I know I said I was going to be working on shirts for my two little guys during this season’s Kids Clothes Week, but I got a little sidetracked.  These are at least tops, right?  I mentioned before that we are heading out on a family trip soon.  We’re off to visit a few places that are normally fairly warm this time of the year, but with highs currently hanging out in the low 60s and high 50s, my Florida babies just might be cold!  I’ll admit that I agonized a little over the idea that all of our outdoor sightseeing pictures were going to show jackets instead of the cute handmade shirts that I’ve been working on. Enter the handmade hoodie, and that problem is solved! This light blue stretch french terry has been in my stash for longer than I remember.  It’s got a nice weight to it, not too heavy, not too light, and it made the perfect backdrop for some of the jersey knit stripes that I love for my boys!

I used my Charlie Tee & Hoodie pattern for these sized up one size since these will be worn over clothing.  I modified the pattern slightly by rounding the pocket openings.  I’m really loving pockets with a little bit of a curve mixed in with the sharp right angles. The hoods on both tops are lined with the same stripe as the pocket and the sleeve- and waist-bands are done with scraps of chocolate brown french terry.  The brown french terry doesn’t have a stretch to it, so I increased the width of the bands to equal the width of the part I was sewing it to. I also had a blast playing with raw edges again!  I am generally a little bit obsessive about the way that my seams look, but the reckless nature of these raw edge finishes makes that totally unnecessary.  You really don’t know how the fabric is going to curl along the seam allowance until after it’s washed and dried, so slightly wiggly stitching is no big deal!  It just adds more character.On Tuesday and Wednesday, I worked on another project for my kids.  One that happens to also include raw edge jersey knit sewing.  I’m not quite ready to share the whole thing yet, but I’ll share a little picture of some fun pockets . . . lots of fun pockets.