Cargo Pants: Denim Edition

I made another version of these pants (Ottobre 1-2004-24), this time for Alex. He chose the fabric himself from a big pile of denim remnants at Mill End Textiles. He knew just the look he was going for, I guess. Including the snap and zip, the price tag on these was about $3 (no tax).

You know, I just remembered a beautiful thing about living in Minnesota: there's no tax on apparel fabric, because clothing is not taxed. The last time I bought fabric in Fargo (wonderful city, especially in the dead of winter), I looked at my receipt and estimated I paid about 9% in sales tax.

A view of the nice wrap-around-the-side pockets and of the get-him-through-next-fall-and-winter length, currently rolled up.

Some snappy trivia: I use snaps instead of buttons on my boys' pants, because I figure they're so much easier than buttons for small hands to work - plus they're quicker for me to install. But I've been frustrated at trying to get even the larger (size 24) metal (jersey) snaps to fasten tightly through the layers of thick fabric. So I've started using the anorak snaps that came with my Prym Vario Snap Kit (they're sold separately, too). They look much the same on the outside, but the guts are much much sturdier than the jersey-snap prongs.

He's ecstatic about these jeans, so of course I'm happy (:

Recognize the "8" birthday shirt from not quite two months ago? I don't think it'll last till his 9th birthday.

Now for some color!

This is the Lydia t-shirt, a BurdaStyle download. I think this is the 4th time I've made it. I made this one because I wanted a quick t-shirt and this pattern was a known entity. I really like the shape, but still want to keep trying for an even better fit. Although I made my usual Burda size, the shirt seems a size or two too big and gapes at the back armhole if I move my arm forward, as if the armscye is just too big there - kind of like a 1980's t-shirt.

I have my eye on several other t-shirt patterns, and I may try to draft my own with my mother's day gift ... what? an automatic drafting machine? No, a book.

Not More Khaki!

Thanks to Sam, who kindly gave me her surplus copy of this Ottobre issue, I had an excuse to sew more khaki pants! But that's it for a while; I'm ready for some color.

The boys are always in need of pants and I like the pockets on these (Ottobre 1-2004-24).

You can see the pockets wrap around from front to back and are divided with topstitching at the sides.

They're baggy even though I slimmed them two sizes compared to the length. These should fit him throughout the fall and winter, if he doesn't wear them out first.

Tabs at the leg hems are there to secure the cuffs when they're rolled up. There's a button on the inside of each hem.

Stretch Twill for Summer

This is the second pair of khaki capri pants I made for myself this week, but you get to see only one. Someday I'll dig out the other pair from the ball they're in and salvage the fabric for some small person pants. They fit well. The zipper went in nicely. Sadly, my serger ate them and, unlike sewing machines, sergers have knives. My first Mrs. Stylebook garment will have to make its debut another time.


I put the disaster aside and tried an entirely different pattern - this time Ottobre 2-2002-40.
I suppose this style might be a little dated, since the pattern's 8 years old - yet not old enough to be vintage, heh! But I think it turned out all right, except the back pockets seem a little large.


I used a nice stretch twill ($1.99/yd with coupon) from Mill End Textiles plus a random zipper from a HomeSew zipper assortment, which makes these $3 pants. The top is the very first garment I made for myself two years ago. I still wear it, even though I laugh at its quirky construction.

The front pockets are interesting, but not as easy to use as normal side pockets.

I embroidered the hems to reduce the bore factor a little.

Needle Craft

My 9 year old gave me this drawing for Mother's Day. That's me zooming along in my needle-shaped waterplane which is about to lift off into the air. You can see that both the engine and the landing gear are sewing machines.

Nightwear x 4

It's a rainy, dreary day out, so it's a good day to lounge about in pajamas, especially pjs fresh off the sewing machine. The kids were relieved I didn't make them pose on the back porch in the rain. These four sets are all made from Ottobre 6/2009. All the main fabrics are from http://www.fabric.com/. I used an assortment of knit scraps for the ribbings. Poor Molly (recipient of all the hand-me-downs) doesn't get jammies this time.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that my kids don't usually sit neatly on the couch (in age order).

This is more typical:

Mother's Day Shirt

What did I stay up too late last night doing? Sewing 13 buttons onto my mom's Mother's Day shirt and praying it would fit.

This is from the same pattern (Burda 1-2010-121) I used for my glittery striped shirt, but without the French cuffs and bib placket. The plaid fabric is what I used for my peasant dress.

I think it fits pretty well and it's just roomy enough to fit a shirt underneath.

A Jacket Shaped Blanket

Pictures can't convey the coziness of this fabric. Maybe someday we'll be able to send touch (and smell!) electronically. We're so limited with only sight and sound, aren't we? Anyway, this is Land's End polar berber fleece I bought at Mill End Textiles back in January.




The pattern is Burda 1-2010-105. I didn't smooth out the collar for the photo, so it's a bit rumply, but it's not perfect anyway. Doing collars in fleece is tricky since the fuzziness obscures your view as you're stitching and it's hard to unpick wayward seams without destroying the fabric.
I like the seam lines, even though you can't see them too well in this fabric. The pockets are quite shallow because of their in-seam placement, which puts them so close to the center front.

1.25 yards of fleece at $3.29/yd plus $1.99 for the zip = $6.10 for a very satisfactory jacket.

Plaid Peasant Dress

It's not quite warm enough here to wear summery dresses, but it's not too early to make 'em.

This one's the popular Burda 5-2009-114. Many of the reviews I read mentioned the great idea of removing the back zip - although it's not a great idea for me. I prefer the inconvenience of zipping over peeling my clothing on and off. Otherwise, the fit is pretty good. I think it's much slimmer fitting than the typical peasant dress style.

I used eyelets for the ties instead of buttonholes - much more professional looking. I love my Prym Vario snap kit. Incidentally, the tie is merely decorative for me since I don't require any extra cinching of the fabric around the rib cage. Apparently the pattern is intended for those with less lung capacity, poor things.

The skirt is cut on the bias, which not only gives it a different look, but also feels different as you're wearing it. It doesn't have any side to side give because the stretch is going up and down. Strange.

I did a small forward shoulder adjustment on the raglan sleeves to test in fabric what was my theory on paper. I searched high and low and couldn't find this adjustment described anywhere - some even say it isn't necessary on raglan sleeves. Ha!

Well, I sat up late in bed with a yellow legal pad and sketched the poor jumbled thoughts that were in my head. The results are satisfactory, but I want to test it again in a knit and in a woven without an elastic-gathered neckline.