winter kcw: outfit #1
February 10th, 2014
Yes, I know, KCW is over–very much over. But hey I went in cold and started too many things (as per always) so I needed another week to finish things. Plus, dear Lord! the cold! and the sickness! Will winter ever end?!
No, it won’t. At least not for 2 more long months, which is why I made these warm pants for my son. They look like wool, but are actually polyester, and they’re lined with flannel. I used the Jacob pattern by Zonen 09 and some lady’s very stylish slacks from the 70s to make these cozy dancing pants. She must have been a very tiny lady, because the waistband practically fit my 7 year old!
I had to reuse the waistband, because I barely had enough fabric to eek out the rest of the pants. It looks a little weird with the [fake] fly opening one way and the [fake] closure opening the other. But I’m 99% sure no one is going to notice.
I had a different top planned for this outfit, but then I found this striped sweater I had cut out already. I realize he looks a little crazy…
…but he loves it (the crazy and the shirt). The shirt is upcycled from a ladies sweater and made with the Flashback Tee pattern. Both the pants and the sweater came from this crazy thrift store called the Dig&Save. All the thrift store rejects go there. You have to dig around in giant bins to find anything and everything is priced by the pound.
It’s an odd place, but a treasure trove of fabric. You really have to dive in (almost literally) and trust your instincts. I was drawn to these polyester pants, but as I was sewing them I had a moment of fear: Is he going to be teased because his mom so obviously made his pants.
Do you worry about this? Cherie from You & Mie started a great conversation on instagram about kids dressing themselves–do you let them? do you edit the craziness? do you encourage it? do you feel pressure to dress them just right? I think the hashtag was #realkidsrealclothes if you want to join the conversation.
I obviously encourage the crazy, but maybe it’s time I pulled back. Grade school is tough. As a parent, it’s hard to know when to lead and when to let your kids figure it out on their own. They are little, but they’re big, but really they’re little. Agh! All of this from a pair of polyester pants.
We have a “Dig&Save” type of store here too, we call it THE BINS. It RULES!!! My little man is still, well, little, so he doesn’t have much say now in all of the Mama Making, but I worry about his clothing future too.
I love this!!! Especially the pants paired with the stripes – fantastic!!!
I try to make sure that my kids have clothes that fit, are clean, haven’t any holes, etc. I also attempt to make sure that they have clothing appropriate for the season and occasions (in Canada, in the winter, you have to have warm and water proof winter boots. Each kid has a casual-dressy outfit that’s comfortable and that they like). I mostly stay out of it after that. My preschooler lets me dress him, pretty much (his preference would be to live in pyjamas). My nearly adult son dresses himself (but vocally wonders when I’m going to finish up that button-down I promised him). My 14 year old daughter is and has always been the most eccentric of dressers. She *was* teased a little in grade school, but now she attends an arts high school and a lifetime of embracing her inner oddball seems to be reflected in the kids around her.
I love this Meg! Crazy combos are always the best. And I really need to try those pants. I love the retro fit.
I know that moment of fear. My kids are still little enough I don’t have to worry much about the teasing or their opinions of what they wear for that matter. As long as my son has pockets he’s good :) But I understand your thought process! They’re little, but big, but… I want to protect them, but I want them to spread their wings, but… AH!
What a superb combination, I love it!
So awesomely 70s! If he gets teased, it’s because the other kids don’t recognize cool when they see it.
awesome crazy!
as far as letting the kids do what they want, i have learned over the years that as long as they are appropriately dressed for the occasion (i.e. for church, for an event), they are much, much happier wearing what they want. that said, my kids wear uniforms to school so any time they have the chance to express themselves, they do. and now that we are in the early teen years, it’s interesting to see their own styles really develop.
[…] but the waistband is all kinds of wrong. I tried to salvage the original waistband like I did for his brother’s pants, but the fabric was way, way too thick. I’m going to have to cut off the waistband and try […]