It's That Time Again! Figgy's Banyan Shorts and Tees!

When she tells me it's hard to NOT stick her tongue between her teeth when she smiles

The Banyan Shorts and Shirt outfit by Figgy's is one of those simples pleasures sorts of deals!  The shorts are NOT a quick sew, if one were to put zipper/fly installations into the "not super fast" category, but I love them, and while I'm not always super pleased with the job I've done, I think they are cute from the OUTside, aha!

The shorts went together fairly well, and I made sure to work again from stash, as I basically had to!  I used the same corduroy I used here, and thanks again to Brianne of the Cookies 'n Bees blog for that gift!  I used a fun extra button I had lying around, courtesy of the time I made the Sunnyside sweater.  For the fly facing and waistband facing, I used a bit from the Daphne Knickers I just made, too!

When I make this outfit, I like to make two tees - killing the birds and stones and making it more versatile/colorful!  I actually used the brightly colored stripes another time I made this, too (pictured in this blog post), but I had enough, so, I gave it another go!  As always, I do not hem the shirt or sleeves.....keepin' it real, y'all.  As it was, the serger was making me insane.  It preferred sewing with the bright stripes, in general, but when I attached the neckband, it was hating life, and it then preferred the pink stripes, LOL.  Also, I don't know that I'll ever get a perfect neckband, but whatever.  I'll move on with my day ;)

This pattern is honestly pretty easy - the only thing I changed, I think, was to make the waistband longer on both sides, because I think there was an error on the length of one side, so, I just made both longer, aha!  I sewed up the size 8/9, and it fits pretty well...how?!!!  Camden is not that old!  :O  So crazy, aha!

As always, days in the life....

The state of things

I go many moons between cuts...felt much better here!

High Desert Museum Time

Cowl Neck Loveliness from Figgy's - A Pattern Test!

Let's just be honest:  How is this not the COOLEST cowl-neck top on the planet???  I'm so glad I was able to test the Celestial Pull-over for Figgy's Patterns.  It is a pattern that I can easily go to again and again.  I truly do think it's funny when people say that, but with a simple knit such as this, it's quite possible to WANT to sew it up time and again.

The pattern came to me already written up in an easy-to-understand way, so, it's perfect for a beginner.  The shaping is great, and it is the right length for my 3.5 year old.  I did the size 4/5, and while she's not tall at all, she has that wee belly, which means tops always come off a bit shorter on her.  I can tell I'd want to lengthen this some months from now - but keep the chest size the same.

I'm quite a fan of tops/styles that are a bit hip but still meant for little kids.  I'm always wishing to see more of that in the sewing pattern world, and Figgy's Patterns is right in tune with my needs when it comes to that, as evidenced by patterns such as the Ayashe set, the Banyan set and the Sunki dress.

Ayashe 

Ayashe

Banyan

Camden loved it and loves the second one even more so, which is funny, as it's the knit that doesn't work as well for this pattern.  I have to say that people definitely need to be particular when choosing knits, as super light-weight knit blends don't work.  A knit with a bit of structure works great, and there are tons of offerings at Girl Charlee; just be sure to always check the content of the the knit and how much stretch it has.  Never JUST choose something for the cute factor.  And when in doubt, get a feel in person for the type of knits you are looking for, then feel free to order on-line.  A thinner knit sort of sits all loosey-goosey.  I can't wait to find some more great knits, though, to turn into a Celestial Pull-over!!

Here, you can see how the knit is way too loose, so, it's important to choose the right knit for the project

Go grab the pattern now while it's on sale, peeps!