Sewing Jeans (Kids)

I'm not all that new to sewing jeans anymore. Afterall, I sewn the Mountain View Jeans by Itch to stitch, the Kelly Jeans by Rad Patterns, both Adult jeans patterns too. So kids jeans should be easy. Right? 

Well, thankfully, it is! Small sizes are slightly harder to make cos smaller pieces of fabric are just harder to manipulate at the sewing machine but other than that, the jeans making went really smoothly! 

All it takes is proper needles (I used jeans needles (for jeans, schmetz 90/14 for construction, Topstitch schmetz 100/16 for topstitching with jeans thread which are slightly thicker than the normal thread) and going slow - take ur time!! 

I made 2 different types of jeans for my kids. There's a pull on pair with faux fly and elastic waistband for my youngest and a 'real jeans' with zipper and proper metal snaps for my eldest. Both patterns are from the very lovely pattern company Designs by Call Ajaire. They participate in Project Run and play which releases curated pattern collections for children that are really beautiful and I learnt about them when testing another pattern for them quite some time back. 

Let's talk about the first pattern here: Prancer Pull on Jeans:

As the name suggest, this is a pull on pair of jeans which is great for those that want an easy on easy off option. Both jeans pattern goes from newborn sizes to 16 year old which is perfect for us to make many many pairs for our kids as they grow up. 

I especially like that it is a pull on because it helps her with her independence phase - i want to put it on myself mummy! 

The leg on these pair of jeans is 'stove pipe' legs. There's also a skinny jeans option that comes with the pattern which of course would be more fitted but seeing as my kid is still learning to put pants on, stovepipes were my ideal choice. I love the fit on her and I think she loves it too. 

The denim I chose for her is about 450gsm stretch pink denim with a stretch of about 20%. The stretch ensures that she's comfortable wearing the jeans all day and it has enough stretch for her to run and play and jump in these too. 

I like that the pockets are a good size for her and she enjoys stuffing her little hands in the pockets all day long too. 

Making custom jeans also means that we can do whatever we want for the topstitching and of course I took the chance to play around with my sewing machine fancy stitches with a line of hearts and another 2 lines of your usual v shape. I love how the topstitching gives the jeans a professional touch. 

And for my boy, I wanted him to practice his motor skills, zipping and unzipping his jeans zippers and buttoning his jeans himself. So a pair of "real jeans" it is. 

Now, it is very very worthwhile making jeans for this little guy because as you probably can tell, he is very very slim and really tall too. It's near impossible to find retail wear jeans that would actually fit him. Most of the time, jeans that fit him in the waist will be inches too short and also too tight around the crotch. And jeans that are long enough would frequently be too big at the waist, even those with adjustable waist are too baggy for him. 

I have long given up buying jeans outside for him.. so I am more than happy to make the Bacca Bootcut jeans for this little guy. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of effort to make jeans for him. His waist, hips and height falls in 3 different sizes spanning more than 4 sizes apart. Blending takes a lot of effort and time and experience to get right. (Thankfully, following the instructions carefully really helps in this aspect!)

For my first attempt with the Bacca Bootcut jeans pattern, I would like to think that I did really really well don't you? The fit is a bootcut so it is slimmer at the knee then flares out just a touch at the bottom. I happen to think that this is a very flattering cut on my boy - he looks even taller than he is! 

While I technically could use jeans buttons for him, I decided that he is better off using metal snap buttons which I installed with a hammer and anvil. I also happen to like how the metal snaps look with the almost black denim. and I used proper metal jeans zipper also for a professional look - you really can't tell that this is mum made! 

For the topstitching on his backpockets, I went for his initials since it is so custom-made, I doubt I could pass it down to anyone's kid once he is done with them - I don't know anyone else with kids so tall and slim! Again, I went with stretch denim with about 20% stretch but this one is slightly lighter in gsm - probably closer to 400gsm. 

