Copy Your Clothes

A squillion years ago I studied Fashion Design at University. I quickly learnt that I wasn't a very good designer, but found the that more practical parts of the course, garment construction and pattern cutting, really floated my metaphorical boat. The lecture I still remember as being the most interesting was an 'extra' (not part of the syllabus) taught by a lovely pattern cutting tutor called Karen. She showed us how to take a pattern from a pair of trousers or jeans that fitted us well. This blew my mind at the time, and I've been fascinated by this subject and the challenges involved ever since. 

(image source: Tilly and the Buttons)

On and off, I've been using existing garments to make sewing patterns ever since, whether to try to accurately copy the original, or to use it as a way to get closer to the style I'm aiming for than if I started cutting with basic pattern blocks. Then when Tilly suggested we run a workshop at her HQ/studio around the subject of copying existing garments, I did masses of research to really hone the techniques into a process I could break down and teach to others. 

Coincidentally, around the time that Tilly and I started discussing the workshops, my best friend Vic asked me to copy her beloved spotty Peter Pan collared T-shirt (pictured above). For the first four or five Copy Your Clothes workshops, I actually used her T-shirt in the demo part of the workshop, which gave me the kick up the bum to actually get on with the task (sorry it took so long, Vic!). 

With the pattern finally complete, I then made a copy in a lovely soft teal interlock that had been lurking in my stash (sorry for the pics, it's one of those colours that my camera can't deal with accurately! The picture at the top of this post is the most like the colour in real life). This fabric doesn't have exactly the same properties as the original jersey, but it's close enough and Vic says the fit of the copy is great (phew!). Here she is rocking her new/reproduced top:

You may notice that the copy isn't exactly the same at the original: the keyhole detail has been constructed differently and is an oval rather than teardrop shape. Plus the sleeves have bands rather than binding at the hem. This is because I had to adapt the construction process to suit the machinery I have at home, I (lamentably) do not have access to an industrial binding machine. And this is one of the points I make in the class: you may not be able to make an exact replica of your original garment, particularly if it's been mass-produced, but you can get a damn good approximation (or even improvement!) that you will love just as much!  

The Copy Your Clothes workshops at Tilly's have been really popular, with each one selling out not long after it's been scheduled. If you are interested in taking the class, currently there are two scheduled for 9th May (10am - 2pm) and 30th May (2pm - 6pm). 

'So, Zo...' Investigates: Independent Children's Sewing Pattern Companies, Part 2

(image source: Shwin & Shwin)

Hi peops! Here's the second and final (for now) instalment on my mini-feature about independent children's sewing pattern companies....

(image source: Kitschy Coo)

Kitschy Coo

Amanda from Kitschy Coo is a rather awesome knit fabric purveyor as well as pattern designer/seller. I had to look at her online shop through my fingers to try and avoid being tempted to buy some of the incredible printed organic cotton jersey.

Check out: She's developed some wonderful patterns for women and children, the Lady and Little Girl's Skater dress patterns being particularly popular. However, if I'm going to do some spends on any of them, and I most likely will, it'll be for the Boy cut unisex brief (pictured above), entirely due to Jenna's amazing versions and her daughter's approval of the fit.

(image source: Made by Rae)

Made by Rae

Rae is the design genius who came up with awesome Washi dress pattern, that must have saved sooooo many preggers women since it was released (myself included), Rae has also release a some children's patterns (as well as designed some pretty awesome fabric prints for Cloud 9, which I learned by hanging out at the Village Haberdashery).

Check out: The Geranium dress pattern (pictured above). Yes, one pattern can make all those different looking garments. I told you she's a freakin' design genius! The pattern includes heaps variations for different lengths, necklines, sleeves, gathering etc. That is some serious value for money right there and as soon as I get round to making some of the patterns I bought during a recent splurge, I'm going to chuck money her way to get my hands on a copy.

