Fashion Week... Lil' A Style

Good Morning!

Confession:  I'm not an amazing sewer.  There, I said it.  It's true.  I can figure some things out, I love a good tutorial with lots or photos to help me along my way, I cannot read a pattern to save my life, I always have to call my Mom for sewing questions.  But I LOVE it!  I LOVE being able to make something that I saw in a store or that I've coveted from a magazine... I've tried my hand at a tank dress and 2 skirts for me, and while they ended up okay (and I wear them because fabric=$$), they were far from perfect and each time I ended up frustrated that they didn't look how I had envisioned them once they were on.  But my favorite person to sew for is Lil' A!  I LOVE making him clothing that I KNOW he'll love for various reasons... so this week we're doing a Lil' A Fashion Show! 

I used BOTH the Muscle Tee and Basic Shorts pattern from MADE... Dana has done an amazing job of creating patterns that are functional and easy to use.  I believe the pattern is made for a size 2T/3T so I just increased the width of the pants on either side by about 1".  Since my guy is on the skinny side (so did not get that from my side of the family), this worked well and I have it labeled as a 4T/5T...

I love bright colors on little people... especially for summer.  I think my kid totally pulled off this look, I used a simple knit fabric for the blue tank and a green knit for the neck and arm holes.  I didn't even finish the bottom for this shirt since I knew it was going to be a play shirt.  Since I did not use a ribbed knit for the neck/arm holes, Lil' A's giant head (so big because he has a big brain and is therefore, a genius - true story) I had to increase the neck size to 15" instead of 12" (I believe that's what the pattern calls for).  This was my first time working with knits so I'm still learning the lingo... just so you know, not all knits are created equal.  I prefer to work with a jersey knit, just your basic t-shirt fabric...

I dressed this shirt up a little.  I used some left over gray knit for the neck and arm holes, then added a pocket with a little trim at the top to give it some "POP"!  I used a small piece of green/blue stripped knit and made a sort of bias tape to go at the top of the pocket.  So simple but it added a lot.  I did finish the bottom of this shirt because I wanted it to be a shirt he could wear wherever. 

Confession: I had to use bathroom words to get that smile.  It went something like this...

"Adam, smile and look at the camera."  To which I got this photo...

So, I took it to the next level and said "Adam, what's your favorite word?  Is it Tutu fart head?  Or cuckoo loco head?  Or maybe Tutu Fart Toilet Head?"  That's when I got the smiling photo... and the rest of our shoot was easy...

His natural Blue Steel look...

 Our Catwalk Pose...  Yes, he did that all on his own.

Jersey Shore Fist Pumping... it's a natural transition from Catwalk.

And now we're at the gun show...

Yes, these guns are illegal in most states... 

The shorts are a stretch cotton twill.  I liked the fabric because it's a bottom weight, which means it's a little more heavy duty but I didn't like it because it had stretch, which at first I thought would be great and comfy but ended up a pain to work with.  I don't like it when my fabric moves, it's makes it harder for me to get a nice clean seam and hem.  I used the flat front pattern from MADE for Lil' A's shorts so that they'd look a little bit fancier... you know, for the gun show.  Fancy pants for the gun show.

See you tomorrow with MORE tough and rugged fancy pants!
Andrea