Muscle Shirt Mania

If I had one go-to pattern this summer, it was definitely the Tide Pool Tank by Peekaboo Pattern Shop.  It provided the backbone for my son's Pokemon Hoodie and my Daughter's Lucky Charm Camp Shirt. In fact, my son loved his "Pokemon muscle shirt" so much I couldn't resist adding to his tank top collection.

My entire family is huge Marvel fans, and my son is no exception. When I showed him this print and offered to make him a "muscle shirt," he was very excited for the idea. My son runs long and lean like the pattern maker's kids do, but even so I still sized him up 2x from what the size chart said to get this fit; his Pokemon hoodie fit a little tighter than I would have liked.

I also couldn't resist trying for a fourth-of-July hoodie for him: a scrap of this Kammie Lou Lou original fabric turned up while I was searching for my daughter's green camp shirt fabric, and I couldn't help myself: I had to buy it. Which in turn meant I HAD to sew it up quickly if I didn't want it to become part of my guilt-laden to-do pile.

So, I stayed up to sew this hoodie the night before we traveled out to a family 4th of July celebration. It's basically the same modifications as the Pokemon hoodie, although it's sized like the Marvel shirt above. 

After all that labor my son insisted on wearing his Captain America PJs for the actual holiday (sigh...) but he was happy enough to put this on for photos/goodbyes on July 5th. He didn't live in his 4th of July one as I had hoped, but he did have fun wearing it a few times and modeling it for pics!

And, Marvel was a definite reach-for-it-first kind of win, so I really can't complain.

Seeing Green

I try very hard to stay off the Buy/Sell/Trade market for custom knits because 1) it's expensive and 2) the thrill of near-instantaneous gratification is hard to resist 3) I really really don't need more fabric. Usually. That said, this summer my daughter learned that green would be her "class color" for the year,  and so I found myself in need of green (knit) fabric. Which, surprisingly enough, I did not have. 

Fortunately, a kind soul on Kammie Lou Lou BST came to my rescue. I posted an ISO for an old Kammie Lou Lou St. Patrick's day collection I had admired, and she had a few things from a scrap pack that she didn't plan on using. In the end I bought a half-yard of green Brushstrokes (a KLL signature line) and an incredibly adorable panel from her.

I got this package on Tuesday and my daughter wanted a green top to wear on Friday. Immediately I thought to pull out the speedy-and-cute Tide Pool Tank. Initially I hesitated a little because it wasn't very feminine, a quick trip to the PeekaBoo Pages changed my mind. I was inspired by this flutter mod.

I have a serger, so adding the flutter mod didn't take very much time at all (I love the serger gathering method). I also sized up a little and added the bottom band to give shirt a more "stylish" look. and I was very pleased with the result and So was my daughter, who happily wore this on Fridays for the duration of her camp. 

But of course, one good turn deserves another - I had just a *little* bit of the brushstrokes left - not enough to make another tide pool, but I'd also been eyeing the Cami's Tank Top from Simple Life Pattern Co, and the 18" scrap I had left was *just enough* to cover the bodice of a Cami's. 

So, a bonus shirt was born! This was my first time with the Cami, and it was fast & easy. It turns out my daughter is not that into strappy tanks yet (her father will be relieved...), but it's also great for layering under cute sweaters or her TaeKwondo Gi. Maybe in a few years.

Gotta Catch Some Cousins

After my success with the Zelda Blanket, I knew I'd hit the jackpot when my beloved Japanese Fabric host ran a Pokemon round - as passionate as my BIL is about Zelda, that's how passionate my SIL is about Pokemon. Initially I was just going to buy a Pokemon blanket, then I thought a shirt might be cute and... 

It was not my proudest moment in terms of self-control. Sitting in my kids' Takwondo class the day before the round closed, "one blanket" became "one blanket, one yard, and two panels." Oops. The Blanket - made of "Fluff", which I have since learned is a brand specific term for double-sided minky - was a rush gift in January. But the shirts followed in June when my son saw this fabric and said "Woah - Pokemon!"

I hadn't even known he was interested in Pokemon, but the idea of sewing him and my little nephew a cousins' set was just too tempting to ignore.

For my son I decided to try a new pattern, the Tide Pool Tank by Peek-a-Boo Patterns - Peekaboo is fast becoming one of my favorite shops for simple basics. It took me a little research to decide between the Hudson Hoodie and the Tide Pool Tank, but in the end the less-boxy shape (and more gender-neutral silhouette!) won out. Because the panel was not very tall, I ended up having to colorblock the front (my own modification), and then I figured colorblocking the back would be fun as well. Also, the Tide Pool Tank doesn't call for lined hoods but I prefer the look of them, so I cut out a hood lining and hood using the pieces from the tide pool tank, and then joined/attached them using the techniques from the Max & Meena Max Raglan. 

For my nephew, I brought out my old favorite, the Zee's Tee by Tie Dye Diva. This too needed to be colorblocked (on an 18-24m baby! Kira Kira panels are awesome but they are short!), but this pattern had the colorblock built in, so adding it was trivial. 

In the end, it was a cousin set I was proud of. My son loves his "muscle hoodie," and getting it OFF him to hem it was a challenge. My only regret is that I did not size up - my son runs slim and the Tide pool tank is plenty long so the body fits him nicely, but the neck hole on a properly sized shirt is just a *little* small for his head. His cousin also looks very sharp in his tee. Here they are together with some super-wide grins.

Glad I caught this one on camera!

Baby Nephew (Doo Doo Do Doo Doo)

I have to admit, despite how complicated it looks, the PeekaBoo Lullabye Line Baby Bodysuit (onesie) is actually a pretty fast and rewarding sew. So, when my Brother-in-Law announced he and his girlfriend were pregnant (his first, her third) I immediately thought "Oh, here's my chance to torture him with a little Baby Shark before the baby even gets here."

Originally I'd bought this fabric for my son when he was in HIS baby shark phase, but time marches on. Longtime readers will remember the romper I made for my son's teacher, but I didn't have enough fabric to pull of THAT particular feat again. Fortunately, the Lullabye Line Bodysuit takes less fabric and is less labor intensive, so I could speed through that pattern in short order. 

Making it, I wash struck by how *little* it actually is in a 3m size. I wasn't into sewing knits when my kids were babies, so I they missed out on homemade clothing during that phase. They were, however, were happy to hold it up for a comparison. It blows my mind to thin of how much *they've* grown in the last 7 years, especially in comparison to their soon-to-be-newborn cousin!

The final product came out quite nicely, if I do say myself. Everything from the main to the green to the Kam Snaps came from stash, so this was a quick and efficient make. It was well received at the shower, and the expectant parents got a good laugh when I told them "Thank me now, hate me later."

Here's to a fun and fast classic baby gift that I know will get some love!