It is time for me to show off my creation with Jessica Levitt's brand new line of fabrics, Cascade by Windham Fabrics. I was sent these fabrics a few months ago and I decided to create a little outfit for my youngest, which will also be displayed in Jessica's Quilt Market Booth. I felt the fabrics just seemed perfect for a little boy's outfit, cool and sophisticated blues.
i chose one pattern that I made lots of times, the hat, which is a free pattern from Oliver + S, the Reversible Bucket Hat, and two patterns for the shirt and pants that I had not sewn from before, both by Blank Slate Patterns. The shirt is the Prepster Pullover, and the pants are the Coastal Cargos. Both of these patterns can be purchased HERE.
I think they turned out really cute on my little guy. The fabric and fabric print scale suited these patterns perfectly and created a dressy outfit for my little man. Too bad of the 200+ photos that I took of him at the park, these three were the best of the day. He just wasn't wanting to pose that day. Both the pants and shirt have the option to roll up the sleeves and pants hem, which I did for these pictures, isn't that a cute detail.
If you are interested in reading my thoughts and further details of each of these patterns, then keep on reading below and stick around for a fantastic giveaway at the end of this post. I took a lot of photos of the outfit itself and have them in slide show style below because there were just so many pictures!
First up is the Prepster Pullover by Blank Slate Patterns. This pattern is labeled as intermediate and I would say that is exactly right. The instructions are step by step and very clearly shown with photos, but there are a lot of techniques and some of the steps (like installing the cuffs or collar) would be very difficult for a beginner. I chose three prints from the Glacier colorway for the shirt, and one of the best things about this fabric line is that Jessica created solids that match perfectly with each of the colorways. I chose to use one of these solids in the placket and collar of the shirt, which I think creates a really nice contrast. I also have to say that the placket construction in this pattern is the easiest and best looking that I have ever done. It really is genius and my favorite detail of the shirt.
This shirt has a lot of buttonholes (7,) which is also not for a beginner because it is nerve wracking to have to stitch all those buttonholes on a finished garment. Thankfully my machine makes a beautiful buttonhole and I didn't have any problems with getting really nice professional looking buttonholes. I used simple opalescent white buttons on the shirt, I didn't want to distract from the fabric and I didn't want the buttons to necessarily stand out, but rather blend in.
I originally made a muslin in a size 2T (which is the size I should have made based on my son's measurements) but when I tried it on him, it was a wee bit too tight. So for the final version here I upped it to a 3T, which was perfect. I found that it being a pullover shirt the fit was a little tight through the chest and armhole area, so increasing a size fixed this problem. The only change I made to the pattern was adding the little contrasting loop to the back of the shirt, I thought this was just a nice little extra detail, it doesn't really serve a purpose, it just looks cute.
I had one problem with the pattern when it came time to doing the cuffs, so I emailed Melissa (of Blank Slate Patterns) and she responded within the hour with help, which was really nice. I didn't expect a response that quickly. So the problem was solved and I was thoroughly impressed.
Overall it is a great pattern, easily customizable for a ton of different looks. It comes in a large range of sizes, 18m to 8 years, so it can be used for a long time! If you are looking for a really classic shirt for a little boy, then I highly recommend this pattern.
This shirt has a lot of buttonholes (7,) which is also not for a beginner because it is nerve wracking to have to stitch all those buttonholes on a finished garment. Thankfully my machine makes a beautiful buttonhole and I didn't have any problems with getting really nice professional looking buttonholes. I used simple opalescent white buttons on the shirt, I didn't want to distract from the fabric and I didn't want the buttons to necessarily stand out, but rather blend in.
I originally made a muslin in a size 2T (which is the size I should have made based on my son's measurements) but when I tried it on him, it was a wee bit too tight. So for the final version here I upped it to a 3T, which was perfect. I found that it being a pullover shirt the fit was a little tight through the chest and armhole area, so increasing a size fixed this problem. The only change I made to the pattern was adding the little contrasting loop to the back of the shirt, I thought this was just a nice little extra detail, it doesn't really serve a purpose, it just looks cute.
I had one problem with the pattern when it came time to doing the cuffs, so I emailed Melissa (of Blank Slate Patterns) and she responded within the hour with help, which was really nice. I didn't expect a response that quickly. So the problem was solved and I was thoroughly impressed.
Overall it is a great pattern, easily customizable for a ton of different looks. It comes in a large range of sizes, 18m to 8 years, so it can be used for a long time! If you are looking for a really classic shirt for a little boy, then I highly recommend this pattern.
The pants are also by Blank Slate Patterns and are the Coastal Cargos. I adore these pants and plan to make plenty more in the future. I used two fabrics from the Glacier colorway, and decided to use the solid as the main fabric, it has such a nice soft but sturdy hand to it and in the end I think it made a really classic pair of pants.
