Sewing – Page 2

Sewing with Kids – Making Pajama Shorts Plus A Free Pattern

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I made the mistake of taking my youngest son with me to JoAnn’s one day (I’m sure he went along because we always stop at Starbucks afterwards!). He found some woven (non-stretch) material that he really liked. I had no clue what we would make with it, but I bought a yard for him.

He told me he wanted to make a sheath for his sword. Boys! (picture a mom eye roll) I suggested that we could also make some pajama shorts for him and that maybe he could even help with the process – I would cut them out and then he could sew the two pieces together and then I would do the waist and hemming (I’m sure kids can hem, but my 10 y/o isn’t ready for that yet).

I knew that the Walk the Plank PJ Pants by Patterns for Pirates would be perfect and it’s free – no code, no joining a Facebook group, just hop on over and “buy” it.

I made his somewhere between short and knee length. The short shorts I made for him previously were too short for him and the knee length were just too long to be comfy for sleeping.

He was so proud of himself! Using Mom’s machine for the first time, learning to use clips instead of pins (which are so hard for kids!), and the final result is wearable. That’s a win in my book!

For reference, here’s the short shorts length on him. I feel like just a couple extra inches made a huge difference in how comfortable they are for sleeping and lounging.

Even though the directions don’t call for it, I sewed around the top of the waistband too – just about 1/4″ from the fold. I think it adds a more finished look to the waist.

I also made some Walk the Planks for my other two kids. Besides short shorts and knee length, it also comes in pants length (or you can be like me – have them try them on before hemming and choose your length). Both of these are knee length.

There’s also an adult version (I have not made this version) which is also free and includes men’s and women’s sizes. You could make family pajama pants!

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Pattern Review: Reagan Rash Guard

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The newest pattern from Made for Mermaids is the Reagan Rash Guard. It’s available in women’s and kid’s sizes.

My daughter is in the women’s version and my youngest is in the kids version. Fabric is from Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

The Reagan is a raglan style shirt that is close fitting. It can be short or long sleeved (since we’re in Florida and the sun is pretty intense in the summer, I went with long sleeves). There’s also a cropped version and the kids version has an optional ruffle along one arm seam. As with most raglan style shirts, this one is a quick sew! I made mine in about 30 minutes. I think the longest part is taping the pattern together.

Sewing with swim fabric is not that much harder than sewing knit fabrics. Swim does tend to be slippery-ier (is that a word?) so you will need to pin or clip your seams really well to keep them straight. Also make sure you’re using a stretch stitch (zig zag or triple stretch stitch are my favorites). If it’s your first time, just go slow! The pattern itself is easy and the instructions will walk you through each step.

We took ours to the beach for the ultimate test. It was a success! The kids love their new shirts and the fabric is so soft! It’s from Raspberry Creek Fabrics swim collection. They design and print their own fabric right here in the US! It provides UPF 50+ protection.

I also made my boys new swim trunks. I used the Monaco swim trunks pattern by Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop. It’s a European style swim suit made with swim fabric rather than board short fabric. The pattern has a shorter inseam, but my boys wanted shorts closer to their knees so I lengthened the inseam to about 8″.

The turtle fabric and coordinating stripes are also from Peek-A-Boo Fabric Shop.

The turtle shirt is the Boulder Tee by Gracious Threads

The Reagan pattern is on sale now through Tuesday, May 21.

Women’s Reagan

Kids Reagan

Reagan Bundle

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Pattern Review: Rover Pants/Shorts by Winter Wear Designs

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I have been looking for new-to-me pattern designers. I’m sure that I’ve known about Winter Wear Designs for a while, but only recently paid attention to her patterns. When she posted a tester call for cargo pants/shorts, I knew I wanted to test.

New Rover Pants paired with a Jordan hoodie by Made for Mermaids

It seems like so many patterns are for girls so a fun pattern for boys was a nice change (especially since I have two boys). This pattern is designed for wovens (fabric with little to no stretch) and is loaded with options including 5 different types of pockets to mix and match. One of them is this unique back pocket.

I love these back pockets! They’re a fun change from the traditional back patch pockets you see on jeans.

For the front, I only did a patch pocket, but there are also options for two different styles of cargo pockets plus a more traditional front pocket (similar to the back pocket).

This pattern comes with two waistband options – either elastic waist (back shown above, front shown below) with a faux fly or a contoured waistband with a fully functional fly. Both options include directions for adjustable elastic. Since my youngest doesn’t want to take the time to unbutton and unzip pants, this elastic waist is perfect!

Front view of the faux fly and elastic waist.

