Boys Can Wear Pink (Too)!

Today is a boy sewing/ Baby Ethan day! I was so excited to get to join in on the Boys Can Wear Pink Series from Handmade Boy. Boy sewing is all new territory for me, and pink is really one of my favorite colors. No reason it has to end with the girls!

Look how handsome he is! I am so glad I can get him used to the idea from birth that all colors are for all kids. :) It's so common for people to think of pink as being a "girl" color - when actually, it didn't start out that way. I believe it was switched as part of a marketing strategy, and it worked! - but to whose benefit?

 Move over, girls. Pink isn't just for you.

This post is sponsored by Mabel Madison. I was given a yard of this beautiful multi-colored stripe Stenzo knit to use, and I was determined to use it in as many pieces as I could! It wasn't a hardship, believe me. Stenzo is a European knit, and the quality couldn't be better. A dream to sew with, with a wonderfully soft hand, and minimal shrinkage! It's so cozy and soft, I wish I had more of it to make myself something. Yes, I'm jealous of my baby's clothes. Haha!

 This jersey knit is perfect for a variety of clothing items. I made him everything a baby needs to be cute and comfortable - a bodysuit, pants, and a hat! (Not that he needs help being cute!) True to form, he grew out of the hat before I finished the post, but we squeeshed it on anyway for pictures. Darn babies and their growing!

I had some heavier blue woven fabric in my stash - a mystery, but it made perfect jeans. With a pop of color in the waistband lining, pockets, and contrast stitching, they're the perfect way to introduce color into baby's wardrobe, and doesn't he look handsome in his "big boy pants"!

I also made another bodysuit out of some blue jersey knit (again, hiding in my stash - a thrift store find). He has mix and match pieces now! I love the 4 way stretch of the Stenzo jersey - the pants and hat show that the stripes can be used vertically as well as horizontally, with equal amounts of comfort.

Want some of your own amazing fabric? Use the code PINKBOYS at Mabel Madison, good through 2/28, for 15% off your purchase. And don't forget to enter the big giveaway! Just use the Rafflecopter to leave a comment and be entered to win a huge array of prizes from all the great sponsors, including Mabel Madison! Prizes are listed below.

Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison
$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop
One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress 
One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots
$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop
One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates 
One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations
Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap 
One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Check back with Handmade Boy every day to follow along with all the other great BCWP Series looks!

Getting Back on Track: February Mystery Challenge!

Mystery Challenge is back! Amy (Friends Stitched Together) keeps letting me play along, and I got my theme from her again! Nursery Rhymes! It's perfect, since Baby Ethan just joined us in December - the added challenge was sewing something for him. Who fits Nursery Rhymes better than a baby?

All Peekaboo Pattern Shop - 4-in-1 Sunhat, Classic Oxford, Okey Dokey Overalls

I couldn't decide on a nursery rhyme - I didn't want a costume, per se. I like to go with something the kids can actually wear, and the more versatile and classic the pieces, the better. I think Little Boy Blue is perfect - the outfit as a whole evokes the whimsical side of the rhyme, but the pieces individually can be worn and swapped with other wardrobe pieces to create other outfits.

We couldn't find his sheep, but Big Sis stepped in with a small herd of cows...

What baby doesn't need an adorable sunhat? If spring would ever get here, that is...

I did my favorite fabric weaving technique. Then I stitched straight lines up and down the weaving to hold it together, and placed the fabric right side to wrong side with the lining (the cloud print). The pattern pieces were traced onto the lining, and I basted around the outside of the pieces to hold the two fabrics together. Then I ironed lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of the weaving, and cut the pieces out. Ta-da! The fabrics stay together, and now I can treat the weaving as one piece! From there it's just following the pattern. :)

I love that the woven strips fray on the edges. To me, it adds to the "straw hat" feel.

Overalls are a staple in a baby's wardrobe. Or at least, they should be. Yes, they're a tad impractical (unless you add snaps, which I didn't ;) ) but they're oh so cute! I'm in the no-overalls-past-childhood camp, but I LOVE them on kids. Love them. This fabric has been in my stash for a while - it's thicker like a denim or twill, and has a little bit of texture to it.

Finally, the shirt. It's a bit more formal, but I love, love, love classic oxfords on little boys! Short sleeves would have fit the look better, but it's still chilly here so I had to go practical. Plus, you can always roll up a long sleeve!

He's all ready to go find his sheep - or take a nap. I think he'd rather do the latter, at least for now!

Here are the rest of the players this time around - check back here each day and see what all these creative bloggers came up with!

2/22: Amy – Friends Stitched Together – Arabian Nights

2/23: Alicia – Felt with Love Designs – Monochrome

2/24: Melissa – Rebel & Malice – Rockabilly

2/25: Jessica – The Berry Bunch – Black&White

2/26: Meriel - create3.5 - Nursery Rhymes

2/27: Tasha – Friends Stitched Together – The Great Barrier Reef

2/28: Maartje – Huisje Boompje Boefjes – Broadway

3/1: Jonie – Knot Sew Normal – French Revolution

3/1: Danica – The Sewing Sparrow – Nature

3/2: Starly – Sew Starly – Mythical Creatures

3/3: Fenna – FABulous Home Sewn – Jane Austen

3/4: Ula – Lulu & Celeste – Woodstock ’69

3/5: Maegen – Mae & K – 1970’s Cartoons

3/5: Sara – Made by Sara – Under the Big Top

3/6: Tisha – Milileke – WWII/1940’s

3/6: Roxanne – Pen Seb Rox – Paper Airplanes

3/7: Amanda - Mandy K Designs - Audrey Hepburn

3/8: Barbara – Country Bella – Steampunk