Time to Vote: Boys' Week

Get ready for some serious awesomeness.  This week is boy's week and these ladies have really out done themselves.  So I'm going to quit writing so you can start looking and get voting.

(Remember 1 vote per computer -IP address- and the voting icon is hanging out over there on the left side bar.)

Max California--The Dapper Punk
Sewing boys' stuff is so much fun! All I knew for 3 and a half years was sewing for the little guy. It doesn't have to be boring just because you can't add a ruffle to it! Vincent's look this week is inspired by a certain well-dressed boy band that I do NOT listen to but I like their style... combined with a classic punk look and with a big nod to a Batman villain. Vincent's clothes are always trendy but with an edge. He won't wear them if they are not comfortable, and if they don't have a superhero or a Star Wars element to them. His jacket is based on the Basic Blazer by Melly Sews and is made from classic black drill. I drafted a new collar from scratch, turning it into a shawl collar. The blazer is lined with a green tartan brushed cotton and I added two welt pockets on the insides. If you head to my blog you'll get to see the surprise pocket lining. These pockets were added for him to put his lego mini figures {Specifically Jango Fett} in when he goes out so he doesn't lose them. Underneath he wears a plain white v-necked tee with sleeves that go to just above his elbow. The patch pocket is pleather, and was made to look like it's dripping or melting. The pants are dual coloured, one leg black drill and the other green tartan brushed cotton. They have brass zippers at the ankles and surprise pocket lining as well. I used the Skinny Jeans pattern by Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop, but since I never seem to use stretch fabric with these, I added more room on the sides while adjusting the pattern. The bowtie is made from black and green Perler beads and is glued to a brooch back so he can pin it anywhere he chooses {the kid is a serial accessoriser}. If you haven't guessed already, click through to see which Batman nemesis Vinnie thinks he is!

The Crafty Cupboard--Dean's List

Even the brilliant minds among us need to be stylishly dressed for school!  My nephew is sporting this week’s Boy Clothes for me (mother of 3 girls, remember?), so I thought about his little personality as I was coming up with a design.  We joke that he is a future scientist, the way he studies the cause and effect of things, i.e.,  What happens when I throw this toy truck at someone’s head?  What color marker looks best on walls?  If I lock my mom out of the car, will she get mad?

In keeping with his “studious” nature, I created a look of a smart, savvy student, but kept a little bit of spunk in it too!  The coat is lined with ultra soft and warm minky sherpa fabric (although it suddenly jumped into the 70’s and 80’s here for this photo shoot- doh!) and the exterior is a masculine navy twill fabric.  The faux leather details put a little scholarly sophistication on the jacket.  The pants are micro corduroy and have leather chevron details on the back pockets and on the side, over the leg seam. The sweater is upcycled from a huge old man button-up sweater from the thrift store; I chopped it up and made it a v-neck pullover instead.

I adapted the same Simplicity pattern as last week for this jacket and made it much more masculine (I love how you can change patterns easily to get the look you want!)  The hood I drafted myself, and is also fully lined, and the sleeves have a great leather cuff detail with contrasting blue buttons.  The coat front buttons up above the pockets with leather loops cut on the bias so they loop nicely, and leather-looking buttons to coordinate with the loops.  The pants have an elastic waistband so my nephew could put them on himself, and the front pockets are lined in a fun navy and white print as a little surprise!  I really liked adding the leather details to the pants and coat to tie them together, even if it did take a while!  Here’s hoping he makes Dean’s List instead of the Naughty List!  Stop by my blog, The Crafty Cupboard, to see more!  Trust me… there’s more to see :)



CathGrace--Vintage Military Academy

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to show you my look this week! I started my "Boy's Week" look by thinking about my son, and our family; I wanted to make something that would not only look cute but have meaning for us. When I think about *us* I immediately think of my husband's military service, and the fact that we are an Air Force family. My Son LOVES all things military, and participates as a cadet in Civil Air Patrol (which is a US Air Force auxiliary organization with a service, and search and rescue mission) and because of my grandfather (a RAF WWII flying ace) he has a special interest in the 1940s. My son is also quite the school boy, he loves reading encyclopedias, and has the nickname "Einstein" in Civil Air Patrol. When I combined all of those ideas, I came up with the concept of a vintage military academy look, but because he is 12, I wanted to make sure it didn't look like a costume, and was something he would really wear. 

I started by making a stripy henley for the shirt; one of my major goals in making this look was to make sure the quality was excellent, since I wanted the design to be simple. I lined up all of my stripes as perfectly as possible both through the seams, and the sleeves in relation to the body. (except the sleeve cuffs, I turned the stripe vertically on those for a more modern feel.) I appliqued hand cut and layered felt numbers to the back, and then added military style badges to the back, front, and arms, and finished the whole shirt off with 3 oval wood buttons. My color palette was inspired by the uniform of the Army Air Corps (in 1945 there was no US Air Force, we were the Army Air Corps then) and they wore what were called "Pinks and Greens" although they really wore tan and green. (I have no idea where the "pink" came from!)  

