Made-By-Me Monday & Book Review

For Christmas, I decided to make a hoodie for Wonder Boy. I chose a pattern from the book Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits, by Nancy Langdon and Sabine Pollehn.** The book: I bought this book because many of the projects looked like things that Super Girl would LOVE to wear, especially if she had helped make them. I loved that it had a wide range of sizes, from 18 months to 12 years, meaning I can use the patterns for years to come, and possibly even make matching items for the two girls. It also has several chapters with great advice on how to construct quality pieces of clothing which are also unique. My absolute favorite page is the one where you can write down ALL of your child's measurements. However, this is also where my disappointment set in. I eagerly measured all three children, and recorded those numbers. I then compared those numbers to the sizes of the patterns. I discovered that Super Girl is just too big for the largest size of these patterns. At almost 10, she is 5' and 108 pounds. I didn't think about it in the store, because she was in a size 12 in commercial clothing at the time. Little Miss is still a bit on the small side for these patterns, as she is a little peanut of a thing. I also discovered that the patterns don't include seam allowances. However, I look forward to making items for Little Miss in the future using these fun and easy patterns. I will just keep in mind that these patterns go up to a size 10, more realistically. Lastly, while the book includes boys in the title, there were only two patterns I'd actually use for a boy.



The hoodie: I wanted something warm, so I chose a remnant of camouflage fleece, as well as a remnant of coordinating green fleece. I picked the fleece up on mega-sale the day after Thanksgiving. I used the "Imse" pattern, which had options for feminine or masculine styling. I chose a straight sleeve and sides, and rounded hood. I embellished it with a couple of old military patches that my dad gave me. The pattern went together quickly and easily, and I was pleased with how it came out. However, I made a size "large", and it will possibly not fit Wonder Boy next winter. Keep in mind that he is still a rather slight boy right now. He is just now growing out of size 10 in commercial clothing. If he has an honest-to-goodness growth spurt, it will definitely be too small.

**Note: This post contains an affiliate link. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I purchased this book with my own money (ok, I did use a 40% coupon).