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...

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.

Striped Shirts

My new favorites are these striped shirts I made for the boys. I’ve been terrified of sewing stretchy fabrics (apart from college and velour type of fabrics, such as in the Dotty hoodies), but I’ve finally found a solution.

I experimented with all the different stretch stitches my sewing machine has, and none of them would work on thin t-shirt knit. I googled the problem and tried new settings again and again. Nothing would work. Then I found out that a twin needle (with ball points!) might do the trick, tried it and – just like magic – it worked! No rolling, puckering or holes, just a nice, even line of stitches. Pheew.  

The two striped knits have been in my stash for a few years. I bought them from Marimekko's outlet shop in Sulkava on a summer holiday trip, and now I could finally make something out of them. Both fabrics are really soft and lovely, and I can say that frequent washing hasn’t changed them a bit. Marimekko still has the quality they are known for, it seems.

The shirt pattern (Ottobre 4/2007) is pretty basic except for the detail on the back side; the keyhole snap closure fits my boys' big heads. The ribbing is in contrasting colors, lime green and brown.

Striped Pants & Teddy Hoodie

One of the lovelier sides of being a crafter is definitely the joy of making presents for friends and their kids. One of my best friends has a little boy who is only five months younger than my boys, and I often sew him the same things I sew for my kids (just because I know that his mom will declare her love for all things hand-made she sees my boys wearing!). So this time it was his second birthday, and a pair of striped pants and a "furry" teddy hoodie were the presents.

The pant pattern I drew myself, and the hoodie pattern comes from Ottobre (4/2007). It was a slightly tricky pattern, but let me say that after the third time it got a lot easier ;) I really like the round pockets in the front, and how they accentuate the striped jersey.

Corduroy Crawlers

I have a weird (and wonderful) affinity for corduroy. I love wearing corduroy trousers myself, and I had the brilliant idea of making a pair for the boys as well. The pattern is from Ottobre Design. The ingenious part of these pants are the fleece knee pads for better crawling. And they have cute little pockets on the back side, made of a vintage Marimekko bed linen my mom had stashed away. The fabric is really worn out on some spots, but some parts are still like brand new. Old Marimekko fabrics always have wonderful, bright colors even after hundreds and hundreds of washes. Love it.

Dotty Hoodies

Hoodies were needed in the summer, and when I couldn't find any good ones in stores... The fabric is a dotted jersey from Myllymuksut which was great to sew. I even made the buttons myself, but I must admit that the fabric was a bit too thick for the job. The pattern is from Ottobre (4/2007).

Quilted Cotton Shirts

Here are the promised new releases, two shirts for hot weather. For me, yellow is a perfect color for boys. The material is cool and thin cotton, and long sleeves protect from the sun. I especially like that white cotton; it got wrinkled in washing, and is actually even better that way! I used a bit of my old quilting techniques to make the borders. I almost lost my nerves a few times while making them, and ripped about a hundred times. Phew. On the other hand I could use many small pieces from my fabric box, one fabric being an old summer cottage curtain. The pattern comes once again from Ottobre, but I modified it slightly. The sleeves are a bit trumpet shaped. Now out to enjoy the weather!

Blossom Bloomers

Made some bloomers when the inspiration hit - their material is an old T-shirt of mine. Cannot say how such a retro Finnwear flower pattern suits boys, but I think they turned out much more fun than the previous shirt. Perhaps more will follow...

Hippo Rompers

These rompers I made during my pregnancy, and there are two of them for two reasons! The rompers were used in the boys' baptism party as well.


They are made of Kangastukku.com's white micro fleece, and the lining is a lovely green Ikea hippo fabric. The pattern is once again from Ottobre (3/2001), and I must say that this pattern was easy to execute and worked well. Because the rompers got a bit tight around the waist (especially with cloth nappies) too fast, I probably should have done some sort of button system at the waist to give more space.