I'm having a hard time writing this post. Brain. Not. Working. KCWC has kicked my arse. It was like project bootcamp and, let's face it, I've gotten pretty project flabby lately. But, though I'm a little worse for wear, I'm also feeling creative and productive and generally like my old self again. Anyway, here's something I squeezed into the closing hours of KCWC.
I've literally been daydreaming about this hoodie for months. Better late than never, right? I used red and yellow thread and the last of my favorite Japanese acrylic (washable!) felt. It's thinner than your standard craft felt, yet stronger, richer and more opaque. It's my secret weapon, if I find out where to get more I'll let you all know!
B and I really collaborated on this. Not only did he sit at his usual sewing machine pedal pushing perch, but he helped cut felt pieces, make color choices and layout decisions. When it was finished he had his own sense of pride and ownership. He loves it more than I could have hoped for, and therefore so do I! But I just might love the robot dance he spontaneously broke into when he first put it on even more.
Hey, I made more pants! These have pockets and trim and top stitching and all sorts of goodies. Maybe this means I'm officially on a roll? They're made from soft, lightweight corduroy with printed cotton pockets and trim. As usual I used ribbing at the waist, this time with elastic encased within. And as usual I didn't use a pattern.
I adore these. I love the bright colorful vehicles print, and the way it looks against the neutral gray.
I love the length, just short enough to show off Calder's delicious chubby ankles. 
Beckett wants a pair, and rightfully so, but I'm trying to work through my project pile before heading back to the fabric store. How typical that I reach my stride with only a day left of KCWC? I hope to keep up the momentum, but maybe on some big people clothes. Maybe we can have a Mom Clothes Week Challenge next?
I've seen these high waisted baby leggings around, so why not try a pair myself? Well, I don't know if it's the stripes, the colors, or the little strong man muscles on the Jonesers, but he totally looks like a depression era circus performer, right? Which I'm really ok with.
Lining up the stripes was pretty fussy, but I'm glad I took the time. I traced an existing pair of leggings to make up the pattern. The fabric is a lightweight cotton sweater knit, with orange ribbed knit trim.
My second experiment was using ribbed knit as edging on a woven cotton. I used this DARLING whale print cotton. Made up a pattern, loosely based on an existing pair of pants, then used yellow ribbed knit round the legs and to form a waist band. 
I wish I had encased elastic inside the waistband - sheer laziness on my part- as it would have given it added stability, but the ribbing is pretty effective. 
I'm so happy with these shorts. This is why we do it right? The act of sewing itself is so thrilling to me, but so is having created something one of a kind. No retailer carries the kind of whimsy I've seen in the KCWC flickr group. It's well worth checking out, even if you're not into sewing.
It's official, B is a big kid - over the course of the past few months he's worn holes into the knees of three pairs of pants. Three! I love it. And as it's KCWC, I thought I'd pull out these much abused pants, cut them short and add trim.
After some vigorous quality control testing, the client has given his approval. Which is good, considering we have 2 more pairs of torn pants to tend to.
KCWC Lesson #1 - it's much easier to be prolific with a 3 month old baby than with a teething 10 month old. I'm struggling to get in the requisite 1 hour a day. I guess that's why it's called a challenge. I should have known last time was too easy!
I'm just resettling into home after spending almost a week on the Oregon coast. I had loads to post, lighthouses and sand castles, salt water taffy and rowdy sea lions, but we had no internet connection. I hope you'll oblige me sneaking a few vacation pics in with my Kids Clothes Week posts (it's here! Yay!!!) We had a beautiful trip, filled with all kinds of Springy inspiration and I'm so excited to translate that into KCWC beach clothing for the boys, but this morning we're just a little tired.
Thanks again to Meg for hosting the KCWC, and to all of you sewing along! Isn't it wonderful to be a part of such a lively, creative group? It's a bit electric. Even if you're not sewing along, check out the flickr group, it's already filling up with brilliance. Away we go!
Isn't it amazing how accessible well designed textiles have become? Just a few short years ago I had to scour online fabric import shops (often paying shipping from Japan or the UK) to find charming children's prints. And even then the selection of unisex or boyish prints was pretty slim. But just look at the prints I picked up this weekend. Moda, Kokka, Alexander Henry all available at my local fabric shop. Yay! I can't wait til next week!
