In honor of Celebrate the Boy week over at Made by Rae, I thought we would spend a little time today talking about sewing for boys.

At Oliver + S, we make patterns for boys and for girls. Not all other pattern companies do, but we are committed to this. We don’t make as many patterns for boys as we do for girls because, frankly, there is a much greater demand for girls’ patterns. Whenever we release a new collection that includes patterns for boys and girls, the girls’ patterns always outsell the boys’ patterns. I would really love for that to change, however, and I would be thrilled if in the future we can justify producing more items for boys. If you will buy them, we will make them!

As you’re no doubt already aware, boys’ clothing tends to be a bit more restrictive in terms of creative options. Most boys don’t wear pleats or ruffles, and tradition dictates that boys stick with shirts and pants. That narrows the options considerably. But I think the beauty is in the details when it comes to boys’ clothing. Here are a few examples, courtesy of our customers’ photos.

The Sandbox Pants pattern was one of our early patterns, intended for boys and girls. It has an elastic-back waist and a drawstring at the front (more for decoration than for function) as well as front and back pockets. The larger size range of this pattern (sizes 4-8) is still in print, and if you search around you can probably still find the small size range somewhere too.

I love this version of the pants, with striped fabric at the inside waistband and a brown ribbon for a drawstring.

The Bedtime Story Pajamas have been a very popular patterns. This style recently went out of print, but never fear: we’ll be introducing new pajamas with some great details for fall! This style has been popular for boys and girls, and I suspect the boys like it because it’s somewhat reminiscent of a karate costume. The fun details here are in the neckband, ties and waistband. You can select from contrast or complimentary fabric as the trim for a little extra interest and fun.

The Sailboat Top and Pants is a versatile boys’ pattern. The Sailboat Top can be made in woven or knit fabrics, and you can have all sorts of fun with your fabric choices as well as with the buttons at the shoulders and with the facings. I like the red buttons and facings in this classic (and classy) striped version.

The Sailboat Pants (the pattern also includes a matching skirt for girls) have four buttons at the front and a cropped beachy style. This is a stylish twist on classic pants for boys.

Or make the pants in a fun print. Who can resist green and white elephants?

When we expanded our size range a while ago we released the classic Sketchbook Shirt and Shorts pattern, which is appropriate for boys of all ages. The shirt can be made with short or long sleeves as well as a convertible or a band collar. And the pull-on shorts include front pockets and a faux fly. I love the dressy combination of this classic white shirt with refined, striped shorts from Spool Sewing:

Or use the same pattern to make a more casual, sporty shirt and shorts like this one:

One of our most recent patterns, the Nature Walk Pullover and Knit Pants, is a very easy pattern. The kangaroo pocket at the front of the pullover, the piecing (great for color blocking!), and the collar and facing all offer lots of creative opportunities. Here is a classic striped option:

Here is a very fun version of the pullover, with rockets:

So you can see some of the details that make boys’ clothing interesting. You can also find more inspiration for boys’ clothing in our Flickr group. (Thanks to all our customers who contributed these great photos of their work!)

In our newly released book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, you’ll find all sorts of things for boys, too: messenger bag, backpack, quilt, bucket hat, mittens, scarf, bento box carrier, explorer vest, and plenty of other items that will appeal. At least three-quarters of the 20 projects in the book are appropriate for boys!

In honor of Celebrate the Boy week, we’re giving away a three-pack of Oliver + S patterns: the Sailboat Top and Pants, the Sketchbook Shirt and Shorts, and the Nature Walk Pullover and Knit Pants. You pick the sizes. To enter the drawing for all three patterns, leave a comment telling us about your favorite thing to sew for boys. We’ll pick a winner on the morning of Friday, February 18. Once the drawing is complete, comments will close down, and we’ll post the winner’s name. If you’re the lucky winner, we’ll contact you by email to get your preferred size ranges and shipping information. Good luck!

