Goober Pea Design Hip 2 B square tee

One of my favorite Boy t-shirt pattern (It's actually a unisex pattern but I use it mainly for my boy) is the Hip 2 Be Square Tee from Goober Pea Designs. 

I love it because of how flexible it can be. It's lovely as a simple tshirt. You can also use up remnants if you use the color blocking options. If you got a cute woven fabric you want to feature, you can also do just that! Imagine a woven fabric, used in a comfy knit t-shirt! It's brilliant! There's also fancy sleeves options with a square cut out if you wish to do that! 

Here's just some of the MANY MANY hip 2 be squares I have made over my 2 plus years sewing. 

This first one is made with a WOVEN panel. I had a glow in the dark dino fabric my little one insisted on wearing. I used it in the colorblocked version of hip 2 be and it worked perfectly! The knit portion is swafing jersey. 

Here, you see a pajamas I made with the fancy sleeve stripes version of hip 2 be. It is made with a 2 way knit that had poor recovery so I made it bigger for a comfy fit since he likes his PJs soft and loose. 

This is a t-shirt made with a lego remnant I scored from a destash. That piece of remnant wasn't big enough for much so it went to the front panel in this shirt and he loved it!

Here's another with black Cotton lycra and dino double knit.

This one is made with non-stretch knit. So that means even if your knit has zero stretch, it works! (Just size up for comfort and remember to use rib knit for the neckband!)

So, there's my short blurb on the hip 2 be square tee. 

It appears that you can use practically any kind of fabric for the centre panel e.g. woven for the centre panel, and for the entire shirt, if u wish to use a knit with very little stretch, just size up and use a good and stretchy rib knit for neckline. Of course, 2 way and 4 way knits works perfectly well! 

Hope this helps you! Thank you once again for reading! Click here to start shopping! (aff link)

S.U.A.T Archer and Artemis Tank

It's SUMMER all year round in Singapore so tanks are always a favorite of the kids. I had the chance to make 2 different tank patterns from Stitch upon a time for my little ones to twin and I'm so happy that they look so good in them! 

My boy is modelling the Archer Tank which is a unisex racerback tank that is incredibly fast to sew. In fact, it is so so fast that he already has 3 such tanks in rotation in his wardrobe! My girl's modelling the Artemis Girls Top and Dress which is a racerback that can be a cute tank or a circle skirted dress. Both tops are made with Cotton Lycra from Spotlight. 

The racerback Archer tank is a lovely quick sew. You can see from the photo that the armhole fits quite well - you have to grade properly though! For example, my boy is stick thin (We DO feed him!! It's genes lol) so his chest is 3T while his height is 6T. I had to grade it according to the instructions in order for the tank to fit nicely - so please don't skip grading!

The Artemis top has a super cute feature behind:

I love it! The gathered back made the outfit really adorable (Quick note: I graded the top to be a little longer than is necessary cos she likes the armscye of her tank tops lower but if u did the tank according to instructions, the armscye doesn't go so low!)

Look at how pleased she is! 

And now I shall spam you with 2 more photos of the lovely duo. 💗

Zero Waste Patterns for kids.

If you have not heard of Zero Waste Patterns, start here! 

I recently had the opportunity to test for Thread faction's Zero Waste Collection and I was thrilled with the outfits I got for my little girl. 

What I didn't like about most Zero Waste patterns out there is that they used MORE fabric rather than less fabric to make an outfit that ends up fitting loosely and really heavy (too much fabric!) on the body. This Zero Waste collection is not like that! 

Here's what the designer of Thread Faction has to say about her Zero Waste Patterns:

As I have developed these patterns I have given myself some ‘rules’ to follow if you like. Guidelines to ensure that my zero waste designs are not just a gimmick but designs that you will genuinely use:

1. All pattern pieces for a particular garment fit, without waste, into a rectangular shape. So, although this still creates 'waste' when compared to the width of the fabric, all off cuts are very usable rectangular pieces.
2. I work hard to ensure that the zero waste version of the garment that I create does not use more fabric than making the same or very similar garment using the conventional pattern making method.
3. I work hard to keep myself in check with regard to ‘using up’ extra pieces of fabric in the fabric puzzle. Ensuring that I am not just adding embellishments to ‘use up’ the extra fabric. If it is not useful or beautiful it has no business here.
4. I am very mindful of choosing styles just because they are easier to create using the zero waste method. Asking myself ‘would I have chosen this silhouette if I were using a regular pattern making method?’
5. Also I have tried to stay true to my regular pattern making mantra. I have tried to make the types of designs that my children wear every day. That are easy to make and easy to wear. Beginner level sewing patterns that are simple and gorgeous.

Indeed, I think she did do very well! Look at this georgeous Zero waste pair of long pants!

This is by far the most comfortable pair of wide legged woven pants she owns. If you have made pants before, you would know that there's curves to reckon with and don't forget the front AND back rise of pants are different in height. This pattern took all that into consideration and still managed to become a beautifully drafted Zero Waste PANTS. 

Oh I just love this one. =) 

I'll update this post as I make more from the Zero Waste Collection by Thread Faction. Meanwhile, if you would like to join me in making these, here's a list of everything they have so far:

Zero Waste Pinafore

Zero Waste Capped Sleeved top

Zero Waste Pencil Skirt

Zero Waste Wide Legged Pants

Zero Waste Bow Shorts

Zero Waste Dolman Sweater

Zero Waste Dolman Sweater dress