I’ve been sewing. SEWING!! What a long stretch of not sewing that was. I haven’t sewed anything since September.

I was procrastinating because I wanted to sew some Christmas gifts this year (actually I think that every year). And it seemed wrong to start a new project if it wasn’t a Christmas gift. But I couldn’t get to the starting point. The task is too daunting when I include Alan’s big family. Just counting the young people means 15 kids. FIFTEEN! Well some of the older ones I can leave out, they’d probably be happier with money. And my sister doesn’t want any gifts for her kids. But that still leaves 10.

Instead of running myself ragged making handmade, I thought I could buy handmade. I had the cutest idea: Bethany’s crocheted snowballs. I could imagine all the kids having a snowball fight. But Alan thought that was lame. Well he probably thinks me making the kids clothes is lame too. What fun is clothes for kids?

But I’m going to go ahead and make them anyways. I’m determined to make simple shirts made of knit material though I can buy them at a store for ridiculously low prices. And why are they so low in the store? Probably paid their workers for pennies a day, that’s why. But I digress.

This is the pattern I used: pattern 27 from Ottobre Spring 1/2008.

As usual, I started with a muslin first. I need to see how big the actual shirt would come out. I wanted something large enough for the older kids, and something the younger kids can grow into it. And, well, it’s quite large.

The sleeves are too long.

And of course with the material being a knit it stretches.

The sleeves just flop all over the place. Flip flop, flip flop.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

Project Notes
Pattern: 27 from Ottobre Spring 1/2008
Fabric: knit interlock
Size: 110cm