.Long Boards - winter edition.

This big boy of mine ONLY wears shorts. No matter the weather. Even on freezing cold, frosty mornings he runs along to school in a pair of shorts. We have to beg him to wear a jumper - before school I tell him to at least keep it on until I can't see him anymore!  

He seems to have either worn out or outgrown most of his shorts and requested some new ones. Not from the shop, but from my sewing machine. My kids think that all clothes come from my handiwork, last week Tommy had a new (store bought) beanie on and told one of our friends that Mummy made it!

I don't bother with any other pattern anymore. I love how my Long Boards look on the boys and the fact that they are a longer pair of shorts gives me a little sense of satisfaction that he is at least warm down to his knees! Plus, I love all of the details that make them look less "homemade."

Nice big pockets, fake fly stitching and practical knee patches. I have found that Oscar wears his shorts sooo much that it's best if I reinforce the crotch seam and where the pocket opening reaches the side seam in the shorts because there is a lot of stress in those areas - he's always got his hands in his pockets!

Because this house has turned into a house full of boys, I'm finding myself looking out for and grabbing more boy-friendly fabric now. Especially fabric for bigger boys. Sometimes it can be tricky to buy suitable fabric for them but I like a challenge! Shorts are the most popular item of clothing I sew for the boys using woven cotton fabric so I usually look out for fabric that will work well in a pair of shorts and figure that it will be used up eventually over the next 10 years!

SUPPLIES:
Make It Perfect Long Boards pattern (avaliable as PDF download here)
Bonnie & Camille, Happy Go Lucky, Check in Navy/Lime
Michael Miller, Freestyle, Malibu

.Amazing portraits.

I know this really cool girl called Sam. She is an artist. And she is my sister in law!

We (the fam) have been at her for ages to get her act together and start selling her custom-drawn family (or friends) portraits.

How rad are these? This is Sam with her siblings - they look amazingly similar to their real-life versions. 

 

I'm so excited that Sam has started to offer these custom-drawn portraits to YOU! Aren't they the best,  they make me smile really big every time I see them.

There are lots of different options for you to choose from to make your portraits exactly what you want - read more about the details on Sam's design blog here. 

You can choose to have your portraits in black and white or colour (as shown below) - with or without borders - and she'll even include your pets if you want them! I love that the portraits come in pdf/jpeg digital format so that you can use them for anything you like - print and frame to decorate your home or give away as presents, use them for your social media profile pictures, pop them on your blog, the sky's the limit!

My sister and her crew are getting ready to take part in a 100km bush walk for charity and Sam whipped them up an awesome portrait - isn't it the best?! (Go here to donate to their walk).

I'm off to look through my photos and choose one of each of us to email through to Sam - it's only been on my "to-do" list for a couple of months...stay tuned, I'll share our family portrait soon! In the meantime, visit Sam's blog for more information about getting your own custom-drawn family portrait!

.Another Super Hero Top.

A new long-sleeved top sewn for the crazy kid. Harvey has a suit sewn up in this fabric too, for when he gets a bit bigger so they could end up with some twinsy-dressed days if I'm not paying attention!

I do love this fabric but get a little cautious when sewing with prints for the bigger boys because I'm worried everything will end up looking like pyjamas! Having only one panel of the pattern in printed fabric and the rest in a solid helps to break it up a bit though and I'm happy with how this top looks.

The pattern is one I haven't tried before, from Ottobre again Spring 1/2013. It is called "Formal or Fun" and has an unusually constructed neckline with one strip of binding along the shoulders and back neckline. The neck opening is pretty snug to get over the head - lucky Tommy has a little head but you might want to cut it open a bit more if you have a bigger headed kid!

 

.Vikings and Knee Patches.

These photos are the last of my 000 sized sewing for Harvey. He was 3 1/2 weeks old when these were taken and is 7 weeks now...such a big change in a small amount of time!

The towelling knit is lovely to wear, nice and thick and warm. Read more about the knee patch suit here.

And the viking suit - this one is my favourite fabrics. It comes in other colours too which I may just have to add to the stash for sewing later on.

I remember I was a bit disappointed after I had finished sewing this suit because it took forever and looked as though it was going to be way too wide. It actually fits really well so I breathed a big sigh of relief when he first wore it!

I also thought that fully lining it was overkill but it does make it extra snuggly and warm so I'm glad I took the time to do it. Read more about the viking suit here.

.Basic Tee with a cowl neck.

Lil needed some new long-sleeved tops. With my limited sewing time at the moment, I wanted the project to be a quick sew but didn't just want a plain top with no special features.

So I pulled out my Basic Tees pattern because I know it is super straightforward, quick and easy. Then I made some really simple alterations and additions to make it super funky! 

The addition of long skinny sleeve cuffs, a hem cuff...

...and a pretty cowl neck were just what we needed!

If you're a confident sewer, you could probably make these alterations easily yourself. For those of you who need a bit more guidance, I have plans to write these instructions up as a free PDF download to use in conjunction with your Basic Tees pattern so stay tuned!

SUPPLIES:
Make It Perfect, Basic Tees pattern
Spoonflower Fox Forest Blue knit fabric
Hilco Campan knit in Pink/Rose

.Hero Vest winner.

Congratulations Jody! You've won a copy of my new Hero Vest pattern - I've sent you an email to get your details! x

.Hero Vest for a GIRL.

Sewing for girls is a breeze...they have the most versatile wardrobes and a pattern targeted at boys can easily be sewn up in girl-friendly fabric - a bonus if you have boys and girls in your family.