(image source: Misusu patterns)

Misusu Patterns

If your ideal of kids clothing is comfortable, quirky and contemporary, then you need to check out Misusu patterns. All their designs have really clever features and details paired with interesting silhouettes. This brand is unique, and I wish I was even a fraction as good at putting colours together as this designer is.

Check out: the Bruno cardigan (pictured above), among many of their designs, encourages experimentation with fabric and colour combinations. I'm also big into the Lotte dress and tunic pattern which cleverly creates the illusion of separates.

(image source: Oliver +S)

Oliver + S

If you haven't seen their patterns before then you can't be into sewing and I don't know why you're reading this blog. Go away. I'm joking, I'm joking, come back! Maybe you just hate kids... Another joke, I promise. Don't be so sensitive.

In short: Oliver + S are to children's sewing patterns what This American Life is to podcasts: better quality, more prolific, and deservedly very successful. If you aren't into PDF's then you're in luck because Oliver + S patterns are available in both digital and paper format. And from my experience of them so far, their instructions are excellent.

Check out: Their range is ridiculous. So many wonderful patterns it'll make your eyes water (figuratively, otherwise you should probably turn down the brightness on your screen). I already own four or five Oliver + S patterns, but another that I certainly aim to get my mitts on in the future is the Sailboat Top, Skirt and Pants/Trousers pattern (pictured above). I think I'll get it in the larger size batch (4-8 rather than 6 mths-3) so I can make the most of every size included.

(image source: Shwin & Shwin)

Shwin & Shwin

This crew actually produce patterns for girls, boys and women, and have clearly been busy because there's heaps of them! Their products seems really lovely, I especially like how many of the kid's patterns are unisex.

Check out: there are quite a few I'm tempted by. The Lucille top which is pictured at the top of this post looks like a fun pattern for using up colourful scraps of jersey. Plus I imagine there's many a little girl who would go crazy for a Georgia Twirl top/dress (pictured above).

(image source: Too Sweets)

Too Sweets 

Too Sweets patterns came onto my radar when I took part in the blog tour for the little girl's Perfect Pattern Parcel by making their September tunic/dress pattern. It was an enjoyable make, and having just a nose at their Etsy site, I can see there's some other lovely options. However, as someone who lives in a more temperate climate, I think it's clear the designer lives somewhere pretty warm (Arizona) as there's not really any cooler weather garment patterns in this collection. That's something I've been thinking a lot about recently, as I find I'm making Dolores heaps of lovely things that will see her through for the warmest part of the year, but for the chilly part (i.e. the majority)? I'd best get re-thinking my next few sewing projects, or start hitting the charity shops even harder than I already do!

Check out: I reckon the Roo Romper pattern would be ace for fully potty-trained kids. No way I'd make it before that point though. You know how long it can take to get out of a playsuit when you need a wee!

(image source: Willow & Co)

Willow & Co

So what's unusual and very cool about Willow and Co, is that they are a design collective. Five women for the price of one! I really love the idea of a collaborative effort like that, hopefully a super-supportive and no-egos type thing.

Check out: The Fawn Lily dress/tunic (pictured above) is hands down the most awesome. Soooo many fabulous fabric combo opportunities I can hardly breathe! But do check out the rest of their small but perfectly formed current collection. Plus the sneaky peak of their SS 2015 collection looks very promising also...

'So, Zo...' Investigates: Independent Children's Sewing Pattern Companies, Part 1

(image source: Brindille & Twig)

If I'm sounding a bit weary these days, it's because I've been out there on the front line investigating  where exactly to find the bestest children's sewing patterns so you don't have to! So what are my findings? Here's the options:

Obviously there's the Big Four children's patterns offerings, many of which are quite nice and some are full of potential, if you can overlook the super-traditional fabric choices and styling. You could try to scout out some fantastic vintage children's patterns on eBay or wherever. Then of course you've got pattern magazines (Ottobre Design magazine being the most awesome), which can work out great value if you like several of the designs in an issue. And finally, and for me most excitingly, there are a whole host of independent children's sewing pattern companies. Basically, it's just like the world of adult sewing patterns in terms of sources. Who knew?!?

