Yeeeeaahh, so KCW Summer 2013 was a total bust for me. Well, maybe not a TOTAL bust — I did finish 2 WIPs that were sitting around my sewing room collecting dust. But those occupied only 2 evenings of KCW, far from the 7 that I had hoped to commit.
I had a hard time getting motivated for KCW this summer. My kids don’t really need any new clothes. N doesn’t wear the ones that I make her anymore, preferring instead to rotate the same 3-4 t-shirts.
J loves getting new clothes, but the kid’s drawers are overflowing with summer clothes since he can still wear shorts that he wore when he was 1 year old. In fact, some of those 2T shorts still threaten to fall off his skinny bottom, even though I have to buy him at least 4T in pants for the length! He was quite pleased with his car shorts when he first saw them, but still has declined to wear them for a full day. At least with the length of our summer and the way he grows, there are still many months left to try to convince him!
To be honest, I’m just not that interested in sewing for the kids right now. I am in the process of making J a new pair of Big Island Board Shorts, which I hope to bust out tonight. The cheapo fabric that I got from Joann’s when I was a tester for this pattern (because I didn’t have time to wait for the nicer stuff to come in the mail) has finally failed me, and he has torn unfixable holes in his first pair, which he loved. Hopefully he’ll love the new pair just as much. And I will finally get around to posting a review of this pattern!
Instead, I’ve been focusing on me and Albert.
It’s a matter of quantity for me — I have very few clothes that I will be able to wear effectively after this baby is born in a few weeks. I got 2 1/2 glorious hours to cut fabric yesterday afternoon while N napped and Albert took J on an outing. In addition to the Miette Skirt and simple elastic skirt that I had already cut, I cut the fabric for another Miette, a modified Lady Skater, and another Pina dress (this time maxi length).
I was also inspired by a couple of nursing tops that I saw on Zulily the other day, and I hope to recreate them, likely using the new Maria Denmark It’s *Just* a Tank Top pattern. Hopefully I’ll be able to put together a tutorial for that in the next couple of weeks!
For Albert, it’s all about quality, particularly fit and finish. He is very particular about his clothes, which is largely why I haven’t sewn anything for him until now. He’s really picky about fit and finish and details, and it was just kind of intimidating to think about spending a lot of time making something for him that he didn’t like but felt obligated to wear, etc., etc.
But, I’m a tester for the upcoming Jedediah Pants from Thread Theory (spoiler: from what I’ve experienced so far with the pattern, it’s a really good one), which means Albert’s getting some new pants whether he likes it or not! I’ve made sure to consult with him about every step of the process, and he’s been really good about giving me detailed feedback that will hopefully result in pants that fit him well and that he loves!
I ordered two different fabrics for his pants, and hopefully I can sew them in tandem this week. The first is an awesome recycled hemp and organic cotton blend from Hart’s Fabric:
The first pants fabric. If I hadn’t gotten specifically for Albert, I might just steal it for myself!
It arrived in record time on Friday, and I prewashed and dried it 3 times, just because I’ve never worked with hemp fabric before and wanted to make sure the completed pants don’t shrink. It’s a fabulous weight for pants, and has a great color with subtle flecks of blues, oranges and yellows among the gray.
The second fabric I ordered for him is the yarn-dyed Essex Linen in denim from lowpricefabric.com, the Michael Levine online store. I’ve never worked with Essex Linen before, but have heard nothing but good things. It is scheduled to arrive tomorrow!
Second fabric — Yarn-dyed Essex Linen in denim
Last night I cut and sewed together a muslin for the pants. Part of me was tempted to take a picture because I made it from an old bedsheet, and they looked like clown pants! But I took pity on my husband, who is already being a great sport about all this and giving me all the cooperation and feedback that I need.
I’ll be making a few modifications to the Jedediah pattern to account for Albert’s specific taste in pants. Even though I’m testing, I still want these pants to be something that he wears!
I will probably take tonight to finish J’s shorts and maybe get a start on my second PIna dress, but then it’s all about pants for the rest of the week! I’m actually really excited to dive into the Jedediah pattern. There are some techniques that I’ve never used before and the pattern includes really nice finishes on everything. The insides of these pants should be just as pretty (if not prettier) than the outside when it’s all said and done!
the creative counselor 
Oh, I’m curious about the pants-sewing experience and pattern and can’t wait to read your review. My husband has recently expressed interest in a handmade item, and it makes me terribly nervous. Those fabrics are beautiful!
My husband has been mentioning the fact that I never make anything for him on and off for a few months, but the thought of sewing for him was just so daunting! I was glad to get the opportunity to test this pattern because it’s given me a swift kick in the rear in that direction 🙂 I will definitely be posting on my progress!