Today we’re thrilled to be sharing some seriously fabulous back to school fashion as a part of the Pattern Anthology Alphabet Collection pattern tour! I sew for Piper Jane much more frequently than I sew for Burke, and I’ve loved having the chance to make some back to school clothes just for him.
I am beyond excited about this tour- four great patterns (by really fabulous pattern designers), all made using fabric from truly fantastic fabric and notions shops is quite the recipe for great back to school clothes!
The pattern collection includes gender neutral patterns for the W pants, the Recess Shirt, the Study Hall Jacket, and the BBC Vest. All of the patterns have tons of variations and options- different lengths, ways to customize a boy version or girl version, and tons of ways to customize.
The vest- made out of chambray and seersucker from Michael Levine– is not only a great way to take an outfit from so-so to super, it is a fast sew with a great end product. I especially love the contrasting collar on this one. And I can’t say enough about the fabric from Michael Levine! In fact, if you try to buy some of the chambray and it’s sold out, you can blame me. I want to make something for Piper Jane and myself out of this loveliness asap. Love this vest, love the chambray/seersucker- just love all around.
I love the chambray so much, in fact, that I used it for the W Pants as well. Instead of adding a contrasting fabric for the yoke, I used all chambray and added piping along the yoke line. I love these pants, y’all! They are really well finished- Melissa thought of every last detail.
Since Denver stays warm well into the school year, I couldn’t resist also making some W Shorts. I used twill (in ‘stone’) from Organic Cotton Plus for the main short fabric and dyed the twill darker brown for the yoke. The coordinating thread from Coats and Clark was such a bonus on each item- sometimes I don’t take the time to match the thread perfectly when I sew, but the perfectly matched thread makes such a difference! These shorts have gotten some serious wear already- so glad I added shorts to the ‘back to school’ lineup.
Which brings us to the Study Hall Jacket… I think that this is the most involved piece of clothing I’ve attempted to date and I’m so thrilled with the result. The twill exterior (from Organic Cotton Plus then dyed green), with a separating zipper from Coats & Clark, are just such fantastic choices for a jacket. Burke is super into green these days and has been asking and asking for a ‘green school jacket.’ I love that about handmade clothes- you can tailor each piece to your little guys’ (or girls’) preferences!
The lining is a great orange geometric print from Michael Levine– I even added an extra secret welt interior pocket (because after practicing welt pockets for both the pants and the jacket, I am now a proud welt pocket pro!) and Burke is so excited about that little detail. I guess ‘secret pocket’ isn’t exactly accurate since his favorite thing is showing people the ‘lego guy pocket,’ as it’s been declared. This jacket will be perfect for fall around here!
And, last but not least, the Recess Shirt is the raglan shirt pattern of champions! I can not say enough good things about this pattern y’all. These versions were made with some yummy knit from Girl Charlee, and Burke lo-oves them.
He loves the fit, loves the soft material from Girl Charlee, and has put in a request for four more Recess Shirts (he already has four hanging in his closet!). This pattern is rapidly edging up my list of most-used patterns. I can’t wait to make a stack for Piper Jane (after a little Girl Charlee shopping spree!).
My favorite part of this collection is that all of the patterns are really fantastic to stand alone (I can see myself using them again and again), but that the collection together gives a comprehensive back to school sewing package. Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour to see the amazing ways this collection has been customized!
Join us along the Alphabet Collection blog tour- girl. Inspired., Shwin & Shwin, Sew a Straight Line, elsie marley, Melly Sews, Happy Together, see kate sew, Elegance & Elephants, I Still Love You, kojo designs, Petit a Petit and Family, The Train to Crazy, Delia Creates and Craftiness is Not Optional