I recently wrote a detailed guest post for the nice folks at Janome about using a serger to make a lettuce hem on knits. I used this technique and a Janome 1100D serger (which they’ve generously lent to the Oliver + S studio) to make the pair of pajamas I blogged about earlier this month. If you’re interested in how to make a lettuce hem using a serger, click through to Janome’s site for instructions.

You don’t need a serger to make a lettuce hem, however. Here are some easy instructions for making a hem using an ordinary sewing machine. A machine-stitched lettuce hem requires one additional step that isn’t necessary with a serged hem, but the result is very similar.

First, mark the desired length of your hem and trim the fabric to be approximately 1″ longer than the finished length. Fold the excess fabric to the wrong side, press the fold, and pin the fabric in a few places to hold it temporarily.

Set your sewing machine to a short zigzag stitch. If you have a satin stitch setting, this works great. Otherwise, just set your zigzag stitch so the stitches will be very close together and create a smooth stitch. The stitches also should be at least 1/8″ wide so you have enough room to stitch over the folded edge of the fabric.

Once you’ve got everything set up, test a few knit scraps to check the settings and get comfortable with this stitch. You’ll need to stretch the hem as you stitch. The more you stretch, the wavier the edge. Keep the fabric stretched as evenly as possible while you work. It’s easiest to do this with a tube shape rather than a straight piece of fabric, since a tube gives you something to hold in front and behind the needle as you’re working. (Sleeves and pant legs work perfectly.)

As you stretch the fabric, stitch over the folded edge of the hem so the needle falls off the fabric on the right side of the stitch and stitches the fabric on the left side. Here is the stitched hem from the wrong side of the fabric.

Once you’ve finished stitching, turn to the wrong side of the hem, and trim the excess fabric. I’ve found that the easiest way to trim is to stretch the hem until it is straight, and trim as closely as you can to the stitches while holding the stretched fabric. (This is the step that isn’t required if you use a serger, since the serger trims the excess fabric as it folds and stitches the hem.)

You’ll notice, initially, that the hem is stretched and distorted. It won’t look very lettuce-y at first, but if you give it a few minutes to recover, you’ll see that, as the knit returns to its original shape, the hem will curl up to reveal a sweet little lettuce-y edge.

Easy, yes? We used the lettuce hem on the Hopscotch Dress and Nature Walk Pants pajama combination for S. How will you use it?

S is here to show you the Nature Walk Knit Pants made up in a few of the new City Weekend interlock knits. The Nature Walk Pants are the quiet sibling of the Nature Walk Pullover. Because these pants don’t draw attention to themselves, many people have been surprised when they’ve seen the pants in person. They’re very easy to make, quite versatile, and extremely useful.

S has been wearing them a lot lately. To demonstrate how they’re as great for girls as they are for boys, I thought it would be nice to show you a few examples of the pants in action.

Every Tuesday the kids in S’s kindergarten class are expected to wear sneakers and comfortable pants to school for gym class. I made her two pairs of the pants in a plain navy interlock (not from the City Weekend line) for gym day. She likes them because they’re very comfortable, with a minimum of seams. She’s a very skinny kid, and we usually have trouble finding pants that fit. But this pattern works well when we lengthen a small size to fit her.

For weekend and everyday wear, she likes the pants in the Cafe Dot interlock from City Weekend. It’s cute and fun, not so serious like her school gym pants.

And the best part? If you combine the Nature Walk Knit Pants with the Hopscotch Dress pattern (also designed for knits) it makes wonderfully comfortable and cozy pajamas. I shortened the dress to a tunic length–somewhere between the top and the dress lengths–and added a lettuce edge hem to both the sleeves and the pants to make this pajama set. The top is made from the Park Ramble print while the top’s trim and the pants are the Cafe Dot.

Interested in trying this yourself? I’ll show you how to do a lettuce hem shortly.

Did you know that September is national sewing month? What better way to celebrate than by sewing with a new Oliver + S pattern.

Our four new styles are now available for purchase on our website and through our retailers worldwide. Happy sewing!

