Kai Shirt :: Almost Complete

The sewing machine is still humming in the background of my life. God, I love sewing. I really wanted to try this pattern from the Heather Ross book I so often gush on.

It is the boy's shirt, a proper button up pocketed one. My boy's own one or two button ups, we run a fairly informal ship around here. I thought if I could manage to sew this pattern, we would have years of button ups in the bag....one each a year or so.

I am totally happy to report they are done. Well, nearly done. The want only for actually buttons to button them up. I even have the buttons. But stalled in the finishing due to a lack of place to go that require button up (or button down?) shirts.


I have been working on these piece by piece for over a month. I know the book is called Weekend Sewing, but with the twins and the work and the knits, it just takes me a few more weekends. I have to say it went really smoothly. The pattern is easy to follow, the pieces easy to cut and decipher. I had a rough time with joining the collar on the first shirt, it took three tries of sewing, looking, realizing and ripping. But it finally came together.

I love approaching sewing clothes like a 1000 piece puzzle. I study it a bit, the whole picture, then break it down into bits. The part I liked the best was sewing in the sleeves, it was so satisfying to turn the right side out and recognize the fabric as an actual shirt. And the other fun was the buttonholes. I have made some for a past project but this time I got to make eight. 8!!! (Mace's new favorite number. He counts 1...2....8!!!) If you have a machine that will sew buttonholes for you, do not be afraid. It is easy to do, just read the manual and you will be ready to go. If your machine does not do it automatically, I have no idea what to tell you. It looks like it would be a challenge to do properly (well, for a moderate novice like me that still cannot seam straight all the time).


These shirts make me happy. I found the print at Fabric Temptations during my visit to Arcata. Heather Ross is going to start thinking I am her stalker (she used to live up there). It is a cool, almost Hawaiian like print of caravans (that is what the Aussies call RVs) and they are all boy.


Now, only one word of advice. The pattern runs really big. Really big. I made the smallest size (12 months) on the advice of this awesome lady and it still has a bit of room on the boys (now 26 months). Definitely check the fit on your little one before you choose a size.

I am pleasantly discovering that sewing clothes is as much fun as sewing bags and hats and other accessories. More steps, a little bit more ripping, but fun.

Next up though is use of stash fabric (some just donated by Lori Z who is hightailing it back to Canada). It is roughly based off of a few pictures of a project by Soulemama and seems to be coming along just fine. One can always use another blanket to sit on. Especially as a family that is proving to be pretty rough on things.



Happy weekending to you, hope it holds some time for creation.