Muslin and Men of Leisure

Lately it has been much easier to start on projects that I have been dreaming about during those nap time hours when I am laying down with the boys. One such project is the making of pants for the boys. I have always loved the karate pants the boys wear from the American Apparel line. We have 6 or seven pairs and I love the lines of the pants. The easy to care for cotton is fun, but a bit plain. I am no clotheshorse when it comes to the boys, preferring the gently used clothing from Children's Orchard, but I want to be able to apply my love of sewing towards them a bit. And I want it to be special when I do make them bits.

Hence, the muslin. I have a half yard of precious Heather Ross fabric,

only enough to make one pair of pants and that only if I do not mess up while cutting, etc. So I ran out to the good old JoAnn's and grabbed some muslin to sort out the quickly drawn pattern. Using the recommendations by Amanda Soule in Creative Family, I traced my favorite pants, then sewed together the crotch seams, then leg seams and slipped them on the boys post nap. Just to see the fit.


Digression....years ago, when we were child free, job free and obligation free we went to Australia for an extended trip. The trip was meant to last 6 months and take us from Sydney round the country/continent back to Sydney. It lasted 4 months and took us from Sydney to the northern parts of Western Oz...then we ran out of money and the desire to continue living out of a car, so we headed home. One of these days, Tim and I were walking through a small town called Margaret River (Margs to the locs) and he was dressed in khakis and Rainbows with camera flung over shoulder (nothing has ever been flung over my husband's shoulder, but it sounded good to write) and I looked at him and decided he was A Man of Leisure. A man who had no other obligations in life than to take photographs and walk around looking leisurely. So I made up some ridiculous silly song about him being a Man of Leisure and we laugh about it to this day.

Well, he took one look at the boys in the pants and declared they too are Men of Leisure. I almost just want to make tons of little muslin pants and give them flip flops and cameras and let them follow the route we were then.

I am sorry, but my boys are too frickin' cute. It is like they know when I make them something and they go around posing in it. Well, I like the pattern, like the fit and will try to find a few more great fabrics so I can sew up a few more of these pants. They probably will not look like Men of Leisure (I know, I have said that a lot in this post, but it cracks me up, that title) in the printed fabric, but that is okay.


In other baby knit news, my best friend Ana is expecting her second boy soon and I got cracking once I knew gender. This vest is the result of some stash Kureyon and a heavily modified pattern from Natural Knits.

I promise to upload it to Ravelry once completed (I am so bad about Ravelry updates) and I already ordered some more Kureyon (why use stash stuff at all, I always end up with twice of what I used....what is up with us knitters?) from Webs for vests for the boys. I just love the color variegation in the pattern. It made me happy, and do not worry about me blogging it. I cannot keep any knit news from Ana and showed her the minute I cast on for it. Because it's like that with my homes (heehee).

Now, back to the machine. No, not really, naps over and Tim is being a sport and watching the boys while I play here for a bit. But I will get cracking on the pants soon.

Can you guess who's who in the top row of the mosaic? Just thought I would ask as I can tell their tummies apart easily. Ah, baby tummy. Nothing better.