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Refashioning - Boys Can Sew!

24 comments
I've always wanted to get my son involved in refashioning but never had the chance to until last weekend. At the beginning of the year, he told me he wanted to learn how to use the sewing machine  and I was very happy that he mentioned it (although secretly I think it's because stepping on the pedal is very much like driving a car!)!




So, we ended up doing some cutting, painting and a little bit of sewing.  Two hours later, we ended up with a "new" pair of shorts, a very happy kid, and a proud mummy. This is an easy peasy project.  Click below to read more!




Measure from the child's hip down to a suitable shorts length.  Your child can help in deciding on the length and reading off the tape measure. 



Take a pair of trousers which are too short - we had two pairs, jeans and khaki.  Get your child to lay the trousers flat and mark the length that was just measured onto the garment's legs.  Add another inch below that mark for seam allowance. Under your guidance, your child can make sure that the leg lengths are equal, and then they can cut the trousers along the second mark.  Remember not to leave them alone with scissors.


Before we got to the sewing, we had some fun with some acrylic paint and a stencil. We used a non-toxic paint, Americana, and a dinosaur stencil. The stencil was a gift, but you can make your own using old clear plastic files. Or you could just paint free-style using anything you can find in the house e.g. sponge, bottle caps, cookie cutters.  Just remember to place scrap paper or cardboard under the fabric to prevent the paint from transferring.



As you can see, my son is a fan of dinosaurs!


After the paint had dried, we hemmed the raw edges with the machine. I taught my son how to thread the machine - it was pretty easy as the machine had numbers to follow. The difficult part was getting the thread through the needle. 


I let my son press the foot pedal when we ran the shorts through the machine, but I held onto the garment. He managed to get to grips with the different speeds - he can now master extremely slow to medium pace. Once this was all done, we sewed the hem with a needle - this was difficult for an 8 year old so I ended up doing this part, but he helped in threading the needle and making knots with his fingers. He was very patient!

I hope this is the beginning of a great relationship between my son and refashioning!  It's a great skill to have, don't you agree?






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Abdelghafour

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24 comments

  1. Wow I am impressed! He did an awesome job! Great way to train up patience too, right? =) Hope you can link up with Creativity 521 tomorrow, you have such great ideas to share!

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  2. I am soooo letting my son dinosaur stencil his clothes. LOVE IT!

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    1. My son loves dinosaurs so this was a great way to get him to refashion his clothes :-)

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  3. good job!! love this post!

    http://alovelystyle.blogspot.com.es/

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  4. This is awesome Agy! Can't wait for my son to grow up a bit and do this too :) Right now he's only allowed crayons ;)

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    1. Thanks, Far. Yup, had to wait a bit until I was confident he would listen to me and was patient enough to. Wouldn't want any nasty accidents!

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  5. I know how you feel about it being a personal victory to get your son into the sewing/refashioning hobby. When I made my son the Doctor Who Bleached Image shirt from my blog, he was so excited about it that he started making his own, and then even sold a few to a couple friends. It's nice to see your kids take after you. :)

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    1. Wow, your son has is not only becoming crafty but an entrepreneur in the making :-)

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  6. great shorts :) it is so rewarding to introduce kids to sewing - my sons also like to use the sewing machine.

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    1. Thanks, Allison. It's great to get the guys on board this skill!

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  7. The shorts look great! I bet he loves wearing shorts that he made! This is such a great way to involve kids!
    Thanks for linking up!

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    1. Thanks, Heather. Yes, he does love to wear them.

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  8. Wonderful idea! Love the determination of your son, and the shorts are pretty amazing. My dino-loving nephew would want a pair.

    New follower, Agy - sorry I am so late to find your cool blog! I love it!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. I follow your blog too!

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  9. Love it! Want to get my sons involved with sewing too, though first have to start myself! Thanks so much for joining craft schooling sunday, hope you'll be back again soon!

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  10. Fab idea stencilling on cut down trousers. Your son did a great job. I have two pairs of jeans waiting to modify for my children. Might just add a bit of stencilling too.

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    1. I think the stenciling part makes sewing more interesting for boys!

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  11. I've never been good at sewing, and never attempted refashioning anything. But you make it look so simple! Might just try it with some of the kids' old clothes. Thanks for linking up! :)

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    1. Thanks, Winnie. It doesn't take long to do it so you should give it a go!

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  12. Hello Agy. It is so great to see young boys learning to sew. I think that if they like their fabric, they are more apt to get excited about doing something with it. Thank you for stopping by my sewing series.
    http://www.thelostapron.com/summer-sewing-camp/

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  13. My nephew, 19, has been visiting me. He wanted to do something for his mom on mother's day, I suggested that he make a tote bag. Together we made a red and black quilted tote bag which was lined and had straps....he was so proud. Next week we are scheduled to make his Dad a computer bag. My husband does not know what to think but, my nephew and I are having fun!

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