(image source: Ottobre Design magazine blog)

So today I want to start talking about the indies. I've only just scratched the surface but initial research suggests that there are loads. And more seem to be appearing almost every day. There's even a flashy online magazine called Stylo dedicated to them! As you would expect, the independent companies often offer less traditional styles, more like the kind of things most parents actually want their kids (or even themselves, some are that good!) to wear. Something I love about these companies is that many/most of them seem to be run by mums from their homes whilst looking after their own kids, and selling their designs through their own sites and blogs or via Etsy.

If, like me, you are new to this subsection of the sewing pattern world but would like to investigate further, here's Part 1 of my little guide to some of the companies that are well worth a look, with Part 2 coming in a few days time. Please note: due to the fact that I have a daughter rather than a son, I've highlighted a few more patterns for girls' clothing than for boys'. Plus I have to say that, just like the adult sewing pattern world, there sadly seems to be far more choice of products for females than males (boys-and-unisex-only company Titchy Threads being a great exception).

(image source: Brindille & Twig)

Brindille & Twig

You can tell that designer Melissa Hendrickson is a mum herself designing with her daughter in mind because the entire collection is, or can be, made in jersey! The majority of these patterns are unisex and the vibrant fabrics used on this site brings a real sense of fun, and I feel that that is what sewing for kids really should be about.

Check out: My personal favourites are the excellent unisex crew neck sweatshirt (pictured above) and the darling flutter sleeve tunic (pictured at the top of the post).

(image source: Compagnie M)

Compagnie M

This small but perfectly formed selection of patterns is predominantly for girls and I literally want to buy them ALL. Also one of the few children's sewing pattern companies not to include 'and' or '&' in their name. Fact. Their strength lays in the potential for awesome fabric combinations and bold button usage.

Check out: The Louisa dress pattern, which if Pinterest is to be believed simply cannot be made into a bad version (I've already snaffled it up). Also the amazing unisex Charles pants/shorts/dungarees pattern pictured above.

(image source: E & E Patterns)

Elegance & Elephants (AKA E & E Patterns)

These are some pretty hip but wearable patterns here, all modelled (as most are, let's be honest) by the designer's own kids. I nearly wrote 'kiddos' then. I have never actually said 'kiddo' out loud in real life. I've clearly been spending too much time reading children's sewing blogs lately.

Check out: The rather excellent unisex Spring Showers jacket pattern (pictured above). The Bubble Pocket Shorts pattern is also all kinds of amazing!

(image source: Figgy's)

Figgy's

I am not cool enough for Figgy's patterns. If they were made in adult sizes I would not be allowed to sew them, I'd look like I'd stolen someone else's clothes because they are far too contemporary. Figgy's are available as PDF's AND as actual paper patterns from actual shops. Each non-virtual pattern pack contains a sweet little woven label that you can sew into your finished creation.

Check out: The effortlessly chic Stellar Tunic/Dress pattern (pictured above) which is ripe for all many of wonderful contrast fabric fun. The unisex Banyan Trousers/Shorts pattern is also a winner and I'm excited to say that I own it. I'm going to wait a couple of years before I make it for Dolores though, I feel they'd suit older children better.


Ok folks, that'll do for today. Tune in again very soon for the next instalment when I'll reveal a further five independent children's pattern companies that you should know about....

Ditsy Floral Mimi Blouse

True to my word in my mini-review of Love at First Stitch, I made a Mimi blouse before the end of 2015! Pretty near the beginning of 2015 in fact. The Mimi blouse is my favourite pattern from the book, and I loves me a vintage-y style little blouse (as proven by my collection of patterns you can see here). Also, sometimes when I'm teaching workshops at Tilly's HQ, I think it's nice to represent 'Team Tilly' by wearing a creation from one of her patterns. Just as soon as it gets warmer...

