I noticed that I’ve been sewing up a lot of dresses lately, so when I had the opportunity to join the Sewing Blue Blog Tours I had to jump on it!  It’s being hosted by the very talented Made for Little Gents.   The tour consists of 23 ladies who love to sew for their big and little guys!  It’s actually really exciting because, for some reason, there seems to be a lot more sewing patterns and fabrics geared for little girls and women.  It appears that there are only so many variations of tees and pants that it’s hard to get excited.  I know I’m always looking for something different and new to make little man.  I think that’s why I got so excited about this.  Every month, the tour will feature a new theme filled will new ideas!  This month, the tour theme is Boys In Summer and will feature all kinds of fun summer wear, like tees, shorts, and swimwear.

As the weather gets warmer, little man is going to need some fun new outfits to wear while playing outside.  I started out with a new challenge – an international pattern!  The Tilt Shirt by Kleiner Polli-Klecks was my first time sewing a German pattern.  Let’s just say that Google Translate is my new best friend as are the ladies of the International Knit Sew Along group on Facebook.  Those ladies really gave me a lot of encouragement when I was ready to give up.  Turns out figuring out what size to make was quite the challenge, but it was smooth sailing once I got that figured out.  The pictures in the tutorial are really easy to follow once you figure out which file to use.

I do love how it turned out!  The We’re All Mad Here fabric featuring the whimsical Cheshire cat from Affordable Fabrics and More was perfect!  I love the contrast of the asymmetrical color block panel.  I think it gives the top something a little unique.  Hubby says it almost looks futuristic.  I think I may try one with a drawstring or hood option next.

Another fun top that has something a little extra is the Reid by Elliedactyl Designs.  With so many options (3 fronts, 3 backs, hood, placket, 3 sleeve lengths, 2 sleeve types), it really is an all encompassing top pattern.  We’re getting ready for National Nurses Week, so I finally cut into this adorable real life heroes fabric I had in my stash from over a year ago.  One of the great side effects of this year’s sewing project is that I’m getting to finally use up a lot of the fabric I have accumulated over time, but hadn’t had time to use.  The panel was a bit small for a regular tee or raglan, but the double swoop color block option was perfect for making the panel pop.  Little man was over the moon when he saw it!  He’s a natural healer…maybe he’ll follow in his parents’ footsteps?

I paired his real life heroes top with the Domi sweat pants from Sofilantjes in the Bermuda shorts length with the round pockets.  I used black ponte from So Sew English with red accents with CL from Purpleseamstress Fabric.  Perfect pairing!  I love the fit of these shorts!  They’re perfect for playing outdoors!  In fact, he took them for a test drive on his bike.  It was nice to see him get back on after last week’s crash.  He had a brand new “even stronger” helmet and hubby installed hand caliper brakes on his bike to help him stop in addition to the existing coaster breaks.  He was a little nervous, but I’m so proud of him for overcoming his fears!

I then got brave and tackled my first woven piece of clothing in several years (almost 2 decades, but who’s counting).  It’s interesting that I would find sewing with wovens so intimidating considering that’s how I learned to sew in the first place!  I was reminded of a few things of why I prefer sewing with knits while making the Pickle Toes Snail Hunters in the Bermuda short length.  First, no mess while washing!  Knits don’t unravel, so there’s no tangled mess to take care of and cut apart after a wash.  Second, no need to iron!  Sewing with wovens means the fabric will need to be ironed after drying and between each step during construction (no, I don’t press my knit seams unless I have to).   Also, no need for elastics!  I’m just not a huge fan of threading an elastic through a waistband.  I inevitably lose my safety pin in there and it always seems to get twisted in there.  I much prefer using CL with a good return to get the perfect waistband.  All that said, I actually really enjoyed making these!

These will definitely become a staple in his summer wardrobe.   The instructions were crystal clear and easy to follow.  I really liked that it offered several width options in addition to the length options.  I used the regular width, but it’s nice to know that slim and husky are also available in case I want to make them for someone else’s little guy.  The pockets are nice and roomy, which is great for collecting treasures!  I made these out of grey chambray from So Sew English, which will be nice and breezy in the coming warmer months.  The faux fly gives them a crisp and clean look, which means he’ll be able to wear them anywhere!

Since I was focusing on the guys in my life for this blog tour, I had to add one final item for my better half.  He has always been my rock, but it seems that I have been relying on him more than ever as of late.  Since I’m at work most of the day (every day), he’s been doing most of the cooking and cleaning around the house so that I can just come home, relax, and enjoy the kids!  I know I don’t say it enough to him, but I really do appreciate it!  The other day he was commenting on how much he loved a particular ready to wear blue tee he had and how he wanted another the same color.  I had the perfect solid navy micro viscose cotton spandex from So Sew English for the occasion!  I wanted to try something new and had great luck with the other Sinclair Patterns I had used, so I used the Kai semi fitted tee to make him a super comfy top.  It was quick and easy, and the fit was perfection!  He actually asked me for more!  I’ll be making him a handful of white tees that he can wear under his scrubs.  It’s the least I can do!

It was so nice to have a quiet week after all of the craziness of the last month!  I’m not ready to start the week, though.  I could use a couple more hang out days with the munchkins.  At least little man will have some fun new outfits for school!

Make sure to check out the rest of the Boys of Summer Tour!

Fri. May 4: Made for Little Gents (Intro to Boys in Summer Blog Tour) | Mon. May 7 Elli & Nels in Stitches | Tues. May 8 Our Play Palace | Made by Laura! | Beri Bee Designs | Wed. May 9 Made for Little Gents | Mamma Newey’s Makes | Thurs. May 10 Phat Quarters | Fri. May 11 Stylin’ Stacy | Tenille’s Thread | Mon. May 14 Paisley Roots | Fabulous Home Sewn | Tues. May 15 Seams Like Style | Kathy’s Kwilts and More | Wed. May 16 Sewing with D | Auschick Sews | Seams Sew Lo | Thurs. May 17 My Sewing Roots| Sewing à la Carte | Middle River Studio | Fri. May 18 Lunatiek | Needles to Say | Manning The Machine

Happy Nurses Week all!