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You are here: Home / Baby / Geeked

Geeked

September 8, 2011 by Jodi 14 Comments

My pre-ordered copy of  Sewing for Boys, written by Karen LePage and Shelly Figueroa, arrived just over a week ago, and the first thing I sewed from it? A romper for Gladys.   I had been saving this college t-shirt for an extra special project and when I saw the “R is for Romper” pattern, I knew I finally found it.

Like their other “Patterns by Figgy” patterns, Karen and Shelly designed these projects with kid-friendly seam finishes. This romper is sewn seams out for baby’s comfort.

I think it adds to the rougher boyish look of it and which goes nicely with the geeky but still girly print. Don’t you think?

The only problem I ran into was trying to stretch the back neck binding onto the shirt.  My t-shirt was too old to have the recommended 30% stretch. I ended up using the ribbing from the original tee instead and it worked out just fine.

Other things that are just awesome about the Sewing for Boys book:

  • They don’t waste a lot of pages teaching about how to thread a sewing machine and the like. Not every sewing book needs to include a chapters worth of  sewing lessons. Isn’t that what the internet is for? 😉 I think they hit the sweet spot of “just enough”.
  • They have plenty of patterns for knits. My kids prefer their knit pants and shirts over any others.  So why should I spend time sewing clothes for them that they won’t want to wear?  Sewing with knits is not as scary as most people make it sound and you don’t need a fancy serger to sew them.  Karen and Shelly’s directions and construction techniques included in this book will help you dive right in.
  • The projects cover a wide range of skill levels – from the quickie short-sleeved raglan tee to the detailed “Henry” to a car play mat.  And they are all such classics, I can see myself coming back to them again and again.

Excellent job, Karen and Shelly!!

(And just because I know Karen loves Gladys…)

Filed Under: Baby, Sewing Books Tagged With: baby, clothing, recycle, romper, sewing, sewing for boys, t-shirt, upcycle

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leila Breton (@lbreton) says

    September 8, 2011 at 10:22 am

    Cutest Gladys picture! And nice review. I’ll appreciate the “lack of” sewing 101 stuff when I get my hands on the book. And, of course, adorable and very geeky romper. Love it! Geek’d!

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      September 8, 2011 at 12:19 pm

      It’s funny how much I appreciate things like that in a sewing book.

      Reply
  2. Karen LePage says

    September 8, 2011 at 10:35 am

    I LOVE it (and her)…what a great use of the romper pattern. You did a fabulous job!

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      September 8, 2011 at 12:18 pm

      I love that I finally found a good use for that t-shirt. It certainly doesn’t fit me anymore. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Rachel says

    September 8, 2011 at 10:42 am

    Thanks for the review! Patterns by Figgy linked to it from their Facebook page. I agree with the previous commenter, I’ll appreciate the lack of sewing lessons once I get a copy of the book.

    Reply
  4. Jenny says

    September 8, 2011 at 10:44 am

    Look at those cheeks!!! She is gorgeous! And I really like the geeky romper too. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      September 8, 2011 at 12:17 pm

      Thanks. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Karen Chockley Mitzel says

    September 8, 2011 at 11:59 am

    So fun!!! Love your take on it! Ever since you mentioned the book, I have been desiring it 🙂 Small price to pay for an infinite wardrobe, no? Thanks for showing your handiwork… the romper and the girl!!

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      September 8, 2011 at 12:17 pm

      You could always try to win it? The Blog Book Tour has a lot of giveaways happening. http://www.patternsbyfiggys.com/2011/09/the-blog-tour-begins/ I never win giveaways though. I figure the book is $15ish dollars right now and has 24 patterns in it. That’s a better price than any of the Big 4 on sale… and they are better styled.

      Reply
  6. shelly says

    September 8, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    This is terrific! I love everything about it esp. the cheeks. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jodi says

      September 8, 2011 at 12:51 pm

      and I love everything about your book. 🙂 Thank you for putting all that love into it.

      Reply
  7. luvinthemommyhood says

    September 8, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    So cute! YOu did a great job Jodi!

    Reply
  8. Andrea says

    September 9, 2011 at 8:45 am

    GEECS lives on! So fun and cute…and made even cuter by the little model. 🙂 Great job.

    Reply

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