Have you heard about the Bundle Up sales yet? They're so fun because you can pick and choose the patterns you want and then bundle them up for great savings! They're always all new patterns too!
I was super excited when I got the e-mail from Robin asking if I'd be interested in sewing up some of the patterns for the boy themed Bundle Up! I got to sew up patterns by two of my favorite designers and now Zeke is well on his way to being ready for fall and winter!
First up is the Lumberjack shirt from Patterns for Pirates. (I discovered as I was writing this post that I'm not very good at taking detail shots of the clothing, so I'm sorry about that! I'll be trying to do better about that in the future.) This is a classic flannel shirt with a ton of options! It can be made as a single layer, it can have a hood (lined or single layer), or a collar, one pocket, two pockets or no pockets! Now, if you know me, you know I love to upcycle so it should be no surprise that I hit up Goodwill to find fabric for my shirts!
Now, everyone knows flannel shirts are great for the farm crew, but did you know they're also really trendy for the "skater" and "punk" crowds? Zeke's jacket is a heavy weight cotton outer (it was an Old College Inn brand button up that I paid $3 for) that's fully lined with skully flannel I bought last year from Joann's. The outer hood is knit and the inner hood is the skully flannel again. This thing has some great weight will get him through all of fall quite easily! It's nice and loose so he'll have no problems wearing it over other shirts too. Because I upcycled it I used the existing buttons/button holes and this was really a fairly quick sew even being fully lined!
For Kessa's I modified the pattern a bit. I cut the size 5 width and then flaired it out a bit to give it an A-line effect. I also measured the length so it would hit her around her thighs and look good with leggings and boots. I didn't line her shirt (except for the hood) and after seeing pictures I wish I has sized down even a little bit more. I think with a few tweaks this will be a totally great tunic for her though!
Hers is also upcycled and it's a super soft, broken in flannel. Her hood is black cotton/lycra lined with a skully cotton lycra print.
I'd never made a shirt with actual button cuffs and a placket and such before but these were honestly a breeze! Judy's instructions were clear and easy. I didn't have to use the seam ripper even once!
Not a great picture, but I wanted to show one with the hood up. Also...can't you just see how cute this would be with super high top (like boot high) All Stars? I couldn't find any in time for our photo shoot though. Boo! lol
Ok, now let's switch gears and talk about Terra's Treasures p51 Flight Jacket!
First, let me just say that I LOVE a good bomber jacket. Leather + sherpa make my heart swoon. This is one of the first coats Zeke ever had when he was little (how totally adorable and tiny was he?!?!) So when Terra showed me the sketches for her p51 I was in LOVE!!!
I went the classic (faux) leather + sherpa route for Zeke's jacket but a lot of other testers and bloggers used other things like corduroy, windpro, and even sweatshirt fleece. I have some hot pink pleather I want to use for a girly one at some point too.
This is probably one of the more in depth patterns I've ever made. I got a little scared looking through the pattern and wondering what I'd gotten myself into, but once I started, it went together beautifully. Terra holds your hand and walks you through each step. I think this would be a lot easier or more difficult depending on the fabrics you used. Obviously if you use a heavy leather and a thick sherpa it's going to be a lot harder than if you use sweatshirt fleece and flannel. My sherpa was probably about a medium loft and the faux leather is a nice weight but not too thick. I think it worked out as a great combo for this coat. (I bought both fabrics from fabric.com)
The welt pockets are super easy to make and the asymmetric zipper really makes this jacket stand out from the crowd! Oh, and if you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do, and can't find the right sized zipper, Terra even tells you how to shorten your zipper so it will fit!
The vintage tank at our local park paired with this jacket made me want to give all the photos an old-time filter. So...there ya go. Lots of (over) editing on these pictures of my sweet boy. It was 100+ degrees out when we took these pictures and he rocked them! lol ;)
My husband says we need to start collecting patches to spruce this bad boy up even more. I think it looks great this way and would also be a great base for more embellishing!
The front and back bodice are fully lined with sherpa and the sleeves are lined with a thinner fabric (I used flannel).
I'm SUPER proud of this jacket. The end product was worth the 2 to 3 days (on and off because we're super busy and have 4 kids! :p ) of work that it took.
If you haven't bundled up yet you're running out of time!!!! Be sure to head over and pick out some great patterns! Remember if you buy 6 they're only $4.50 each and they get cheaper from there! (You have to buy at least 6 to get the bundle pricing)
And if you want to see more views of even more of the patterns from the Bundle Up be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour. These ladies are CRAZY talented!!!