Pattern:

So the first thing to mention about the pattern is that is needs tracing. The patterns in the book are helpfully ordered so all the bits you'll need for one of the styles are all grouped together on one large page per pattern, so no magic-eye skillz required like with the Burda or Ottobre magazines. PLUS, unlike those 'zines, seam and hem allowances are already included. Want to see a video of Dolores 'helping' me trace out the Mimi pattern pieces? Of course you do...

If I'm looking slightly less than a picture of patience in the video, despite the evident cuteness of her assistance, it is because it was taken at the end of a long day full of 'helping'! 

So back to the pattern. I decided to monkey around with the sizing a bit. Generally I like my blouses to be quite fitted, and the style ease in the Mimi seemed quite a lot more than I'd usually go for. So to this end, even though my measurements corresponded closely to the Size 3 of the pattern, I actually traced the Size 2, and used the Size 3 for the sleeve. Generally I think this was a good tactic, however it did come out a tiny bit tighter than I expected in a couple of places, so maybe I'd make the Size 3 after all if I make this again. Oh, and I'd probably go up another size to the Size 4 for the sleeves next time as they are a wee bit tight, although that could be the crappy interfacing I used for the stiffening the facings which always seems to shrink whatever I'm fusing a little. 

There are some really lovely elements to this pattern and it was a really enjoyable make. I think the proportions of the gathered yoke and collar are really lovely. The only thing I felt I could add to the pattern was to make a different configuration of the buttons, which I placed in pairs for a little extra interest. 

Fabric:

Hmm, so I'm not really sure this fabric is 'me', and my personal jury is still out on this subject. It's an undeniable pretty ditsy floral Liberty or faux-Liberty (I'm not sure, I didn't buy it) print cotton lawn that has been lurking in my stash for an age. Just as Karen wrote in the awesome Liberty Tana Lawn edition of her fabric Focus series, it feels wonderful to both work with AND wear. I cannot wait for warmer months to wear this regularly and enjoy that experience! 

Thoughts:

I'm actually surprised by how much I like this blouse despite the 'un-me' fabric. I think the fabric a good pairing with this sewing pattern, and that is what is winning me over. As Tilly writes in the book, the Mimi blouse looks great with skinny jeans, which is pretty much my uniform at the moment. 

Sewing + Podcasts = Heaven!

I've currently got a bit of a backlog of finished projects to share with you, but I want to break up the 'I made this!' and 'I made this as well!' to write about something else. Don't worry, it's still sewing related. I want to talk about something that, for me, goes hand-in-hand with sewing: podcasts!

On a week day, when the stars aline and Dolores has a two-hour nap at home (rather than in the pushchair or sling when we are out and about), I can often sneak in an hour or so's sewing time during the day. This is a blissful little oasis of time which gives me a little break from trying to figure out how to entertain her, and it is very good for my mental health. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when she drops this nap, but I'll worry about that when the time comes closer, and in the meantime I'll enjoy the spell of productivity I'm currently experiencing.

Something I love to do that connects me to the 'outside' world, rather than the one I usually inhabit which consists largely of fish fingers and story books with flaps, is listen to podcasts. I listen to them on the train going to and from the classes I teach, but I also love to listen to them during these precious windows of sewing opportunity.

Here's a list of my favourite podcasts at the moment in alphabetical order:


Criminal

What is it? Fascinating little true tales around the theme of illegal activity, usually only about 15-20 minutes long apiece. Warning: some of the episodes are a little on the dark side, so probs best not listen to this podcast when there are kids around or you're feeling a bit sensitive.

Recommended Episode: J.R.R Ziemba. There's only one episode of Criminal that I haven't found fascinating so I could have recommended almost any of the fifteen currently available.


This American Life

What is it? The Big Daddy of podcasts! TAL has been going since the 1990's and has a massive following. Most of the hour-long episodes revolve around a theme and feature several stories that are loosely connected to the theme, but some episodes are based on a single factual tale. I got into TAL when my boss at Traid went on maternity leave and I worked alone for several months. I got thoroughly obsessed and used to rack up maybe five episodes a day. TAL reminds me just how multifaceted and absorbing real life is.

