Fisherman's Hats

I've been looking for a simple bucket hat pattern with as few pieces to sew together as possible. Then I noticed that the latest summer issue of Ottobre Design had a hat pattern called Fisherman's, that actually had only six pieces to sew together (ok, six pieces times two, as there's the lining too). I made two of them, as usual...

On one side of the first hat I used Marimekko's "Silkkikuikka" fabric in lime green and on the other side plain lime green linen.

The second hat is made of some light-weight striped linen and Ikea cotton. Love them, as do the boys! They're always competing over who gets to wear which hat, so I guess there's a third one in the makings.

Monkey Shirt

Another t-shirt from a fun monkey knit. I'm still not sure I like the turquoise ribbing, it's a bit too much of a contrast to the brown. Might have to go back and change it. Or make another one! I'm getting much faster with sewing with the new serger, this t-shirt I made in less than an hour (and I even stitched the hem with a twin needle on my regular sewing machine).


I got complimented on the clothes my boys were wearing when we went to a family party last week. Both wore only self-made clothing (i.e. the Owl shirt, and Summer shorts). Couldn't be happier :)

Pattern is from Ottobre Design 3/2011.

Bohemian Tunic

So here’s the finished Bohemian tunic! That piece of grey and black Marimekko knit was great for this purpose, and the tunic turned out beautifully. The little front pockets took most of the sewing time, but were definitely worth the effort. My colleagues would not believe this is self-made, which is a big compliment I guess :)

The pattern comes from Ottobre Design 5/2009.

As soon as I’d finished the Bohemian, I started on a new tunic. It’s also made from Marimekko cotton fabric called Tamburiini, designed by the iconic Maija Isola in 1962 (my fabric is a reprint from 2003). More about that later...

Writer's Block

Do you ever have a sort of writer’s block when planning to cut an expensive fabric? I always check the pattern and measurements twice before taking my scissors to a Marimekko fabric! I guess it’s a good thing too, since then you know you’ve made sure the pattern is the right one for that particular fabric. Especially Marimekko is something I get a bit apprehensive about, mostly because of their high prices… Last Sunday I was going to start cutting a Marimekko ”Samovaari” knit, and had to take a deep breath before doing anything. Funny.

Anyway, what I’m going to make out of the Samovaari knit is a summer top for myself using Ottobre’s “Bohemian” pattern. Fingers crossed it will fit me! (I’m going to have two whole days just for myself this week, preparing for a sewing marathon that is :)).

Summer Shorts

More summer projects! 

My mom gave me an old denim fabric that she’d used for my brother’s favorite coat some twenty years ago (wish I had a picture to show you, my mom's a really good seamstress). The denim is pretty soft, and has a nice black-grey color.

There wasn’t enough of fabric for two shorts, so I bought a piece of stretchy blue denim for a second pair from the local fabric shop.

I added big side pockets from heavy Ikea cotton, just to give them a bit of character. I’m afraid the pockets will be filled up with sand every time we go outside to play… Can’t wait. For the summer, that is!

These shorts have been added to the Celebrate the Summer Boy Flickr group. 

Owl T-Shirt

I bought this owl interlock fabric right after I got my new serger, just couldn't resist it. The fabric is maybe slightly darker than what I thought (bought it from an online store), but it still makes a nice summer wear. The close-up shows the colours best, it was a bit dark to take good pics.

The t-shirt pattern is from Ottobre Design 3/2011, but unlike the striped slim-fit shirt, this is a "regular" t-shirt, and I like it better that way. The slim-fit t-shirt turned out a bit too slim, although my kids are quite skinny. Or maybe I'm not used to the serger yet, and have been cutting too much away, ha!

Striped T-shirt

This is a slim-fit t-shirt that I made with an Ottobre Design 3/2011 pattern. It's a bit too slim fit, but otherwise looks fun to me. I made it from a knit that was left over from this hoodie.

My New Serger

Woohoo! I got myself a serger! Finally! It's an Elna 664, I haven't been able to try it out yet, as I don't have enough thread...

All it took was a trip to Canada and back, a nice jet-lag, a huge sale, and some luck - it was the last one left.

I guess this will start a new sewing frenzy, although sewing knits hasn't been an issue to me since finding the twin needle.

Lina Hat

I'm terribly afraid of flying, but once in a while there comes a trip that requires me to get on a plane, and try and survive the flight. As a remedy for flear of flying, I tried knitting: I bought new bamboo needles just for the trip, and found a nice and complicated enough pattern to keep my thoughts away from flying. Two 8-hour flights to Montreal and back were enough to finish this lovely Lina hat. My new bamboo needles were great for the project, light and smooth, and of course air-line safe ;) I made the cable in the “normal” way, using an extra needle.

Fireman Helmets

Why is it that small boys love fire trucks? I’m so happy I made these fireman helmets for my boys last Christmas. Initially they weren’t too excited about them, but this spring they’ve started playing fireman almost every day, always following the same pattern: the alarm goes off (i.e. a button on the stairs) and the boys run to get their helmets, slide down the fireman’s pole (a round pillow), jump on the fire truck (the sofa) and douse the flames with water. It’s the funniest thing to watch!

The helmets are made of red wool felt of two different thicknesses (the brim is a bit thicker to keep it better in shape). I used a summer hat pattern and simply adjusted the brim measurements a bit, so that it’s wider at the back. And then I sewed a yellow badge to the front to keep the brim up.