Kids Clothes Week Winter 2015: For the Love of Upcycling
I didn't have much time to commit to Kids Clothes Week Challenge this winter but the theme was upcycling so I just had to join in. With limited time and zero trips to the fabric store I was able to make Jude a cool new pair of pants; plus pants, a hat, and shoes for Ronan. Below are details for Jude's leopard ninja sweats plus Ronan's stripey sweater leggings and hat. The shoes are so fabulous they deserve a post of their own (coming soon). If you follow me on instagram you've already seen a peek or two of all four items, but I wanted to make sure they got featured on the blog. I'm old school like that.
Jude's sweats are very similar to these. The black fabric is from an old pair of adult sweat pants, you know then kind with the drawstring waist and elasticated ankles? And the awesome leopard print is from an old women's sweatshirt Jude's aunt was throwing out. I used the same self-drafted pattern and just modified it slightly to create the triangle shape in the front and the back. I did this for two reasons: it looks cool and it meant I was able to use the pockets from the leopard print sweatshirt. I sewed the whole thing on my serger and I'm so happy with how they came out. Jude almost always prefers to wear sweats, especially to school, so it's really nice for him to have another cool pair. Plus, all things black (AKA ninja) are the first to be worn so these will give me an extra day before I have the do laundry, now that's what I call a win!
For Ronan's sweater pants and slouchy cap I used an old Forever 21 sweater of mine. I know fast fashion isn't ideal, but at least I got some serious mileage out this ten dollar purchase. I used the sleeves to create the pants. I followed my own tutorial with a few modifications. To accommodate a diapered butt, I added a triangle in the back (just like the fancy pants leggings). I also added a separate waist band instead of simply folding over the top. It gives a more finished look, especially with this fairly thin material. The hat took about two minutes. I used a cap he has as a pattern and just used the bottom of the sweater as the finished edge. If I had it to do over I would have made it more slouchy, but it's still super cute.
Did you sew for Kids Clothes Week? If you blogged about it I'd love if you'd share your link in the comments, I love seeing what everyone made!
And before I go, two more pictures, just because.
