Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Poetry and Prose Knit Waistband Hack: Huike from Keke Sews

 

Prose Cargo Joggers and Poetry Cargo Skirt pattern by Project Run and Play


Hello everyone! I’m Huike from Singapore and I am here to share with everyone my children’s latest wardrobe favorites! 


They are calling it their “lots of pockets skirt/pants” 


For little ones like them, pockets are very very handy. Great for stashing their little treasures - their tissues, rocks, twigs, candy… u name it! So with 6 roomy pockets, they are well set for a good treasure hunting experience at the nearest park!

 


I used chambray for both my kids’ bottoms. This fabric is light enough for the all year summer we have here where I live and yet hardy enough to take all the rough and tumbling from these 2 very active children of mine. Other great fabric choices for children who like to rough it out in the park would include cotton twill, light denim and corduroy 


(Corduroy might get a little hot for summer but it’s great if you live in places with cooler climates!)


My two children have unique preferences and body types. So let’s talk about what I did with both bottoms to make them work for my kids! 


My eldest is tall and thin - he frequently needs blending of sizes for sewing patterns to fit him as intended. For his cargo shorts, I had to blend size 7 length with size 3 width! To do that, I used the crotch curve of the size 7 and narrowed the leg based on size 3 width. But because the difference in size is so great, I made sure to check that the shorts still had enough space for his thigh (you can do this easily by comparing it with an existing pair of pants). For the pockets, I did narrow the front pockets slightly. One tip though - when narrowing the front pockets, remember to use the size 7 pockets and reduce the width from the straight side not the opening otherwise the opening might be too small for his hands - my boy may be thin but he still has average size hands for his age and size 3 pocket opening is definitely not going to fit his hands! 




As for the cargo pockets and the back pockets, I chose to keep the width mostly because there was space and bigger pockets are always appreciated by this boy! 


For my girl, she is in a straight size 2 which made it really easy to cut her skirt with my projector. I chose to give her a knit waistband in place of the woven + elastic waistband. The reason being it is gentler on her toddler tummy and when the waistband is soft, she is happier to wear the skirt longer. 





To do this very simple hack, I measured the top of the skirt after finishing the construction of it, then took 85% of that measurement x 4.75 inches to cut a waistband. Her waistband was made with a very stretchy ribbing knit that has good elastane content so technically it is good enough to just use that. Even so, I chose to add a braided elastic inside the waistband for better support - with 6 pockets, u can be sure that the skirt WILL become very heavy when all 6 pockets are loaded haha. 



Both my kids’ bottoms are hemmed so that they are slightly below knee length so they can wear it for longer but other than that, it’s pretty much a great fit! 


With a size range of up to 16 years old, I foresee making these till they are much older cos it truly is a very versatile pattern. 

In fact, my girl is adamant she wants a pair of cargo pants too. “Long pants, with all 6 pockets please mummy!” she says. 


I guess I better start work on those! 


Thank you for reading! 


You can find Huike on her blog : Keke Sews or Instagram.


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