Sewing for boys ~ Raglan tee

Have you checked out Sewing For Boys? I pre-ordered it from Amazon over the summer and they sent it to me once it was released, which was sometime last week or the week before. The book contains 24 patterns for boys from newborn to 7 yrs old and I knew I had to get moving quickly to make things from this book, since my son is already 7. My boy doesn't appear much in this blog because he isn't very keen on having his photo taken, but I also have to admit that I don't make him as many things as I do his younger sister.

That's not to say I haven't made him anything. Over the years I have made him plenty of things and I'm always surprised at how appreciative he is of my efforts and how complimentary he often is of my work. I think that as he has got older, I have sewn less and less for him (particularly clothing) because there doesn't seem to be the range and style of patterns for boys that I like. (Actually my son would probably wear anything. He doesn't care what he wears or whether his clothes match, as long as they are comfortable and aren't scratchy). However, when I knew that this Sewing For Boys book was coming out, I knew it would inspire me to make the most of the last few years I have left of him being actually happy to wear something I have made him.

I really like how this book has large photos of the finished items. I like to see what I'm making before I start as it helps me go in the right direction. You are provided with full-sized patterns which is pretty convenient.

The first thing I made was the Raglan Tee. I used two of my husband's old t-shirts that had seen better days and I really love how it came out. More importantly, my son likes it too. I love the raw unfinished edges at the front and back and side seams. I'm less keen on leaving the sleeves and bottom edge unfinished but not enough that I felt the need to go back and hem them. If I had more forethought, I would have used the hemmed parts of the original tee shirts when cutting out the pattern pieces. We have no shortage of old tee-shirts in this house, so next time I make this, I will do just that.

It was really quick (less than an hour, I think) to make and the instructions were simple.

The next thing I made were the Treasure Pocket Pants and I will post photos of the outcome in the next day or two. Have you made something from this book too? Please let me know by putting a link to it in the comments section.