Recommended Episode: My goodness, so many but I'd say two episodes that really drew me in to this podcast are Switched at Birth and Act V. The wonderful thing about TAL is that, if you get into it, there is a backlog of over 500 episodes to dive in to!

Invisibilia 

What is it? The tag line is something like 'stories about the invisible forces that shape our lives'. But I'd describe it as spending an hour with two awesome, intelligent ladies who are having the most interesting conversation you're going to hear all week. 

Recommended Episode: I'd recommend you listen to all of them, but if I have to recommend one I'll say How to Become Batman, as this is one that I had to tell Pat (Mr So Zo) about immediately after he returned home. Frustratingly, they've only just finished airing the first/pilot series so there are only six episodes out there in the world, and we're looking at a long wait until we get some more.

Love + Radio

What is it? How the hell to describe Love + Radio?! It's mental and captivating. The creators must have scoured the world to find the most interesting people alive to be the subjects of their shows, and then won their trust and honesty to make it the most absorbing chunk of time you could devote to listening to something. In short: I'm in love with L+R. 

Recommended Episode: Oh my! Literally each one is a work of art in itself, but the episodes I wish I could erase from my memory to be able to devour them again as if for the first time are: Superchat, The Wisdom of Jay Thunderbolt, Strip, Pt 2 and The Silver Dollar. 

Mortified

What is it? 'Mortified' takes many forms, but the podcasts basically consist of a recording from one of their lives shows where someone reads an unedited chunk of their teenage diary, out loud, to an audience. As you can imagine, the content is usually pretty embarrassing for the reader and therefore amusing for everyone else. The podcast then includes a mini-interview with the reader. Episodes are about fifteen minutes long.

Recommended Episode: To be honest, I'm not obsessed with Mortified as a podcast, but it is often amusing. I really enjoyed the Mortified Nation documentary, which allowed the viewer to learn far more about some of the featured readers from the live shows, and was a much more thought provoking and explorative experience. But I've added it to this list because it can be good if you've only got 15 minutes left of your train journey or a hem to sew.


Radiolab

What is it? I've only just started listening to Radiolab so I'm not sure what it is yet exactly. Other than excellent. 

Recommended Episode: The Trust Engineers is the only one I've listened to so far (I've got more lined up...). A disturbing yet fascinating subject reported on sublimely. It's about an hour long and you should listen to it. I cannot add anything else at this stage. 

Serial

What is it? What is Serial? What is it? ESSENTIAL LISTENING is what it is! The whole series/season follows one reporter's explorations into one single story about an arguably-innocent man wrongly imprisoned for murdering his ex-girlfriend. Each hour-long episode builds on the story and introduces more information with new twists and turns. It's easy to forget that it is a real story about a real crime. 

Recommended Episode: You have to listen to all of them in the correct order or you are a fool.

Strangers

What is it? A lovely, friendly podcast produced by Lea Thau who created The Moth (see below). The episodes hoover around 30-45 minutes and usually feature stories that explore emotions, motivations and relationships. I may be making it sound less awesome than it is. 

Recommended Episode: One I absolutely adored is Gay Talese: Committed Voyeur. The Love Hurts mini-series is also so good in an absolutely open, confessional kind of way (the first episode can be heard here).


The Bugle

What is it? The Bugle is a super funny satire podcast that acts as a kind of correspondence between British comedians Jon Oliver and Andy Zaltzman. I've found it to be so funny that it can be awkward to listen to it whilst on public transport. Recommended to me by Emily of The Botterman Empire a couple of days ago, I've already hoovered up several episodes and I think I'm addicted now. 

Recommended Episode: Whatever is the most recent episode. This is a news-based podcast so it'll be funnier if you can actually remember the events and people they are satirising.

The Moth

What is it? Like Mortified, The Moth is recorded as part of live shows where members of the public tell their story. I wish these live shows went on in the UK because I would love to attend. Each podcast episode is just one short-ish story and could be about anything that is/was important to that person's life.

