KCWC

 

Kids Clothing Week Challenge 2013!

 

 I was brand new to sewing last year when KCWC rolled around, so although I did produce some wearable garments, my expectations were more realistic this round.

 

For those of you who aren't familiar with KCWC, its a challenge to sew at least one hour a day for a week for your littles. The first  year I participated, it was like "oh yeah, of course I"m sewing for them, who else would I sew for?" Now that I'm neck deep in selfish sewing projects (chiffon blouse anyone?) it makes sense to have a "challenge" of focusing on the kids. Also, by restricting myself to an hour a day, it forces me to realize that yes, sewing can be done in small spurts, and sometimes, putting a project down for an hour can be a great thing.

 

 

So, what did I decide to make? Well, I had a whole list of things I would have loved to have had time for, but since setting realistic expectations of myself was part of thechallenge, I decided to fill the most glaring hole in the boys' wardrobe: t shirts. You can make all the adorable button up shirts and cute jackets for toddlers that you want, but when it comes down to it, the only clothes you are going to be able to wrestle onto their little bodies with any regularity are going to be t shirts and shorts (more on the shorts later).

 

So, I made 7 t shirts. One for each day of the week. Though I should have made more than one for each day, since they tend to get them dirty in about 20 minutes and then request another one...

 

The fabric was owl print cotton interlock, pirate print rib knit, and- my favorite- mustache print cotton jersey with ribbing for the neckline. My new coverstitch got a workout on the neck and the hems, and I really love the professional finish it gave! Not once have I gotten asked if I made these shirts- and to me, thats really a compliment!

 

The first ones I made were the pirate rib knit, and unfortunately, the necklines got a abit  stretched as I underestimated the elasticity of the fabric vs the rib knit. So, those two got relegated to pajamas, but the others came out great. Our little neighbor friend even got one (no pic of him though) so they could all match when playing together!

 

The pattern on all three was my fav t-shirt pattern for kids: The Made By Rae Flashback Skinny Tee. Love. It. There will be many more where these came from.

 

So, here are some pics showing how the shirts passed the "kid wearability" test at the park, the animal sanctuary and at breakfast!