Comfort level 100% 💗

I really do enjoy the fact that I can sew my kids clothes that fit them perfectly and they look really good as a result. It also builds their confidence up knowing that their clothes fit properly and they are not too thin or too tall but just right. 

Thank you for reading my post on sewing jeans for kids. If you want to try your hand at sewing some jeans for your kids, i highly recommend both jeans patterns from Designs by Call Ajaire. Depending on your kids, you can chose either the Prancer pull on or the Bacca Bootcut and you know you are going to get really good professional finishes either way. 

The waistbands and finishes of both patterns are interchangeable which means if you like the fit of the stovepipe (Prancer) but also want proper zipper fly (Bacca), it is really easy to switch it up! Just get both pattern and use the relevant pieces! In fact, the bundle is on sale now so it is really worth it!

Here are the links to the patterns again:

Bacca Bootcut jeans

Prancer Pull on Jeans

Pattern bundle

Sinclair Kids Cloudberry Tee

I've raved quite a bit about the size chart for Sinclair Pattern's kids patterns and here is Sinclair patterns Cloudberry knit raglan top for kids!

As usual, I made it for my slim boy who fits beautifully in Slim J without any need for blending. Slim J doesn't refer to slim fit. It means my boy is slimmer than children his height and J is the size his height indicates he is in. 

I had a rainbow beaked toucan CL and I paired it with a cute rainbow CL cos that was the period of time tt he wanted all things rainbow like his sister and I was happy to oblige cos rainbow on kids is fun and happy.

I like how banding everything makes my life so much simpler. I am not fond of hemming, are u? 

Thank u for visiting and see u again soon! 

Buttons and Bibs Coastal Crossover

Hi everyone! I made another twinning set! This time round, I made the Coastal Crossover from Buttons and Bibs!

My version is the V neck with faux lace (printed) CL and black modal handkerchief skirt in top length. Her version is black CL with the faux lace CL as a skirt in dress length. I didn't bother hemming mine and hers was rolled hemmed with a serger so both dresses were really fast to sew! 

I really do love twinning with this cutie pie! 

Here's some photos of how beautiful this dress looks worn! 

We hope you liked our versions of the Buttons and Bibs Coastal Crossover!

Making a backpack for my boy!

 Here's a funny, messy and also gross story for you! 

My boy's backpack had been rather old and tatty already but I dragged my feet getting him a new one cos "mummy can make you one, just wait a bit". Well, he waited quite a bit and mummy hadn't found time to. Then, one day, his classmate had a little tummy trouble and the story goes "he ran to his own bag, took off his pants and liquid poop blasted everywhere. (OMG right?) And cos my boy's backpack was next to his, the backpack got a bit of that too. eww. 😂

So, when he came home that day, his bag was very wet - his teachers (poor things) cleaned his bag up for him but with just water, no soap. And that was when I resolved that this bag I promised the boy is going to HAVE to happen. 

Back to the fabric stash again for the boy to select his bag fabric. True to his nature, he picked the darkest of dark Batman Canvas cos "I like BLACK colors mama!"

I was determined to put some color on his bag so from my zipper stash, i dug out the remainder of my rainbow plastic zipper. Unfortunately, there isn't enough for the front pocket zipper so for that one, I just used a 2 dollar zipper from Daiso. 

I used a pattern I found online from this website as a base but hacked it to suit our needs: increased backpack depth - added 2 cm width to the side panels, side pockets for water bottle, no flap. 

I also sewn the lining directly and then binded everything instead of bagging it as per instructions. I ran out of black bag binding but I didn't want to wait to complete the project - I'm rather impatient like that =p So, digging through my stash again, I found a rainbow bias tape. PERFECT! 

Isn't it adorable! 

The bag is a lovely size. Great for all his childcare stuff and not too big that it weighs him down. 

