Ah, geek out
Le geek, c'est chic!
If you've been hanging around for awhile then you know...we are a sci-fi, pun loving family so when Melissa of Rebel & Malice asked me to take part in her Back to School Capsule Tour I knew I had to dress my boy in some fun, practical clothes!
The first thing we did was talk patterns. My middle man is 11 and he only wears what he likes so...we need to be honest. Then we talked about colours...he wanted to keep things fairly neutral with grey, blue and black for the most part.
Most everything can be mixed and matched but I've broken our sewing adventure into 3 main outfits...
1. Heads up for Clone Troopers!
The Raglan? It's an old friend in our house...I love making it for my boys, it's fun, it's simple and it's a crowd pleaser. If you don't have it go get it!
The Fleece? I want one! I made the middle man's fleece out of Looper Fleece (he chose the fabric) and I love it! Finally the pants...one of the biggest reasons I like to sew for my middle man is how slim he is.
The pants? I love that the back waistband is done with ribbing! I put an elastic in there since my ribbing doesn't have great recovery but it increases the cozy factor for sure! However, they are beyond skinny! I made them based on his measurements plus 1 size up...so size 8 and with some extra length. Unfortunately he finds them a bit too tight and the rise and the pockets just aren't enough for my skinny little man. I DO love seeing him in pants that fit though!
2. Pie in your face!
Shirt: Jolly Roger Raglan by Patterns for Pirates
Pants: Metropolitan Pants by Terra's Treasures
The Shirt? You know what's fun about this pattern? The things you can do with it! I took an old shirt and upcycled it into a new one that my son loves to wear! He likes to serve up some attitude with this shirt!
The Pants? Again I sized him up to an 8 even though he measures a 7. We are pleased with the fit of these but I didn't add anything to the rise so I changed up how I finished the waistband so that they would go where my son prefers his rise to be. I would totally make these again for my slender son with more length and a more accommodating rise. I have learned a lot about making pants for my middle man!
3. Canadian Blinking!
Shirt: Jolly Roger Raglan by Patterns for Pirates
Hoodie: Lumberjack Shirt by Patterns for Pirates
Pants: Field Research Pants by Scientific Seamstress
The Shirt? Well, a good friend of mine did the lettering for me and he LOVES it! Actually, I think there are 3 more orders for this shirt in our house alone!
The Hoodie? I love this hoodie! I put pearl snaps on it because they are a throw back to my dad's old shirts...makes me smile whenever I see them. Since my middle man is so slim, next time I make him this one I will definitely size the hood up. The shirt fits great but the hood? Not so much.
The Pants? This is the quintessential Canadian piece of the outfit. Zip-off pants! Boy do these come in handy when it's cold in the morning and simmering by noon! We love these pants and they are great lined too! Because of the relaxed nature of the fit there were no rise or pocket challenges for us and lots of growing room!
This was well worth the time for us...my middle man has some one of a kind shirts, some pants that actually fit (he's a 23" waist - size 7 and the height of an average 11 year old) and I learned a lot about making pants that work even better for him!
I was lucky enough to receive 3 of the patterns featured here for free but all opinions and experiences are solely my own (well, and my middle man's too!)
I hope you have enjoyed the tour!
Heather
