Cherry red with silver racing stripes, the summer shorts model

My 1st grader has a red t-shirt from summer camp that he loves. Like any fashion-forward seven-year-old, he asked for a pair of red shorts to match his red shirt and the red socks he was wearing that day.

I obliged, because it's not often my boys ask me to make them clothing. (I just hope he doesn't follow through with the all-red outfit.)

This is the Kid Shorts (pattern by Made) with the racing stripes option. These shorts are just about the most adorable thing I've made in a long time. I love them. I've got several more planned for both boys, and I threatened to make Mr. Elvy a pair in an adult version.

For a size 7, these shorts required only a half-yard of a wide-ish (maybe 50"?) remnant of red denim from my stash. The bias trim is also from the scrap bin (probably gray kona).

See that t-shirt? It's the Banyan Tee by Figgy's. I made it last summer with left over jersey knit from my scoop top. (YES, we do have matching mom-and-boy tees!) But this t-shirt was such a hurried affair, and I didn't like the way to collar turned out that I didn't even bother to hem the thing.

Here are details of the plain-front option and the back pockets. Seriously cute. Or maybe it's just the boy I find so cute!

Stripey Jersey Knit Scoop Top Pattern from Skirt as Top

Most days I pretty much live in t-shirts, so my shirts take quite a beating.  I do have one shirt that I love dearly, but it is so disreputable, I can't even take a picture of it.  That's why I was so happy when I found this free pattern for the scoop top by Skirt as Top.

The shirt has an A-line fit, so combined with the scoop neck, it's pretty flattering around the middle section.  I also love the high-low hem.

I quickly bought some more knit jersey, as I can see adding a couple of more of these to my summer wardrobe.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was informed by #1 a few days ago that he was in the process of making me a very nice card for Mother's Day.  Mr. Elvy confirmed that #1 has been working on a card at bedtime -- the rule is that he can stay up so long as he 's in his room doing something quiet.  First thing this morning, #1 came down and gave me the card.  It said something like, "Happy Mother's Day.  Please give me a kiss."  That was very sweet, in addition to the gifts I'd already received earlier in the week, because my boys CANNOT keep a secret!

On to sewing, this is my Mother's Day top, which Mr. Elvy called my summer mu-mu (spelling?).  I love this top, it's so comfy and turned out just as I pictured it mentally.

The pattern is from the Lisette collection (Simplicity 2245), as is the cotton voile fabric.  Both were purchased at my local JoAnn's. I made View B, which I think is actually supposed to be a (very mini) dress.  I shortened the bodice by two inches, which raised the pockets to a manageable location for me (cause I'm short). 

The fabric was a little difficult to work with at first, mainly because I could not get it to straighten out and line up. I finally cut off quite a bit from both selvedges to get everything to line up without the wavy edge. From there on in, the fabric behaved beautifully for me.

The picture above is the front placket detail, which I thought was a cool little detail. The bottom picture is the button loop closure in the back. I was going to use these shiny red dome buttons at first, but I thought it might be a little uncomfortable to lean back on, so I opted for these oval wood buttons instead.

By far my favorite detail, though, are the pockets. I love these pockets!

If I have time, I'll try to enter it into the Spring Top Week Sewalong over at Made by Rae. It's a pretty neat feature on her blog and a good motivator for spring sewing!