One thing I learned while testing is that accurate measurements are very important! Do not, I repeat do NOT try to compare ready-to-wear (RTW) sizing to a PDF pattern size. My son wears a 12 in RTW so that the legs are long enough and then he cinches the waist down to make them stay up. For my first pair (a muslin made with cheap fabric), I made a straight size 10 based on his waist and hips. They didn’t fit right – the legs would’ve been too long and the rise was way too long. I remeasured and found that according to his inseam, I should have done a 10 width with an 8 length. There are instructions in the pattern for grading and it really isn’t that hard. By grading my second pair, I ended up making a much better fitting pair of jeans.

The Rover Pants and Shorts pattern is available for sizes 18M-14. It will be on sale for just $6.50 through May 6. Then it will be $7.95.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Pattern Review: Jordan by Made for Mermaids

I recently tested the newest pattern by Made for Mermaids – the Jordan.

It’s available in kid’s, women’s, and men’s sizes! Perfect for the whole family! My sons love their new Jordan hoodies.

They’re made from lightweight cotton lycra from JoAnns which makes them perfect for cool Florida mornings (no snowmageddon here!).

I decided that I needed a Jordan too (I don’t think I’ve owned a hoodie in my adult life…possibly ever). I made my sleeveless since that’s what I wear most of the summer. I love it!

I choose a lightweight cotton/poly blend from Nature’s Fabrics for the main part, and then I used a cotton lycra for the bands around the armholes so that they looked good. The main fabric does not have good recovery which means the arms holes looked all stretched out. Using fabric with good recovery means that the arm holes will not look all stretched out by the end of the day.

I made mine with the high/low hem, but it there are other options including dress length.

Get yours here:

Kids

Women

Men

Then come back and tell me which one you’re going to make first.

Pattern Review – Two Free Tank Top Patterns

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I’ve lived in Florida for almost five years now and my summer wardrobe is still lacking in tank tops! I only wear pants and long sleeves for maybe 2-3 weeks of the year and yet I’m pretty sure that I have more long sleeve shirts than tank tops. This summer I hope to remedy that! I’ve had this Lago tank top pattern by Itch to Stitch for over a year and I’m just getting around to making it. I actually printed it out shortly after I got it and then….well, I never made it. So, while I was at JoAnns the other day I found this soft drapey knit that I knew would be the perfect tank top.

The Lago is a super quick and easy tank to sew up! There are five pieces of fabric – front, back, neckband, and two arm bands. I’m pretty sure that it took me less than 30 minutes!

The Lago tank is absolutely free – no code, no Facebook group to join, just head over to her site and “buy” it!

Using free patterns is a great way to learn more about a designer. You get to try out one of their patterns and the only cost to you is some fabric and some time.

Another great free tank pattern is the Stardust by Halla. You have to join their Facebook group and then read the pinned post for the code, but it’s worth it! It’s available for sizes 00-30. There are several free patterns listed there (check out their dolman pattern). This is another pattern I’ve had for a while and never made (are you sensing a theme here?).

This pattern will work with knits that aren’t as drapey – like this cotton lycra print that I bought because I loved it and it just seems so appropriate for Florida! I made this tank top, but the pattern I used wasn’t made for knits that aren’t drapey. So, it ends up looking like a tent…not really a flattering look, plus after I got it made, I didn’t really like the handkerchief hemline. It slowly made it’s way to the bottom of my shirt pile. One day recently I decided to find a pattern that I could use to fix this shirt. Fortunately the Stardust tank top is a similar cut at the top, but a little more close fitting so I can upcycle my new tank top into another new tank top that I will actually wear! Also, I’ve learned to really pay attention to what kind of material a pattern requires!

The first step is to to fold the front and back in half. I’m not changing anything about the the arms or neckline so I don’t want to take it all apart. I unpicked the hem at the center back and center front folds so that it would be easy to rehem when I’m all done.

Carefully fold front and back in half

Since I’m not adjusting the neckline at all, I just lined that pattern up with the neck binding. This meant that the bottom edge of the pattern was exactly even with the part of the hem I unpicked.

Line up the neck.

I lined up the underarm as best I could. When I straighten the underarm seams out, it almost makes it to the edge of the pattern. Since I’m not adjusting the anything until about 3-4 inches down from the underarm seam, I didn’t worry about it. I already know that I like they way this part of the shirt fits.

Lining up underarm

After cutting out the new front and back, they were still attached everywhere but the new side seams. I clipped them together and sewed them.

Clip the new side seam

After I got them sewed, I had a weird curve near the underarm where the old and new pattern didn’t quite line up. I redid my seam (purple line) to straighten it out so that it doesn’t look funny.

Carefully straighten out the underarm seam.

When I tried it on, I loved it! What a difference the right pattern AND the right material make! I’m already planning for make a couple more of these!

Enjoy your new Stardust tank top!

Hop on over to the Halla Facebook group and get the codes for all the free patterns!