Boys Can Wear Pink.... Volume 2!

So we had so much fun the first time, we decided to do it again!  So here is my second installment in the Boys Can Wear Pink series hosted by the amazing Kelly from Handsome Boy.  After you have read my post, head over and check out the amazing line up and other posts!

In case you have forgotten, (which I know you didn't) we are looking to break the barriers that boys are not "supposed" to wear pink.  This stigma stifles our creative outlets and prevents our boys from wearing some amazing creations.  It also harbors bias and stereotypes that lead to hurtful attitudes and words.  Well, we aren't standing for it anymore so at least in my house, boys CAN and DO wear pink.

I decided to make a whole outfit for my big boy this time.  Being as large as he is, it is often hard to find pants/shorts that will fit him properly.  A while ago, I jumped out and applied for a tester from Rabbit Rabbit Creations for a secret pattern.  It turned out to be the most fantastic pair of pants for my son.  I have made him 4 pairs of these already.  What pattern is it?  The Urbanite Pants!

These pants are not only amazing in their fit but the detail included to ensure you have a professional looking final result.  Check out my amazing pockets and double top stitching!

Then to find a shirt that would fit and be roomy enough to not cause fussiness in my preteen I headed to my go to favorite pattern maker.  I choose The Ethan Boy's Button Up Shirt by Sisboom.

Admittedly I am scared of collars and cuffs and facings and buttons... really all things dress shirt.  But I knew I could trust this pattern to make me feel like a professional.  And I do.  And I fooled everyone else. No one suspected I made the shirt! Check out these amazing details!

Altogether the outfit just worked! I was worried it would be too much but I think it turned out perfectly and will get some definite wear during the Spring/Easter season. Pardon my child trying to look "grown man serious", this must be a phase of the getting cool part of growing up?

So since the month of February is coming to close, you are running out of time to catch this amazing series.  And to enter the rafflecopter to win prizes... But you have plenty of time to sew up some pink for the boys and men in your life.  I would love to see it! Grab your favorite pattern, pink fabric and get at it.  Then run over to the Sew For Boys facebook group and post it.  Or wherever you post it make sure to include #boyscanwearpink so the world can know!  We dare you...

Enter to win one of the these FABULOUS prizes!!!

One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Boys CAN Wear Pink... Even Big Boys

So I was over the moon excited to be selected to participate in the Boys Can Wear Pink series that is being hosted by the AMAZING Kelly from over at Handmade Boy.  I am just one of many amazing bloggers who are participating in this tour. (Head over to the RoundUp and check out the other posts.)  This is an amazing experience, my first blog tour and an opportunity to feature Bubba on the blog, I mean he is half of the name...

So boys wearing pink you say?  Absolutely! Our society has been plagued by what we perceive as "normal" and we use it as a shield to hurt and judge others.  It is unacceptable! It is just plain wrong! And the worst part of it all??? We are teaching our children to have these judgmental values.  Ask an average teenage boy if he likes pink and his instant reaction is one of disgust.  The color pink is a color like any other and does not belong to girls alone.  Now my son is a preteen so he was super concerned that wearing pink would make him a target for ridicule.  I told him he could just model it for the blog tour and then he could put it in the closet.  But then I let him help me with the design, I let him sew a little.  He even put on his own snaps.  And now? He loves it!!! Enough of my soap box, let's get to my creation.

My son is huge!  I have a lot of trouble finding patterns that will fit him and hopefully for more than a day.  So when Scientific Seamstress released the adult version of their bowling shirt, I snatched my copy up the first day.  And then stored it in the pattern abyss and never looked back.  But I should have and I intend to make many, many more.  I ended up making him the XS which gave him plenty of room to grow and allows him to look as cool as he thinks he is.

Scientific Seamstresses Bowling Shirt

First off, I love this pattern! And the fact that to make the fun striped look didn't require any math on my part.  The pattern comes with complete instructions and measurements to make horizontal or vertical stripes.  And I was able to sew up two of them in a few hours.

And of course, my hip hop dancing son had to get his "cool" poses in...

Even after all of the hard work, he was still concerned about wearing his shirt in public. And admittedly, his stepdad wasn't much help.  Until I explained to him, how hurtful making fun of people is.  And we will accidentally raise our children to think it is okay to hurt people.  Silly men eventually see the light... so to support my son and boys/men who wear pink everywhere, he wore a pink shirt too!

Then they decided to state their love for pink with some fun fabric spray paints. In retrospect, I would have made it darker and therefore easier to photograph but in real life, the effect is more like graffiti which they love!

So to reward my strong son we went out to lunch.  I offered to let him change his shirt first but as you can see, he decided that wearing it was much cooler!  

Moral of the story: Boys look good in pink!  And they can love it too.  So enough of wandering the fabric stores looking for navy blues, greens, grays and blacks.  Grab some pink and sew something up for your boys, even your big boys!  And then head over to the Sew For Boys facebook group and show it off!  Or post it with the hashtag #boyscanwearpink.

WAIT!!! Before you go, enter to win prizes from our amazing sponsors! And check back with me later this month for my Boys Wear Pink Volume 2!!!!

One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wideleg Pants for Every Occasion

     So recently I was selected to test the Wideleg Pants pattern from Jocole that is included in the girl's Bundle Up Sale.  At first, I spent two days telling my husband about how exciting and cool it was to test for Jocole.  Then I spent a whole day panicking about messing up and never getting to test again! On the fourth day, I made pants....

But before I start... you want to know the pattern specs right?