He's been using this for several days now and so far, it's holding up. I think I just found a keeper! This backpack pattern (with the hacks) will be my go-to when my girl needs a new bag. =) 

Blog Tour: WWD 12 Days of Christmas: Free Split Hem Tee and Leggings

It's that time of the year again! The well-loved and long awaited Winter Wear Design's 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways and I am so happy to be her WWD blogging "elf" 😆😆😆

Today's blog tour post is all about the Split Hem Tee for Kids and 12 Days Girl's leggings. Sounds familiar? That's because these were freebies from 2019 and 2018 respectively! This year, we are getting projector updates on both files! 💙💚💛💜💗

Projector users REJOICE! 

When I got the projector file, I was so excited, I got to work on a coordinating outfit straight away and this was done in no time at all! And of course, in the tradition of WWD blog tours, I have included a few little hacks of my own I hope you will enjoy reading about!

Perhaps, the first hack you will notice is the short sleeves on the split hem tee. I cut it short because we live in tropical Singapore and it's hot all year round but I wanted a lot of use of out of this tee hence the cap sleeves. There's not much to this - I just use her current short sleeves as a reference then hem the sleeves with pretty lace elastic. To tie in the look, I hemmed the leggings with the same lace elastic too! 

Guess what she spotted? 

POCKETS!! Yes! That's right! I used the side panel as a guide to cut a shorter piece of the same width to use as a side pocket! And again, the tie in the whole look, I hemmed the top of the pocket with the same lace elastic! 

I think she likes her pockets alot! I constantly find hidden "treasures" in those pockets before I do laundry. I guess she's just really happy that her leggings actually have pockets! 

The split hem tee is really a great pattern to pair with the leggings. I like how the back is nice and long and covers the bum for a lovely modest look while the front is also long enough without being too long that it hinders movement. 

Here's more photos of her in at home enjoying some quiet play time in her new coordinating split-hem + leggings combo. This is definitely a winning combo. And the patterns are both free! Head on over to the Winter Wear FB group to get the free download code and make your own versions today~ 

Meyraki Triple Play Tank

Another Boy Pattern! This is from Meyraki and it's their Triple Play Tank. I didn't do the color blocking option though cos I had enough of this and I wanted a full plain (and fast) version. 

He looks like he really likes his new tank. But of course he would. He chose the fabric himself! 

I realised that with this boy, it is really not a good idea to make before asking him cos he has strong opinions on fabric choices and if he doesn't like it, he would refuse to wear it. I would know - he didn't wear a mandarin collar shirt I made for Chinese New Year just cos he hated the print. Doesn't matter that he really liked the cartoon that was on the print, or that I spent a really long time sewing that one, no meant no =(

Thankfully, this tank he loves and approves. In fact, he likes the pattern so much I made more 3 tanks! Just nice too. Cos he outgrows them so quickly. 

Buttons and Bibs Kids Hemlock Hoodie (Straight)

Buttons and Bibs has 4 Hemlock Hoodie patterns - Adult Curvy, Adult Straight, Kids Curvy and Kids Straight.  The curvy fit has tunic and dress lengths and full bust adjustment while the straight cut is well.. straighter and is hip length. All versions have accessories like cat ears, fox ears and dino spikes. With that many options and patterns, it's almost certain you can find a pattern best suited for you! 

This one that I tested for is the Kids Straight Hemlock. It's unisex and can be made for both boys and girls. 

As per usual routine, I got the boy to choose his fabric and pattern design. As expected, he chose something dark and when he saw that the pattern had dino spikes, he jumped for joy. =) So dino spikes it is! 

I had a cute dino iron-on that was yellow so using that as a base, I chose yellow ribbings for the sleeve cuffs and bottom band. Then, for the dino spikes, I got a matching yellow woven fabric. The hemlock hoodie has cut-out pockets in front that's lovely for keeping all his treasures and if it isn't big enough, you can always hack it easily! 

  

I think he likes his new dino hoodie loads. =) Perhaps this inspired you to make one too! 

Shop here for the Hemlock Hoodie Curvy bundle and here for the Hemlock Hoodie Straight kids!

Use Hemlock for a discount on bundles!