A few recent works

 Reversible pants for my Joe-Joe.  One side has "Diggers", the other has Thomas the Train... or more specifically, "Gordon and Henry", as my observant 4-year old pointed out. 

Pattern:  Quick Change Trousers, from Anna Maria Horner's "Handmade Beginnings" (love this book!  Big fan of this triple--quadruple?!-- threat, author/designer/artist/mom of six!)

Fabric:  Cotton bed sheets (brown cotton and blue pin-striped cotton) with 'Thomas" bedsheet contrast and "Diggers" fabric, purchased new, off-the-bolt. 

Time to make:  Not including cut-out time?  These came together in about 45 minutes.  This is the fifth pair I've made though... it goes faster each time! 

Wear again?  As long as they fit, and as long as I still have control over what he wears, DEFINITELY :) 

 With just a few weeks left to go, I find myself entering the "no man's land", 4th trimester dilemma of "I have nothing to wear."  Is this true?  Not entirely.  I can make do with what I have, and I certainly couldn't justify any off-the-rack maternity purchases.  But I'm getting BIGGER, and a bit tired of my daily staples.  One fabulous advantage of being pregnant during the summer?  I can wear DRESSES EVERY DAY, which I love.  But last week was particular hot, and I needed a little change up.  Shorts seems to be pretty trendy this summer, and suddenly I see them everywhere.  So I thought I'd take a stab at my own DIY version.

Pattern: Simplicity 3850, Built by Wendy, with "maternity" modifications, thanks to this tutorial

Fabric: brown cotton bedsheet with chambray side strips and floral-print pocket lining (not shown) and inside of faux-pocket flaps. 

Time to make:  One viewing of Groundhogs Day, plus another 2-3 hours of modifications.  Hopefully the next version will go faster, because it really is a fast pattern.  And yes, I love these enough that I might just make another pair or two, even though I'm not particularly a "shorts person." 

Wear again?  Yes!  With all of the things that could go wrong making maternity shorts, I really like these enough that I might just make another pair or two (It'd be fun to have some gingham shorts, or red, or maybe turquoise :D). 

Pattern: McCalls 6044

Fabric: White bedsheet, thrifted.  Contrast "Belinda"  fabric

Time to make: An hour to cut out, and an almost-all-nighter to put together

Wear again? He's worn it several times-- yay! 

Lastly, Job's latest birthday shirt.  Each year for the past three years, I've made my "summer birthday boy" a button-upshirt.  I've used the same pattern each time, with different variations/ details each time.  McCalls 6044 is a popular choice in the "Online Sewing world."  This year I added pocket flaps for the first time... although I did forget to iron on interfacing.. and now the flaps flip up...  I'll either have to starch/press the heck out of those flaps, or I might even stitch down the corners, making the pockets purely aesthetic and non-functioning.  Oh well.  We'll see.