Thursday, November 16, 2017

Toddler Pants Overload!

This is the story of how one missing pair of pants mushroomed into six newly sewn pants for Taco. 






This all started when the Monkey pants that I sewed for Taco in June mysteriously vanished. 




They got very dirty one day at the playground and so were set aside to be soaked before washing.  That is the last that anyone has seen of them. Truly. There have been search parties and rescue attempts, but to no avail. They have vanished. 

But since I had the pattern sorted out, I simply sewed up two more pairs. 


One in a safari print and one ninjas. Here is where the mushrooming began. You see, Taco refused to wear the safari pants.  They are a cotton jersey, but the fabric, which I bought on-line, is stiff. Thanks to somes suggestions from IG friends, I tried a few methods of softening them, but none really made them more appealing to their little owner.





One thing I have noticed since Taco moved from 24month to 2T sizing is that baby clothing is made with very soft fabrics; toddler clothing not so much, especially in bottoms. But Taco clearly prefers wearing soft fabrics. So, learning from these safari pants, I decided to sew more pants, but this time in oh-so-soft fabrics only.





This time I used exceedingly soft rayon jersey that I had bought to make pj's for myself. The fabric is so soft and cosy that these pants really fall halfway between pj and pant. Mostly they are worn for days when we are hanging around primarily at home.  Also, I got fancy with pockets, which I think help them look a bit less pj-like. 




Um, I confess: turning on Disney Jr was the only way to get Taco to be a compliant model. Sigh




That we had a shirt that matched perfectly was a happy coincidence.


Toddlers

While utterly adorable, these pants are also fairly lightweight. So, I started thinking about the chilly days when we are outside but still want soft pants. Simultaneously, I realized that Taco now fits the smallest size Mini Hudson pants. And I had leftover sweatshirt fabric from the two pairs of Men's Hudson Pants I had made for Phineas and which get worn regularly all winter.




Before I knew it, I was putting finishing touches on Mini Hudsons. I'm very pleased with them. The 2T fit is comparable to 2T fit in ready-to-wear garments, which generally fits Taco length-wise and are somewhat wide on him. I made the elastic a bit more snug so that they wouldn't slide down. Also, the drawstring helps.  




Mini Hudsons are exactly like the larger version. So, I hope they become a staple in Taco's wardrobe the way they have been one in Phin's.  





I've found that an I-phone is also an effective method of encouraging a toddler to be a somewhat compliant model.









And there you have it: one missing Monkey pants have been replaced with six new pants. And we are very serious about our pants...


Serious Taco face


And now, it's time to sew for myself!


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