Sewing for Kindergarten

It seems that just yesterday I was writing a similar post for the Sewing for Kindergarten series hosted by awesome Sewing Like Mad. Ania was the model.  It's hard to believe two years have past and my baby boy is a kindergartner. Waaaaahhhh. Sniff. Sniff. On a brighter note, I hardly ever sew for my boys, so this was a perfect opportunity.




I ended up making three things - pants, a shirt and a coat. I am really pleased how it all turned out.


The pants came from a Japanese sewing book, Polka Drops. They are unisex and I made quite a few pairs for Ania.I really like them. I traced the pattern long ago in size 120, and I was a bit worried that they would be too small. So I graded them up to the next size, and in retrospect they would have been just fine. I forgot that the Japanese patterns tend to have quite a bit of ease. I did add something like 7 cm to the overall length, which was a good thing, as you can see. My children are very tall. I made several small changes to the pattern. Instead of elastic waistband made form the same fabric, I used knit ribbing and added grommets and a functional drawstring. I also reinforced the knees by adding interfacing and another layer of denim and then quilting all together. For fabric, I recycled my old maternity jeans. I love recycling old jeans for kid pants. I think you get interesting washes and texture and they tend to look more store bought, especially if nicely topstitched.


I used the Mullbery tunic pattern for the shirt. I made no modifications, except using snaps instead of buttons. Since I overcame my fear of snaps last year, I sort of became a #snapsoneverything person. :)

I bought this pretty seersucker fabric as a remnant at the local fabric wearhouse. It's a dangerous place for me to go, ha! I can never resist. It was only $2.00, so the price was right. I did make one modifications, not intentionally though. The fabric is the same on both sides, so while doing the shoulder seams, I accidentally flipped around the back piece and we have an inverted pleat there as a result. I pretend it was meant to be.

Once I finished the pants and the shirt I decided that the whole ensemble was missing a coat. Plus, I made a coat last time I participated in the series. I am really excited how it turned out. A while ago I stumbled upon a garage sale where a former professional seamstress was de-stashing. It was awesome and she was practically giving everything away. I bought all the wool she had. The pattern is form Ottobre 1/2013 issue. It only goes to size 116. I graded it up to 128. I also quilted the lining, the lining fabric came from my out-of-control stash.

My sewing machine went nuts on me during the topstitching, even though I used a sharp big needle. Sigh. I had to unpick it twice. I am sort of happy with it, except where the pocket flap is attached. I wish I had a better machine. I am contemplating buying a vintage machine, I heard they work better. I wish I can afford an industrial one, but unfortunately I have no space for it and it's not in a budget.


I love that the pattern has a hood, it's necessary in the climate we live. Thank you Mie for inviting me to participate. I really enjoyed it! Can't wait to check out what everybody else makes!



23 comments

  1. All those three items are really SO so good! The coat in that grey wool...YUM and the pants...I would never have guessed they were handmade and the crisp white Mulberry is just the perfect touch! Thank you so much my friend for participating again and you better start planning that little Miss E's kindergarten wardrobe because you know it's going to be advanced hehe.

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  2. Wow. Love all of this, especially the jacket!!

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  3. Reading your post was so much fun. I can still see you rocking that garage sale with tons of wool in your arms and swirling eyes 😂😜😘

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  4. SO jealous of that yard sale find. That wool is fab! Impeccable coat. I haven't sewn a coat for a few years, and this really makes me want to do another!

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  5. I'm imagining you at the yard sale like a contestant in those swirling money grab games!! Love all of this and you've just added several items to my must sew list.

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  6. Soooo good. Such a stylish little man!

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  7. Soooo good. Such a stylish little man!

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  8. I LOVE that coat! The whole outfit is so good. What a handsome little guy. Can you believe he's in kindergarten??

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  9. That wool coat is sooooooo good! Love the pants too. Wish our kindergarten boys could get together!

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  10. All of your pieces look amazing!! SO good!

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  11. Fantastic sewing!! I love that coat and I even have that issue of Ottobre - now I am super inspired! My son would actually wear that coat, I think (he's kind of anti-coat).

    Definitely consider trying an old straight stitch machine for topstitching. With a strong needle, I do think they can handle lots of thick layers with ease. They have a lot of torque, if that makes sense, and because they are straight stitch, there is less tendency for the needle to bed or move laterally as you try to sew through heavy materials. Plus, they can be found quite cheap and hold their value well.

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  12. wow! simply wow, Olga. What a gorgeous coat you've made for your son! And of course the whole outfit is just beautiful . . . but that coat! He looks so handsome in it:) And what a lucky day when you found that garage sale:) Thanks for sharing!

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  13. So so cool ! Love the whole outfit Olga, especially this coat ! I wish I was able to do the same for my boy ! ♥♥♥

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  14. I am completely blown away by this outfit!!!!! I love it all and want it for myself! What machine do you sew on?

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  15. Ooooooh that coat!!! You know I love it so much. Hey, do you think it would fit me when he outgrows it? hahahaha. Seriously love it. Love the jeans and the Mulberry, too. And haha wouldn't you know that's how I sewed my pleat to a dress I made recently -- I'm calling it a "design feature." I think you should go with that, too ;)

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  16. Eeeeek! This whole outfit is amazing! And he is adorable!

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  17. The whole outfit is just perfect!!! <3
    Those pants look great (and yay for Japanese patterns! :) ). the Mulberry looks great in seersucker! I need to copy that... :) And that coat is stunning! Love the wool!

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  18. I adore everything about this outfit. I'm in awe that you just up and decided to grade the coat pattern up. A COAT!! It's awesome and I wish I have that much talent!

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  19. Wauw Olga, this outfit!! How stunning!! I love that you chose your maternity jeans, what a great idea! I am mostly in love with the coat, what a piece!! And how lucky you got with that garage sale!! :-) The pants and tunic are equally nice, but the coat is really sooooooo pretty! it looks so nice on him! I am curious how much time this whole outfit has taken, it seems really quite an effort! But worth it!

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  20. Absolutely lovely outfit! I am in love with the coat especially.

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  21. I absolutely love this! Everything about it is perfect! I can't believe he's already in kindergarten. Our children are not supposed to grow so fast!

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  22. What a wonderful outfit! The outfit is so boyish and yet has so many great details. I love the coat!

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  23. Love it. Just adjusted a pattern with your adjustments and finished my first cowls neck and it looks amazing. Thanks for the great tutorial!!
    coser guía

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