Saturday, November 6, 2010

Resized t-shirt

I didn't take a before picture, but this shirt used to be larger. I used Jalie pattern 2918 to resize it to a toddler size 2. I have had to adjust the neck size from the pattern. As is, the shirts do not fit over my toddler's head. I have to make the opening 1/8" - 1/4" larger to fit over his head and have had to adjust the neck binding as well.

T-shirt

This is a t-shirt that I made from my fabric stash using Jalie pattern 2805. This is the 4th shirt I've made using this pattern. This is my new go-to pattern for t-shirts. The fit is flattering and it is quick and easy to sew. I've also resized other t-shirts using this pattern for a better fit.

Resized Hawaiian shirt

I found a men's Hawaiian shirt at goodwill for $1. I liked the print and wanted to resize it to fit me and my shape. I cut apart the shirt and used Simplicity 9816. I like this shirt pattern as it has different patterns for different cup sizes (no calculating or altering that I would normally need to do) to ensure a good fit. I laid the pattern pieces on the shirt and cut around them. I lined up the bottom hemline on the pattern so I would not have to hem the shirt when I was finished. I also lined up center front with the center front of the pattern so I would not have to redo the buttons or button holes. Sometimes I feel like this is the cheater way to sew, but it saves a lot of time when it is already done.

Training underwear

I made this training underwear from my flannel stash and the training pants pattern from new conceptions. At first attempt, my toddler refused to wear the underwear and I thought that it may have been uncomfortable for him. On the second attempt, he did wear the underwear and I could see the fit better. The second time around I liked the fit better. The underwear has a high waist design and the leg openings are big. They definitely would not contain a poop on my child who is on the thinner side. When it is time for potty training, I do think that they will serve their purpose (he isn't quite ready yet). If I were to redesign this pattern for a better fit, I would lower the waist (who wears anything that high anymore?) and lower the leg openings so they fit a thinner child a little better.

-My favorites are the frog underwear :)

-Update 2011: I love this pattern now. They flannel is more absorbant than store bought training underwear. Now that my kids are 2 and 3 (instead of 1 when I first made the underwear), the fit is different. It it not too high waisted and fits snugly like it should. It does actually contain poop accidents too. I use these daily with my kids and it saves us a lot of money since we are not buying pull-ups.

Underwear out of t-shirts and knit scraps


I bought the children's underwear pattern from youcanmakethis.com. I am usually hesitant to buy .pdf patterns as I have had bad luck in the past with some. I have to say that I love this pattern. If you use knit scraps and recycled t-shirts, the underwear costs less than 50 cents a pair to make or free if you the supplies on hand. So far I have completed one boys' pair in size 2 and one girls' pair in size 2. The instructions were great and I love that the pattern does not use elastic for the binding (it uses a knit fabric with some lycra in it for extra stretchiness plus resilience). The only tricky part was that an exact measurement was not included for the opening on the boys' pattern and I was not sure how far to stretch the binding as I pinned it on. It turned out okay after pressing and it will likely go more smoothly as I make more.