Recommended Episode: It's difficult to suggest just one that you should listen to. Whether or not such a personal tale will resonate with you depends so much on the individual listening and the mood they're in. Some have made me laugh, some have literally made me cry, just dive in and listen to a few (of the nearly 500 currently available)!

What about you? What do you listen to, if anything, whilst sewing? Any good podcasts you can recommend to me/us?

Refashion Friday: Men's Shirt to Toddler's Ruffle Neck Dress

I'm really pleased to be sharing this make with you today because I'm super happy with it. It's the second project that I completed as part of the recent KCW upcycling sewing challenge. Warning: this is quite an image-dense post. I got some real cuties of my little girl modelling this make whilst going about her business. Consider yourself warned!

Pattern:

After the success of my men's shirt to baby blouse refashion, I knew I had to crack out that pattern again at some point. It was such a great little basic pattern with lovely proportions, and by reusing a shirt and incorporating the button stand, most of the hard work was already done for you!

I used the baby blouse pattern from the Sept 2013 edition of Burdastyle magazine (pictured above). I traced the next size up from the last time I used this pattern, so this is the Size 80. I then lengthened and flared out the hem to make an A-line dress shape and omitted the sleeves. 

To finish the armholes I simply used my overlocker to neaten the raw edge, folded it over then top stitched it down. I did that after the shoulder seams had been sewn but before the side seams as I worried about the overlocker going round such a tight circle and accidentally hacking off a chunk of fabric! Inspired by this picture I found via Pinterest, I decided to extend the ruffle to make it more of a feature. 

Fabric:

I have a few lovely thrifted men's shirts in my stash that I was saving to make into blouses for myself. This one was probably going to be some kind of diner waitress-esque type affair. But it hasn't happened and the longer I leave it, the less likely I am to actually wear a candy-striped diner waitress blouse in my day-to-day life! So I decided to give up on that dream (for now...) and use it for a different project that will hopefully get used lots and lots. 

The shirt itself was in pretty good nick. There's a bit of fading from going through the wash a lot, but not much else up with it. Despite the wide white stripes between the coral ones, the fabric is pretty much opaque so I felt it's appropriate for summer wear when she might not wear anything other than a nappy underneath when it's really hot. 

It wasn't all plain sailing (sorry, more nautical puns) when using this shirt though. No part of the shirt was wide enough to cut the ruffle in one piece. I cut the ruffle length in three parts and joined them up by carefully matching up the stripes. Hopefully the joins are fairly unnoticeable. 

Refashion:

Aside from the fabric of the garment, I also reused the button stand to form the fastening on the back of the dress. The original shirt's pocket had a cute little embroidered boat, which obviously I was going to incorporate into the end result come hell or high water! 

Usually when I'm refashioning a shirt into a new garment, I try to reuse the existing hem. However this shirt's wasn't great as it kept rolling up, so I decided to avoid it and cut and hem the dress as usual. I think this has helped give the whole garment a nice, clean finish and makes more sense with the A-line silhouette. 

Thoughts: 

Ahh! I love this dress! There is a distinct possibility that some may think she's dressed as a clown, but I think that's a look that Dolores could rock: Nautical Clown! I'm really pleased with how the stripes have lined up at the side seams, and I am pleased to prove to refashioning-phobes that sewing something from an existing garment can still result in a neat and crisp looking garment!

Currently it is a bit big for her (she still fits into the original blouse which was Size 74) but that's fine. It is intended to be worn in the height of summer, which may still be five or so months away! In the meantime, I will probably try and get more use from it by layering it over other clothes, more or less like she is wearing it in these pics. 

Refashion Friday: Men's T-shirt to Toddler Retro Running Shorts

Refashion Friday is back and it feels good! Recently I'm feeling really excited again about reusing existing garments for my sewing projects so I'm sure Refashion Friday'll become a more regular feature round here again. Today I'm going to go into detail about one of the two projects I undertook last week as part of the upcycling edition of the Kid's Clothes Week challenge. So let's talk about these retro running shorts! 