And while I think the Hero Vest is the perfect boy sewing pattern, I also knew that it would be awesome for a girl.

The Hero Vest with girl power!

This Hero Vest is made using jersey knit for the exterior, polar fleece for the lining and ribbing for the aqua binding.

I really like how the charcoal lining peeking out from the hood and black zipper help to tone down the bright pink so that it isn't so sweet and pretty - adds a bit of funk, don't you think?

The pockets are one of my favourite features on the Hero Vest. I really like the quirkiness of the circular openings and decorative topstitching outlining the shape of the pocket.

These are so satisfying to sew and a great way to gain more confidence with knit sewing and inserting zips. In fact, this is the easiest way you can sew in a zip (in my opinion) so I highly recommend you giving it a try if you have been avoiding them in the past - embrace the zip, you will open yourself to so many more sewing options once you aren't scared of them anymore! Oh, and if you don't want to use a knit fabric for your exterior, remember this pattern is so versatile and works really well with a woven cotton exterior too.

The giveaway for the Hero Vest pattern is still running, visit this post to enter!

Or if you don't want to wait, this pattern is available as an instant download PDF here!

.Hero Vest.

Mama's and grandmothers of boys...I've got a new boy pattern for you today! I know how tricky it can be so sew for boys (especially for older ones) and I hope my newest pattern will put a smile on your face!

Introducing HERO VEST:

A hood + zipper + pockets = three necessities that will ensure your boy's clothing gets the big tick of approval. 

-->

The Hero Vest is made for those little heroes in your life - the ones that can so easily make you forget all of their mischief and madness with a cheeky smile or a squeezy hug!

A quick cover-up for chillier days, the Hero Vest is ultra comfortable, featuring ribbed binding on the hood, waistband, pocket openings and armholes - allowing you plenty of options to include lots of fun colour combinations!

With the exterior made from either woven or knit fabric, you've got plenty of fabric options to explore. And the snugly polar fleece lining will ensure your boy will always stay toasty and warm.

Perfect for grabbing as you run out of the door, the Hero Vest will save you in the case of unpredictable weather!

The Hero Vest has been a big winner with my two older boys. Tommy (my cute model only requiring a Kinder Surprise as payment!) has a couple of them now and wears them over and over again. He is a skinny little thing and really feels the cold so loves having an extra layer and the snugly hood to put on when it is very cold or raining outside. Oscar wears shorts and a t-shirt all year 'round. Crazy kid! But I did make him a Hero Vest just to test the waters and he tells me that he will happily wear it over his tshirt! I'll get some pics soon to share.

As a Mother of three boys, I understand just how difficult it can be to sew "cool" clothing for them. Fabric choice alone is tricky enough, but sourcing patterns can be a killer. I try really hard to think about the functionality of all of the patterns I create and want them to be items of clothing that you or your kids will wear over and over again - I definitley think the Hero Vest will be a well-loved wardrobe staple.

If you've never sewn with knits before, don't despair. You can choose to sew the exterior of the vest using woven cotton fabric or a knit fabric. The vest in these photos was sewn using a quilting cotton. It is lined with polar fleece and the binding is made using stretch ribbing which is super easy to use as you just stretch it to fit as you sew. You don't need anything more than your basic sewing machine to have success with this pattern. I'll share photos of some of the other vests I've made in the next week or so to give you and idea what they look like sewn up in different fabric combos. And even though the pattern is targeted at boys, it also makes an awesome vest for girls too! (Those lucky girls can pretty much wear anything!)

Hero Vest is avaliable in two size ranges: Little Hero Vest for sizes 0-5 and Big Hero Vest for sizes 6-10. It can also be purchased as an Instant Download PDF Pattern from my website or paper versions of the pattern will start hitting stores soon. Check out my list of stockists here.

If you would like to win a copy of Hero Vest, simply leave a comment on this blog post! 
 (Please make sure you leave an email address with your comment. Giveaway will close Thursday 11th July and winner will be drawn at random).

.Super Baby.

Meet my little super baby...over the last two weeks he has been sleeping beautifully at night. His last feed is around 8:30pm, then he goes to sleep about an hour later and blesses me with a big uninterrupted sleep until 3:30am. Bliss when you're the Mama of a 5 week old.

Usually the 3:30am feed is quick, but sometimes can go on for an hour or two if he has a sore tummy. I don't mind too much though. Harvey sleeps right next to me in his hammock so I don't even have to get out of bed to pick him up! I've always been a dark and quiet night time feeder - just a low lamp, no talking, no unwrapping or nappy changing and I think it makes a big difference in getting baby to know night and day. It's also good for me because it means I stay sleepy and relaxed and don't feel as though I've missed out on too much sleep. After the 3:30am feed he's out again until 7am - perfect!

Not all nights are that awesome, but more often than not he's been following that basic routine and I'm making the most of it while it lasts because I'm sure that it will change eventually!

 These photos were taken of Harvey when he was just 2 weeks old. He looks so much different now - way chubbier. Makes me kind of sad that we are already saying goodbye to the super newborn stage.

 This is the little Super Hero outfit is cute as can be - find out more details about the fabric and pattern here if you are interested. This fabric from Spoonflower has faded sooo much over the last few weeks and he's only worn it 4 or so times. Definitely something to keep in mind if you are purchasing Spoonflower knit fabric, it doesn't look too bad in this instance but for some garments (particularly when sewing for yourself) you wouldn't appreciate the fade as much. It is a beautiful feeling fabric though, lovely and soft, especially for baby clothing.

Any guesses what the super baby is dreaming about here? I'm thinking it has something to do with using his flying super power!