(Above: He’s a neat freak—he went to the kitchen and got the spoon himself—hilarious!)
A certain little one known as Spud turned 2 last week while the Internet was down. I definitely subscribe to the less is more theory for birthday parties (via SouleMama), as evidenced by the non-Martha-esque cake above.
I did go all out on one project for this birthday, though—a holiday-inspired suit/outfit for church, that he will likely never allow me to repeat above the age of 5.
Here’s the rundown:
Suit Coat
Pattern: Butterick 6894 (now listed as out-of print)
Size: 2T
Material: repurposed pair of men’s corduroy pants
Thoughts: Pattern was easy to follow; I didn’t use the shoulder pads as instructed, an am now wishing I had; ran large on my medium-sized toddler; collects lint
Pants
Pattern: Butterick 6894 (now listed as out-of print)
Size: 2T
Material: repurposed woman’s linen skirt
Thoughts: Easiest zipper installation I’ve ever done; linen is wrinkly for a toddler; too long in the legs, and too big around the waist; way underimpressed with the pockets—I still have to go back an improve these.
Dress Shirt
Pattern: combination of this tutorial from Made by Rae, Kai’s Shirt from Weekend Sewing, and my own design for the collar band and sleeve cuffs.
Size: 2T
Material: man’s $3 thrift store shirt
Thoughts: One of my favorite things to sew in the whole outfit; I had a blast modifying the patterns and using Rae’s tutorial; my favorite thing are the cuffs from t-shirt scraps—much more comfortable for toddler wrists than button cuffs.
O.k.—here’s where things start to get a little over-the top!
Vests 1 & 2
Pattern: Butterick 6894 (now listed as out-of print)
Size: 2T
Material: leftover scraps from these dresses
Thoughts: There is actually a third vest—parts of which are now the lining of the suit coat pockets; after my horrific attempt to sew the first vest, I made the two pictured above much more easily by interfacing all of the taffeta pieces used for the outsides; when Spud debuted one of these vests at church over the weekend, a little girl asked me, “Why is he wearing something so fancy?” I say, “Why not? After all, he’s only 2 once. And I think of it as handsome.” Sadly, both vests are too small around the tummy-tum-tum area, so he wears them unbuttoned.
Hats 1 & 2
Pattern: Huck Finn hat from Sew Liberated (love)
Size: 2T-4T
Material: taffeta and velvet scraps from the dresses
Thoughts: My other favorite project from the outfit; this pattern alone could win me over to sewing exclusively from independent designer patterns vs. commercial ones—clear directions, and fits like a charm!
You fill our world with light—we love you, Spud!
thimblenest 