Have I mentioned that I’m a sucker for a raglan tee? I think I have!

So when I saw this tutorial at Craftiness is Not Optional, I had to have a go. I have plenty of small jersey pieces – or rather I have lots of large adult tee shirts with trouser leg hole shapes in the body. But often there is enough left over to make the body of a baby tee shirt. (I’m planning to squeeze some knickers out of them too – oh yes I am!)

I had some ribbing which I bought last year, for my last (unsuccessful) attempt at making tee shirts, so I made the sleeve from that.

(The shorts are yet another Big Butt Baby Pants made 3/4 length, and with added patch pockets. I’ve made four (!) pairs of these for FB so far this year, and they are his basic summer staple. I’ll post about these as soon as I can get them photographed.)

(She is leaning, not standing. But we’re not far off.)

The ribbing means that I didn’t have to make the neckholes extra big, and yet my children could get their heads through. (I was a bit nervous about this, and was tempted to wake them up when I finished the tee shirts so that they could try them on. And then I remember that that was madness and waiting till morning. 😉

Now I’ve made tee shirts for the children I’m excited to make some for W too! It’s really hard at the moment to find raglan tee shirts for men, and he looks great in them. Hopefully all this making tops will give me the confidence to make some tops for myself too, since my collection is pretty small at the moment, and I feel the need up update things.

It was a busy weekend! Saturday was spent at Salvo Fair with Debbie from Monkey and Bo and her family. After about about 5 years of searching we now have garden furniture, (or we will have when the table arrives on saturday – hopefully.)

And on Sunday, after a good year of talking about reading about it – and because we still had the car – we went to finally buy our chicken run and chickens!

We have two Hipswell Sussex (called Weiss, and Fat Hen) and two Rhode Rock (called Abigail and Hudson.) And they’re great!

They’re scrapping with each other to work out the pecking order, but they’re great! And suddenly I have pets for the first time in about 18 years! But I knew that going in.

And we have eggs! Already!

Since Sunday we have had 5 eggs. They are two slightly different shades of brown, and I think they are coming from the Rhode Rocks, since they spend more time in the coop. But they have been free ranging about the garden, and FB thinks they’re amazing.

And I am learning to pick up chickens. And herd them back into the coop at the end of the afternoon.

This morning we had a visit from the fox, but the Hipswells are feisty and flapped at him a lot. But – we live in a city, there were always going to be foxes about.

My very lovely friend Debbie runs a great kid’s clothing online shop Monkey and Bo, where she stocks (along side great European and British kid’s clothing) limited editions by indie crafters. (Currently Sophie4sophie‘s apron dresses and the tunic dresses I’m about to go on about from Kitchycoo.)

Anyway that’s where I first saw the Kitchycoo‘s Tunic Dress.

Luckily for us people who are compelled to make things,  the pattern is available and it’s become a firm favourite in our house. So much that I’ve made three (!) so far, and I’ve the fabric set aside for at least two long sleeve pin cord ones this autumn.

They are great because the garments themselves last and last, first as a dress and later as a tunic top. The idea is to get about two years wear out of each piece. So, when you sew it yourself you can use fabric you love and get to see it over an extended period of time. (I LOVE THIS!)

Plus as the mother of large headed babies, it’s also great because the neckline is by it’s very nature super stretchy and very forgiving on little ears. On top of all that, it’s a raglan, and I’m a sucker for a raglan.

Anyway this wasn’t meant to be a pattern review particularly. I just wanted to show what I’ve been making. 😉

They have had a TON of wear over the last few months – they look great with trousers, which is how LR wears them right now. And they dressy and girly, but not too dressy and not too girly. Yay!

(The third one is in the wash thanks to some cherry tomatoes yesterday, but you can see the fabric I made it from here.)

We have a MAJOR family wedding to go to next year and I’m thinking that this dress, with a wide ribbon sash would be wonderful. (Did I mention that the pattern goes up to up to 4 years old? Great isn’t it?)

(ps. all the opinions here really are my own, and I didn’t make a bean in money or stuff writing this.)