Josh with some tan cord and red puppy fabric.