Pants to the rescue and KCW inspiration: lots of paint

I received an SOS from a friend during the recent school holidays. Her son needed new pants, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to find trousers he would wear. After witnessing firsthand the meltdown that getting dressed in the morning was resulting in, I offered to make him some new trousers.

After trying on a few pairs of P's pants, it was the pattern mash pants that he liked the fit of best.

These pants were the prototype for my Kenzo jeans. It's a mash-up of the Oliver + S Field Trip cargos on the front with the Oliver + S After School pants on the back. My own addition was the split front with the extra panel at the inside leg.

 

Having picked the pattern we talked fabrics, pockets, fit etc etc. Then I took P and his friend to the fabric shop. I had no further instruction from my friend, other than that she always liked what my kids were wearing, and she just wanted pants her son would wear happily. So, his choice of fabric....

 

The first thing he found that he liked was a bright red, tie-die linen cotton mix. I was initially aghast but then thought, that really could work, and he's the kind of kid who could wear pants like that.

 

 

I had bought a red button, but the pants were looking pretty out-there so I opted instead for a brass jeans button and some iron-on faux rivets for the pocket detail. The linen/cotton blend was lovely to sew and I think these will prove to be very comfortable pants. Not my usual style (?!) but I grew to really like them as I was sewing along.

 

 

At the fabric shop, with the kid holding tightly to this bolt of red tie-die fabric, I steered him towards the plain cotton drill to choose some fabric for a second pair which, I suggested, might be a bit less exciting. He pointed to a canary yellow and then I had to put my foot down. Sorry, I said, that will hurt my eyes too much to sew.

 

But I pointed out that P was wearing pants with yellow topstitching and he could have yellow stitching, just not yellow fabric. Choose another one, said I, willing him to pick the dark grey, or maybe navy. He settled on a dark green.

 

 

Well, my only instruction had been to make pants the kid would wear... And, should he be invited to march alongside the athletes at the next Commonwealth games he would have the perfect pair of pants to do it in!

 



The green and gold is a bit hard to take, and his mum was somewhat horrified by these ones as her school uniform had been this alarming colour combination. Bad memories for mum, but happy pants for her son.

Her shock at the green and gold did mean that in comparison she was more accepting of the red tie-die, so that was a win! The good news is that the recipient of the two pair of trousers loves them both. he gets up in the morning and happily puts on whichever pair is in the wardrobe. McStitch to the rescue!

 

On to what is happening next... There's only a day and a half until Kid's Clothes Week kicks off. The blog has been alive with giveaways, I'm planning to dive into the world of instagram and hashtags (#kidsclothesweek for those who know how to use it) to cheer everyone along. But I'll also be sewing (and beading - aaaargh!) like a woman possessed. Are you signed up yet?

 

In keeping with the theme of Kid Art, I made a round up of all the things I've made thus far that have involved fabric paint. I love paint,.

 

 

No paint for me this week, but I'll be going with my inspirations from visiting the NGV with the kids a few weeks ago. I may well have been a bit overly ambitious with my plans..... again. :)