I intended to write this post on Monday, but over the weekend Levi came down with a nasty fever which then turned into a snotty cold and I was just too darn busy fussing over my sick boy to worry about blogging. It turned out to be a necessary break for me from all the sewing I was doing the week before. Ever since the little craft-in I hosted here a couple weeks ago, I have been sewing like mad! It’s nice to be putting my machine to use again after a somewhat lengthy hiatus.
A year ago, I made Calvin a pair of quick change trousers from Anna-Maria Horner’s book, Handmade Beginnings. Of course at the time I thought that I would make several more pair for him in the months to come…but I never did. Until now. He has almost outgrown his sweet little trousers from last year, so I thought it was time for a new pair to grow into. With thrifted fabric just waiting to be cut and sewn, I attempted this pattern again and of course it was so much easier the second time around, even a year later. 
I found this colorful little wool gingham fabric at the thrift store and it screamed PANTS to me…like old man golf pants from the seventies. Perfect for a two year old boy, right? (I can guarantee my brother is going to make a comment about how I’m dressing Calvin like Rodney Dangerfield) 
I started to make these lightweight parachute-esque pants for Levi last year form an old pair of adult pants, but only got as far as cutting and pinning them. They’ve been sitting in my “to-do” bin for quite a while. Since he’s clearly outgrown them, I thought I’d adjust them to fit Calvin, but somehow I must not have measured too accurately, because they are way too big for him. Oh well, add them to the growing pile of handmade pants that he gets to grow into.
And speaking of not measuring so accurately, I had to add another couple inches to the waist of his t-shirt pants. When I tried them on him, too much of his diaper stuck out and they just looked silly. One of these days I will actually make a pair of pants for him and try them on him before I finish! As much as I enjoy just making them up as I go, I really loved following the pattern on the reversible trousers. It fits my perfectionist Virgo nature to trace out, cut and sew a pattern. I am going to attempt a few more challenging items for Levi from the books Sewing for Boys and Growing Up Sew Liberated to get him ready for kindergarten in the fall.
Another sewing project that I’ve been tackling is recovering the throw pillows on our couch. Since we painted the room a pretty pale aqua blue last year, I have wanted to update the old drab pillows with a new, colorful look to match the walls. I don’t really like things to be too matchy-matchy, so some of the pillows will be recovered with fabric and some with crochet. This is the room where the kids spend the most time when they are inside, so I want it to be a fun reflection of their vibrant energy. Considering it only took me 3 months to finish painting this room, I give myself the same amount of time to finish the pillows!
I figured out how to use my zipper foot for the first time while making these pillows because of the piping around the edges. It might not sound like much to those of you who already sew really well, but it was such a thrill to teach myself how to do something new with my machine. I was so giddy!
It’s the small accomplishments in my days that really make them great.
Filed under: clothes, patterns, sewing, studio Tagged: clothing, kids clothes, pants, patterns, sewing, studio, style