Sizes? From Nb-14 and even include a size for dolls.
What kind of fabrics? Anything! (Well anything non-transparent) both knits and wovens work here, and I believe I saw a pair that were fleece. Whatever is most comfortable for the model...
Options? Where do I begin? There is a pants, capri and shorts length. 3 types of yoga waistband: skinny, regular and fold over.
3 Lengths?!? Are there pockets? Of course! Either a patch or an inseam pocket.
Sounds good right?

Washington winters are rainy and cool so I made Bug pants for both of hers but in a few months the capris will show up. The first pair I made were for a fashion forward shopping day with Grandma, who was in town for Christmas.  I paired them with the Fancy Blazer from Love Notions, which went perfectly with the Christmas print I wanted to use.

The fit was amazing! I was concerned that wideleg pants would swallow her and they don't at all.  And they are so super comfortable.  She refused to take them off later when I demanded that she let me wash them. The length was great even for my long legged beauty and the patch pockets were perfect for fitting the $20 Grandma gave her. I used the fold over waistband and it sat high enough for her to be comfortable but not too high to be "weird".

 

While not-so-patiently waiting for the release of these pants, my kids traveled to Portland for their first ever dance conference. On the list was a comfortable pair of pjs for a late night dance party.  Of course, Diva Bug had to have new pjs for this very occasion. I let her look through all of my patterns and she wasn't convinced any of them would work for dancing. (Not even sure why, but she is very opinionated.) Then she asked for another pair of wideleg pants.  So this round, I used the regular waistband and the inseam pockets. 

I intentionally shortened these so she wouldn't have a problem running around barefoot at the pj party.  She must have enjoyed them because she put them right back on the next day. 

I am already mentally planning my next pair of pants, or maybe capris?  Definitely grab this pattern as a part of your bundle.  Go! Get to bundling!

Click here to head over and build your bundle!

Sweet Innocence and Thanksgiving Alterations

      So I was recently lucky enough to be selected to test a pattern for Annastasia of My Treasured Heirlooms. From the moment I saw the dress and all of the options, I knew I would not be making just one.  Bug is a twirling, ruffly, sparkly type of girlie girl so this dress is right up her alley.  The Sweet Innocence dress goes from sizes 2-10 and there is even a doll option that will fit a wide range of doll babies.  There are 3 different options for this dress, two peasant dresses that can serve as underdresses and even a corresponding pair of pants (with or without ruffles).  If you only buy one pattern, this one has everything and more.  You can purchase just the dress (Girls Pattern) or opt for the combo pack that includes the doll version (Girl and Doll Combo).

       So for my first dress, I had some fabric issues and changed my mind forty times but I finally decided to cut the second view with a peasant underdress. I am working with Bug to pick her own fabrics because she is getting more picky and I don't want to sew things that she will refuse to wear.  I started with the underdress. It is a peasant style dress that could easily stand by itself but I used it to give body to the outer dress.

And oh the twirl!

      There was so much ruffling going on... And then I started with the outer dress.  My daughter, like everyone else's daughter, loves Frozen so I have some of every Frozen print.  She really wanted a Frozen twirly dress.I chose the open back with a double ruffle to mat h the underdress.  After yards and yards of ruffles, I think she was pleased...

      After doing the assigned tester dress, Annastasia asked if anyone wanted to try to do something different with the pattern.  Since Thanksgiving was coming up and I promised my daughter a rocking Thanksgiving outfit, I jumped at the chance to try my luck.  I wanted to use the peasant bodice and create a shirt and match it with the ruffle pants.  So I estimated my daughter would need about 6 1/2" added to the bodice to be long enough to make a shirt. 

     I used the tier 1 measurements from the tiered peasant dress to cut a ruffle to go on the shirt. I shortened the ruffle height to match the pants ruffle. Then I cut out the ruffle pants.  I used the pants ruffle piece as well as a ruffle that was an inch shorter to create a double ruffle.  Since my fabric was so dark and holiday themed, I decided to add some gold ricrac along the ruffles to create a little "bling" for my fancy Ladybug. She loved her comfy Thanksgiving outfit!

      So run over to My Treasured Heirlooms and grab your own copy of the Sweet Innocence Dress on Etsy or Craftsy! And check out her store! She has some awesome crochet patterns.... which is a skill I have been meaning to learn.  Happy Thanksgiving from Bubba and Bug! And on to Christmas sewing!

(Bubba is wearing the Old Tyme Baseball Shirt from Dandelions N Dungarees)

Welcome to the Amazing Adventures of Bubba and Bug

So here I am, I have finally decided to start a blog!  I am not sure that anyone wants to know about all of the strange goings on in my world but just in case...

Starting off, I should introduce myself.  I am a veteran of the United States Navy and a recent graduate from the University of Washington who lives in Tacoma, WA.  I am lucky enough to be the mother of two awesome and individual little people: Bubba, age 9 and Bug, age 7.  I work overnight as an LCMS technician at a toxicology lab and spend my days playing supermom, reading and sewing.

Bubba and Bug (and Foxy)

Ahhhhhh Sewing.... the main reason I have decided to blog.  I love to share some of my amazing... and not so amazing... creations that I make for my children (and every so often for myself). In December, I will reach my one year Sew-iversary and I feel like I have come a long way from my first creations to today.  Hopefully, my photography skills have also progressed proportionately.

The Dreaded First Project (CKC Cosette)

Most recent project (Mandy K Designs XOXO Dress)

Well, that is my brief introduction and I hope to be back soon with more projects and other fun things!

Essence