Pattern:

I started the beginning of 2015 by whipping up about 10 pairs of baby/toddler leggings (that I didn't bother to blog about specifically because I used a pattern I've written about on here before). It gave me quite a high to be so productive so I was looking for another quick-fix jersey project for part of the KCW challenge to make use of some of my stash of unwanted t-shirts. I decided to use the Prefontaine shorts pattern designed by Made with Moxie, which I was lucky enough to receive from my involvement in a previous Perfect Pattern Parcel blog. 

Aside from the awesome retro vibe, I also like how the pattern encourages the maker to repurpose old t-shirts for the binding. The pattern states you can make these shorts in pretty much any type of fabric, but personally I felt it'd work best in some kind of knit. 

Now don't get me wrong, I really do love this pattern and will definitely use it again at some point, but it wasn't the quick-fix project I was hoping for. I was probably being naive in thinking it would be. To get all that binding looking nice and neat made the project take a lot longer than I'd anticipated, even given the fact that I was making two pairs at the same time in a mini-production line. 

I think one of the reasons I expected this to be a quicker project because there's something slightly less polished about this pattern than some of the other downloadable sewing patterns out there. I mean no offence to anyone here, lord knows I'm aware how tricky drafting, grading and publishing a sewing pattern can be, but I need this review to be honest so I'm telling it how I found it. 

For example, I found sticking the pattern together to be a little inaccurate because there are no inner boxes to line up the edges against. Also, the pattern pieces have no grainlines on them which I think most sewers would expect to see. And one more thing is that the length of the inside leg seam is the same for all the sizes. So size 1 (approx. 18-24 months) and size 5 (approx. 7-8 years) have the same inside leg seam measurement which feels a little odd to me, and something I'd probably alter if I were to make the larger sizes. Don't let those things should put you off from purchasing the pattern if it appeals to you though. It really is a great little pattern and the instructions for construction are excellent.  

I made the size 1 (approx. 18-24 months) hoping that they would fit Dolores this summer (she's 16 months right now). The judo pair is intended for her and the Oxford university pair for her friend Arthur. However they have come out much bigger than I anticipated. She is on the slightly skinnier end of the baby-spectrum, but slightly above average height and as you can see from the pics in this post they look like a bit like this one her:

(image source)

As I was nearing the end of the make I realised they were coming up big so I made the elastic on the larger size so they can be worn in summer 2016 instead. 

Fabric and Notions:

The main fabric started out as a ma-hoo-sive second-hand men's t-shirt that I snaffled a few years back. It had obviously been worn, but barely, and the colour was still incredibly vibrant. When I initially saw it I thought it would be fun to incorporate the university logo into whatever I made from it, and it nearly became a pair of pants (undies). I'm glad I didn't use it for that purpose because the thick, sturdy jersey would have worked much better for this project. And what a win being able to just about squeeze not one but two pairs of shorts from one unwanted garment! 

The judo patch on Dolores's pair also came from my stash. Back when I was 18 or 19 I used to drag my-then-boyfriend to the jumble sale that took place at the school next to his house. I would buy ridiculously things for 10p each on a whim, filling up whole bin bags that it was his job to lug about the hall and hold open for me. One of those purchases was a child's judo outfit (!). I have no idea why I bought it, but I unpicked this little logo before donating it back to charity. 

The strips of white jersey that formed all that binding was harvested from an old t-shirt that I also already possessed. Literally nothing new was purchased for this project. I even printed out the pattern on paper that had previously been used on the other side!

Thoughts:

I am totally in love with these shorts! I must admit to being disappointed that I have to wait over a year to see them in action, unless Dolores or Arthur perform some kind of insane growth spurt in the meantime. But the great thing about making kid's clothes is that, when they come out too big, they will fit them eventually at some point. Especially now she's out of the stage where a particular garment only fits her for what seems like a matter of weeks.