Friday, November 21, 2014

Concert time!

I almost titled this post "How to dress a boy for a concert". True. It's awfully long for a title, though. But really, that it what this post is. Did you know that you have real choices when it comes to what you can dress your little man in for his little holiday concert this year? You don't HAVE to do khakis and a button down, or a polo. Really. I mean, if you want to, go for it! But you can do so much more!

We went with hipster musician.


Nobody ever said that musicians have to be composed. ;)


But we can fake composed.

So, want the details in this outfit? I knew I wanted to do a giant bow tie. I used Peek-a-Boo's  Little Gentleman's Tie. It was really fast to sew up. And I love that all the seams are hidden or enclosed so it has a really nice finished look. I did a child size for a slightly over sized look. And really, yellow polka dots had to happen.

Okay, maybe we can't fake composed.

His shirt is Peek-a-Boo's Classic Oxford. Hands down, one of my favorite patterns. The results are so professional looking. You can't see it, and that's okay, but the collar and cuffs have fun contrasting fabrics. I love little touches like that. He knows he has bikes on his cuffs and he loves it.



Now the vest. That vest melts my heart! It's brand new in the works from Love Notions Patterns. You can follow her facebook page to find out the minute it's released.  The vest pattern is great! A very fast sew! And this can be casual, or dressy like I have done here. I want to make another and add welt pockets. 

Wow, he looks way older than 4 in that picture above.


The pants are Small Fry Skinny Jeans from Titchy Threads. I have eyed that pattern for quite a while now and finally took the plunge and bought it for this outfit. Gotta say, LOVE it! Such professional results! The sizing was good. Thomas measured a 3 for his waist and hips and a 5 for length. I extended them a few inches past to do a cuffed leg.

And then, we have the purple Converse. He decided he wanted purple shoes last week. He was thrilled when we went and bought them. I had a heck of a time keeping them clean for the concert because he wanted to wear them every single day.


There you have it! One very stylish boy. We received a lot of compliments on his little outfit. And I gotta say, he did stand out a little bit. It could be because he was making faces like this though.





He was so excited to play on the stage. He has watched his sister preform for years. Unfortunately, my seat, though excellent for pictures of Thomas, was not so hot for getting pictures of Kate.

This was my view, if I hung my head out into the aisle. And the teacher leaned slightly to the right.



 And I could only see her for this one part of the concert. For her other song, with the larger group, I couldn't even find her shoes. LOL

I did get this one before the show. Not a good one. She was too busy chatting with her friends to hang with me for a minute to change camera setting between a bright stage and a dark corner.


 (sssshhhh! that dress is store bought. It's a hand me down from her sister from several years back. She almost went with a handmade dress, but then saw this hanging. And well, this was a bit fancier and she won't really have another chance to wear it.)

Oh well, I do have many beautiful shots of her from her past five years in the program.
Just not tonight.


He concentrated so hard during his songs. He has practiced hard since he started playing in early October. Or was it September? I can't remember. Bad mommy moment. I should be able to count the days he has been playing, right. Oh well, fourth child and all that jazz.





"What?! You don't know exactly how many minutes I've been playing cello?!"
This guy couldn't have been a bigger ham. Such personality.

So now are you armed with ideas for what to sew for your little man for his holiday concert?

Take a bow, buddy. You worked hard and you deserve it.

Bravo!!!

This post contains affiliated links.  :)

Saturday, November 15, 2014

One Thimble

Have you heard of One Thimble? It's an amazing digital sewing magazine packed full of pdf patterns of all types. Boy sewing, girl sewing, home sewing, it's in there! And at the end of this post, you have the chance to win a copy of this quarter's issue!  When I had the opportunity to review a pattern for them, I jumped at it! I chose to review the Make a Splash Swim Bag.


Because One Thimble is based in Australia, this quarter's issue is full of summer patterns. But that doesn't mean that they can't be used in the parts of the world that are moving into winter! I'm in the heartland of America and winter has arrived a bit ahead of schedule. So instead of a swim bag, I made a back pack. 

Today my son put the elephant one to the test at the library.


He packed it up! He had nine books inside and had plenty of room for more, had I let him. This bag is a seriously good size!


The wide opening made it really easy for him to get the large books into the bag independantly.


The draw string style was easy for him to cinch up and throw on his back.


Even though it is a bit large, my 4 year old had no problem wearing it and toting his collection around the library with him.



That's a LOT of books for a back pack that fits comfortably on a child!

Wonder what else fits in this bag?


How about all of this! And there was room for me! This is a set of size 5 jeans, size 6 light weight hooded jacket and tee shirt and two piece pajama set. Oh and can't forget the teddy bear. All of this is in the bag in the picture below.



In the flower bag, I have your gym gear basics, women's running shoes, large water bottle, small towel, workout shirt and capris. I could have also gotten my knee brace, shower towel and small toiletry bag in there.


The pattern itself was really easy to read and follow. There are no pattern pieces to fit, instead measurements are given to cut out. It's really simple to do! Each bag took me about 30 minutes to complete.

Would you like to sew your own up? Enter to win a free copy of One Thimble!



And check out the rest of the tour to see more great samples and reviews of the patterns in this quarter's issues of One Thimble. 

Saturday 11/15: Handmade Boy
Sunday 11/16: Mimi's MomRebekah Sews
Wednesday 11/19: Made by SaraBee Quilted Beauties

I was provided the pattern I used in this post free of charge in exchange for sharing my opinion of the pattern. All thoughts are my own. Yep, I have some.