This pattern is also labeled as intermediate, and as before I think that is exactly right. Just difficult enough that a beginner might really struggle. These pants are really customizable with the option of adding welt pockets to the back, front pockets, side cargo pockets, belt loops and the side and inner seam details. All of these items can be left off, making for a quicker easier make, but honestly they are just so darn cute why would you want to leave them off. This pattern also ranges from 18m to 8 years, so you will use it for a long time.
Honestly I had never sewn a welt pocket before and was pleasantly pleased at how easy and professional looking they really came out. I had no problem installing them and the step by step instructions really were simple and clear to understand. This pattern does feature an actual zippered fly, but since my little one is still in diapers, I chose to make a faux fly instead, which I think looks just as nice, it just isn't functional. Every step of the pants is pretty straight forward and just a matter of taking one step at a time.
I made a muslin first in a 2T (which was based on my child's measurements) and I found the fit really spot on, so for these pants I also made a 2T, the overall size and length were perfect. I love the fact these pants have an elasticized back waist band, which really makes getting the perfect fit so easy.
I used the small raindrop print as the side and inner seam detail and I just love how that turned out, like perfect little raindrops flowing down the sides of the pants. Once again I would highly recommend this pattern, it is very customizable and creates a really great pair of pants for a little boy.
This pattern is also labeled as intermediate, and as before I think that is exactly right. Just difficult enough that a beginner might really struggle. These pants are really customizable with the option of adding welt pockets to the back, front pockets, side cargo pockets, belt loops and the side and inner seam details. All of these items can be left off, making for a quicker easier make, but honestly they are just so darn cute why would you want to leave them off. This pattern also ranges from 18m to 8 years, so you will use it for a long time.
Honestly I had never sewn a welt pocket before and was pleasantly pleased at how easy and professional looking they really came out. I had no problem installing them and the step by step instructions really were simple and clear to understand. This pattern does feature an actual zippered fly, but since my little one is still in diapers, I chose to make a faux fly instead, which I think looks just as nice, it just isn't functional. Every step of the pants is pretty straight forward and just a matter of taking one step at a time.
I made a muslin first in a 2T (which was based on my child's measurements) and I found the fit really spot on, so for these pants I also made a 2T, the overall size and length were perfect. I love the fact these pants have an elasticized back waist band, which really makes getting the perfect fit so easy.
I used the small raindrop print as the side and inner seam detail and I just love how that turned out, like perfect little raindrops flowing down the sides of the pants. Once again I would highly recommend this pattern, it is very customizable and creates a really great pair of pants for a little boy.
Last but not least is the matching bucket hat for the outfit. This is a pattern from the book, Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S, but is offered as a free download as a promotion for the book. I have made this hat around 7 times before and knew that it was a great pattern and I thought it would just be the perfect addition to this little outfit.
I think this pattern would suit a confident beginner to intermediate only because the entire hat is composed of sewing curves. If you take your time you can totally do it, but you just have to sew slowly and pin a lot. This pattern comes in four sizes and you really have to measure your child's head to get the right size, and in my opinion, when in doubt, always go a size up!
It is a great pattern for boys or girls, completely reversible, which is great and you get two fantastic looks instead of one. It also sews up really quickly, like a 2 hour project start to finish. I highly recommend it!
I think this pattern would suit a confident beginner to intermediate only because the entire hat is composed of sewing curves. If you take your time you can totally do it, but you just have to sew slowly and pin a lot. This pattern comes in four sizes and you really have to measure your child's head to get the right size, and in my opinion, when in doubt, always go a size up!
It is a great pattern for boys or girls, completely reversible, which is great and you get two fantastic looks instead of one. It also sews up really quickly, like a 2 hour project start to finish. I highly recommend it!
Giveaway closed, thank you to all that entered!
Now it is time for the giveaway! Windham Fabrics has graciously agreed to giveaway a Fat Quarter Bundle of these not yet released (February 2015 is the estimated release date) fabrics. To enter my giveaway follow me on Instagram (@Marci_Girl) and come back here and leave me a comment that you are a follower. My blog followers get the chance for a second entry, so if you are a blog follower leave a second comment letting me know! Easy enough! They are giving away a bundle of these fabrics at each stop of the tour, so make sure you visit the other stops, plenty of chances to win! You have until October 23, 2014 at 11:59 CST to enter so don't delay.
Thanks so much to Jessica for letting me have the chance to create something for her Quilt Market Booth and to have the opportunity to play with these really gorgeous fabrics before anyone else even got to see them. It was really fun and I hope she liked the finished product as much as I did. Now I just can't wait to start seeing all the photos from Quilt Market next week!
Thanks so much to Jessica for letting me have the chance to create something for her Quilt Market Booth and to have the opportunity to play with these really gorgeous fabrics before anyone else even got to see them. It was really fun and I hope she liked the finished product as much as I did. Now I just can't wait to start seeing all the photos from Quilt Market next week!
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