Brindille & Twig Onesie

My granddaughter's due date just got bumped 10 days closer, which means I might meet her in two days (gulp!). Still enough time to make a little something to take down south with me, right?

I fell hard for this pattern when I saw it in an email from Brindillle & Twig. That little skirt was just so cute! Guess I'm still all in on the girly sewing.

Brindille & Twig Bodysuit Dress

The Grandson's theme was cactus. I've made him cactus quilts and cactus hats and cactus shorts and cactus shirts. I've also knitted him a barrel cactus and a saguaro. I guess I went a little overboard. Maybe that's why the kids told me they don't really have a theme for Baby #2.

But it just so happened that I came across this cactus print knit in a pink colorway. And it also just so happened that I had used the same print in green to make the Grandson a shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

I just couldn't stop myself.

Skirt seam finishes to the outside, rather than against the kid's skin

I like Brindille & Twig patterns. The styles are cute but practical and they include finishing techniques that are quite nice. This pattern, for example, has you attach the skirt in such a way that the seam is on the outside, hidden away under the gathering, rather than inside against the baby's skin.

I also liked the way they tell you to apply the binding for the edges. It was pretty easy to do and came out nice and neat. The instructions were good, though I had to read through them a few times to grok some of the sewing origami.

The kids live in Southern California, so they have no need for warm clothes. No knitting of little hats or sweaters for me. They do put The Grandson in a lot of onesies, so I hope they'll get some use out of this little number.

This is a fun pattern with a pretty cute result. If you're not into the skirt action, you could easily leave it off and make a nice, basic onesie. Seems like a lot of my friends are graduating to Grandma these days, so I'm sure I'll be using this pattern again.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Shirtmaker's Express, Version 2.0

 Another birthday, another flannel shirt. The Man ended up wearing last year's model quite a bit. He uses it like a light jacket over a tee shirt. Just enough warmth for those chilly evenings when the fog comes in. I went through the details in this post, so I won't repeat myself here. Only just to say, this is a nice pattern for a fitted men's shirt. If you're worried about taking on a project like this, I highly recommend Janet Pray's Craftsy class, Sew Better, Sew Faster. She uses this pattern and walks you through everything.

Front view

One thing I learned about men's shirts from watching the class is that a guy does not like the wrong side of the fabric to look different from the right side. The wrong side will show when a guy leaves the collar unbuttoned, as most right thinking men do when they aren't wearing a tie. My first version of this shirt did use a flannel with a visually distinct wrong side.

Side view

I think The Man is happier with this fabric, which is the same on both sides. The downside is that I did have to pay some attention while sewing, so as not to put anything together backwards.

I used 4 yards of flannel that I got some time ago at Joann's. I did my best to match the plaid, so I used up every scrap.

Back view

Here's the back view. The pattern includes optional back darts to give a bit of shaping. I consider them mandatory, because The Man likes a slim fit.

Here's a close up of the pocket, which has been enlarged slightly to accommodate a Mont Blanc number 8 safety pen.

And here's how my guy likes to wear it; unbuttoned over a tee shirt with the cuffs turned up.

I'm thinking I have the annual birthday present sorted with this pattern. Next time, maybe a corduroy.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.