all i really want for my birthday is…. time to sew!

monday was my birthday and i decided to treat myself to permission to ignore all of my important to-do lists and just sew something.  it needed to be something i could finish in one day (or maybe one-and-a-half at most), so i chose to sew a little something for the happy little dude.  i’d been inspired lately by some tunic patterns i’d found in books.  the first one i considered was in the book sew tina by tina givens because it looked super simple.  but the closer i read the pattern, the more i had concerns.  for instance, it says to cut a slit down the front piece, but it doesn’t say how far down to cut the slit.  then, it simply instructs you to finish the collar (and this vertical slit you just cut in the front) with bias tape.  i didn’t see how that plan could possibly lie flat or look quite right, so i started poking around for other tunic plans.  i considered the charlie tunic, but (let’s face it) i’m cheap and preferred a free option if i had one.  plus, i wasn’t sure i wanted i wanted all that facing… next, i consulted my christmas gift book that i hadn’t had a chance to make anything from yet–sewing for boys and bingo!  i discovered the “easy linen shirt.”  i didn’t feel like cutting into fresh linen yardage for an untested pattern, so instead, i used a lime-green, very large women’s linen shirt i’d picked up for a few cents at the dig-and-save awhile back.  wanna see the result?

ta-da!  i ended up making a few alterations that worked well.  first of all, since this was an upcycled shirt, i used the existing hems for the shirt and the sleeves.  i also used the existing side vents just for fun.  i wasn’t sure i wanted a long sleeve shirt, so i shortened the sleeves considerably from the pattern.  good thing!  (you’ll see why in the photos of it on him)  the slit on this shirt (which was very carefully marked on the pattern) was a little too low for my two-year-old (i made the size 2/3), so i also engineered this little button and loop (sort of inspired by the charlie tunic linked above):

i used the contrast fabric (from the amy schimler, “on a whim 2” line) on the front detail and also on the inside of the collar.  but enough of these hanger shots.  you want to see this shirt in action, right? (btw, i think the color of the shirt is a little more accurate in these outdoor shots.)

oh my.  isn’t that cute?  but can you imagine the sleeves any longer?  yikes!  sewists beware!  but overall, this pattern was very clearly and thoroughly written.  i learned how to sew on this collar style (a first for me!) and i love the seam finishing details they added.  i’m trying to figure out if there’s a way to make this shirt so that it seems more casual.  i still had the urge to take this one off of my little model as soon as we got inside so he didn’t “get it dirty” which means i may be reluctant to let him wear it very often (which is silly considering the shirt fabric’s origins…).  but mostly?  i just loooooooved getting back into the sewing room.  it’s been too long.  i really want to participate in elsie marley’s kids clothing week challenge, but we’ll see if i can get myself organized in time.  for now, i’m just thrilled to have this cute little thing!

p.s.  i just realized that there’s a march sew-along for this exact pattern–how timely!