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!