The Nature Walk pattern includes two items: a pullover top (which I described earlier) and this pant, which took its inspiration from a favorite pair of yoga pants that I’ve worn for years.

The pants pattern is certainly the fastest pattern to sew that we have ever developed. It has very few seams and, as a result, comes together in no time at all.

The pant also includes some fun details to make it special. For starters, the curved yoke at the waist looks very professional, but it’s also functional in that it covers a hidden elastic waistband.

Unless you use a knit fabric that includes spandex, typical yoga waistbands without elastic will lose their recovery (which means they fail to bounce back to their original shape) over time. Eventually a yoga pant without elastic at the waistband will grow too wide. The hidden elastic in our pattern will prevent this problem from occurring and will help the pants to stay up. It also makes them comfortable to wear.

The pants don’t have a side seam, which makes them even more comfortable. As a result, they could easily be used as a pair of sweatpants or even as a pajama bottom, in addition to being stylish outdoor wear. And have I mentioned how quickly they sew up? Follow our tips for sewing with knit fabrics, and you’ll be able to whip a pair of these pants out in no time at all.

And, if you’re willing to do a little customization, the pattern provides you with even more options. I can easily imagine the pattern being shortened and used to make a nice pair of shorts or an adorable pair of capri pants, with a lettuce hem, for a girl.

Everyone is excited about knits right now. I must admit, I didn’t have much interest in sewing knits when Moda first approached me with the idea of adding interlock to the City Weekend fabric collection. But when the sample fabric arrived, I realized what a wonderful opportunity I had been given. The fabric quality is simply amazing–unlike any knit I’ve ever used before. It’s substantial and stable, not spongy and fuzzy or thin and whimpy like so many knit fabrics.

Once I started using this interlock in the studio, I quickly remembered how easy and fun it is to sew with knits. I’ve been converted, and I’ve put together some tips and hints to show you how easy it is.

Getting Started

As with any fabric, wash and dry your fabric before you start cutting. Knits tend to shrink more than woven fabrics. The City Weekend interlock shrinks about 8% (which is substantially less than the 15% or more seen in many knit qualities), but you don’t want your beautiful project to get 8% shorter the first time you wash it, do you?

Use all-purpose thread and, preferably, a ballpoint needle. Also note that, whether you’re sewing on a standard sewing machine or a serger (see the guidelines below for sewing on a machine vs. a serger), be careful not to stretch the fabric as you sew. Just feed it through the machine evenly for a nice seam. Interlock stretches on the cross grain and doesn’t “recover” as quickly as jersey knits. If you stretch as you sew, your finished garment can end up wider than you intended. Interlock doesn’t stretch much on the vertical grain, so pay attention to the direction of the stretch when you cut your fabric so you can take advantage of it.

Because the seam allowances for knit patterns are small (seam allowances for Oliver + S patterns are 1/2″, but for sewing patterns using knits we have reduced the seam allowances to 1/4″ to reduce bulk and to work nicely with a serger), mark notches with chalk, a fabric marker, pins, or by cutting them to extend outside the cut edge instead of cutting into the edge of the cut fabric. Here is an example of the notched edge of a knit:

Using a Standard Sewing Machine

Sew all seams with a stretch stitch (some machines have special stitches specifically designed for sewing knits) or with a narrow, shortened zigzag stitch, about 1/16″ wide by 16 stitches long (that is, eight zigs and eight zags to the inch).

While you can leave the seam allowances unfinished, I prefer to finish them together, stitching over the raw edges with a regular zigzag stitch.

Using a Serger

A serger will stitch, trim the seam allowances, and finish the seam allowances all at once. A three- or four-thread overlock stitch is suitable for most purposes. If you’re unsure of the fit, baste the seams first to check before stitching. Be sure to guide the fabric so only the 1/4” seam allowance is used as you stitch. Press seam allowances to one side unless otherwise instructed.

That’s not too difficult, is it?