For the trousers I used a beautiful brushed cotton twill, in a navy, red, green, and tan, plaid. With the trousers, I continued on my mission to line up all of the fabric pattern perfectly, so as much as possible throughout the body all of the seams are lined up and matched. (It's hard to tell, but there are cargo pockets on the legs, and side front pockets on the pants, with the pattern matching they aren't easy to spot.) I decided to add hand made suspenders for a dapper, and vintage feel; they button on to the waistband of the pants, and can be worn up or down. The back of the suspenders have an elastic portion so he can still bend and move comfortably in them, and I hand sewed all of the leather pieces. The front has a functional zippered fly, and the back of the pants have single welted pockets, (with the welt done on the bias to break up all the plaid.) The buttons on the back pockets are 2 silver Air Force blues uniform buttons, from one of my husband's old uniforms. The legs are slightly tapered for a vintage look, and the cargo pockets are a nod to military uniforms as well. I really hope that you like my look, and that I can earn your vote! Please hop on over to cathgrace for more pictures of this look!


Winter W3--Elephant Shoes

 (*this is what you get when you ask B what sound an elephant makes!!!)

Boy's Week- my favorite!
This was the first design that I created when the weekly challenges were given, and I love how the visions you have in your head can come to life!  This outfit was 100% inspired by B's Elephant Shoes - which he adores, he'll run through the house chanting 'elephant shoes?, elephant shoes!'.  I picked up this thin corduroy when I was buying flannel for Christmas pjs, it was on a fantastic sale, so I had to have a yard.  The fabric combined with the shoes set my color scheme and sent me on a hunt for Elephants on knit. And hunt and hunt I did, with NO success. So I made my own - with the help of my amazing husband who offered to carve my stamp out of wood when my experiments with cardboard failed dismally.

I went with pants and a henley for this easy going play look.  On top of being fully lined, the pants have slash pockets and peek-a boo knee pockets that hold a hidden surprise of ELEPHANTS!  The back pockets have a stitched on elephant in the same design as the print in the pockets.  The shirt uses a combination of the elephant print, black knit, and teal knit from an old T-shirt. The 'leather' (ok, polyester with a crackled elephant skin-ish design pressed into it that gives a leathery affect) accents on the hoodie are understated and sleek, and the inverted kangaroo pocket hides... MORE ELEPHANTS!!! All of the patterns are my own drafts, the henley and hoodie are base patterns I worked out during Operation: Project $0 and then adapted to fit my vision for this design.

Even sick, B loved his 'elephant pants' and shirt, and hat (what he calls anything with a hood) - and I hope you do too!  Check out the details over on MY BLOG.



La Inglesita--Luis

Unlike his older sisters, this boy of mine is not very opinionated when it comes to choosing his own clothes. He happily wears what mum sews for him, but, even if he doesn´t say it, I know what he likes. He describes things by how smooth, cool or rough they are, rather than by colour or shape. He loves fabrics that are soft to the touch and dislikes itchy labels on garments.

Enter my best collection of fabrics

Linen, wool and cotton voile

THE COAT.I made the coat in a soft and comfy wool that I´d kept for ages. It´s fully lined in Anna Maria Horner cotton voile. The pattern is Figgy´s Nituna.  

THE TUNIC.I wanted to make an easy but fitted tunic and this linen was the perfect match. My husband bought it for me on a trip to Vietnam. I had asked him to go to Hanoi Fabric Market and buy linen or cotton, in plain colours, and "expensive looking".  I used Oliver and S Sailboat top pattern but instead of sewing the front facing on the inside, I put in on the outside and added piping in the same voile of the coat. The back facing and hem have also contrasting pieces in voile.  

THE PANTS.  I like linen pants. The fabric is a blend of linen and cotton with lots of drape. After trying several pants patterns I settled on a self drafted PJ pattern with an elastic waist.  I made a fake zipper opening but it´s hardly visible so next time I´m sparing that too.

I love every piece of this outfit. I love that it kept me awake until veeeery late some nights and I love that I managed to finish it for HIM. I so badly wanted him to be featured this week... Being in PR&P has been an amazing experience so far, so thank you!

You can read more over at my blog la inglesita

Little Kids Grow--Big Boy Style

"Mom, can you make me a top hat??

We've never been short on personality  in our house, so when I design clothing, I try to include design elements that are unique to each individual child. My 7-year-old is my hat and super hero guy. He also wants to be just like his big brother. So, while I always seem to be caught somewhere between capes and top hats when it comes to his choices, we usually find a middle ground that works for both of us. For this week's boy challenge, I created an easy going style. Last week's entry was a bit "too stiff" for him (Ha! Ha!). This week I drafted pieces that were easy to move in with a little bit of his personality infused into my design.

For the shirt, I drafted a color blocked cowl neck pullover. The fabric is from a men's extra-large polo shirt that I upcycled (Yay!). The corduroy pants have a flat front band and elastic back. I created a faux fly front (My favorite tutes are here and here). I also included faux welt pockets in the back (Great tutorial here). Finally, we didn't make the top hat, but we did compromise with a "smooth"  fedora. The fedora is made out of knit fabric, interfacing and lots and lots of buckram. Clothes he can finally move in! For more details on my design process, click here. (Design Note* Existing hems were included in the upcycle. )

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