Cowl neck Bimaa

I wear my Renfrews a lot, so Myra sees the cowl neck, cuffs and waistband style on me often, and has several times requested a top "like that".

A couple of months ago I made her one. For some reason have only now photographed it. She wears it all the time, just the camera/good lighting/other kids occupied stars have never aligned. Finally I just decided to take some pictures, even if they aren't super great. Better to have blogged bad pics than never to have blogged at all...

Of course, the natural kid Renfrew is the Bimaa Sweater by LouBee Clothing. It has all the elements of the Renfrew that Myra was looking for - long sleeves, cuffs and waistband, and a nice big, shapely cowl.

Just for funsies, I used the solid coordinate fabric for the underside of the cowl, as well as the cuffs and waistband. The fabrics are both from Girl Charlee. They were supposed to be a Pinny Pinafore for me. How does that kid talk me into this stuff??

I love the fit of the Bimaa on Myra. It's a great length and fitted enough to look nice, with enough ease for play and comfort.

Myra loves her  new (ish) Bimaa. It's comfy and pink, which are the two major requirements for her wardrobe. Bonus that she can match  me without random strangers telling us how cute we are.

The Bimaa gets expanded!

The Bimaa sweater by LouBee Patterns has been a staple in my kids' wardrobes for a while now.

I know I'm not the only one feeling the Bimaa love. It pretty much dominates Kids Clothes Week in the fall and winter months.

So when Sarah asked for some helpers to refine the pattern and expand the size range, I was all over that party!

And so, Duncan is thrilled to introduce the new and improved, sizes down to 6 month and up to 12 years Bimaa sweater!!

Yes, you read that right - sizes from 6 months to 12 years!! The other changes were minor - the hood shape and size were refined and the pattern tightened up. The soul of the Bimaa that we all love hasn't changed.

Duncan is modelling the size 4 here, and it's an excellent fit on him. I made his hoodie out of some super soft organic cotton jersey from The Seeds of Three. The cuffs are a viscose rib knit. It's very cuddly and Duncan really likes it.

He even likes the hood! He's usually not a hood wearer at all, but he keeps this one on. Pretty sweet.

As an added bonus, the Bimaa pattern is the Friday Fiver over at crafterhours! You can read how to get your Bimaa for $5 here, but only until Saturday at 10am, so hurry! If you've already purchased the Bimaa, Sarah is offering a GIANT discount to get the expanded size range. Just email LouBeeClothingPatterns [!at] gmail.com with your proof of purchase for the discount code.

Bimaa Sweater Blog Tour: Bad Boy and Girly Girl style

When Sarah invited me to participate in the Bimaa Blog Tour, I was beyond thrilled. Her designs are so fresh and original, and her sewing is gorgeous, no matter what she's making. The Bimaa sweater is so fun and funky, but still totally practical for everyday kid wear. I totally love it.

So naturally, I made it twice. These two kids couldn't be more different in temperament or style, but this pattern works perfectly for them both. Gotta love that!

I made Myra's first. If you can't tell from the pose, Myra is all girl. She loves pink, princesses and all things girly. 

But she's still a kid, and her clothes still have to take a beating. Myra's Bimaa started with this fun pink cheetah/heart print french terry. I got it from fabric.com a couple of years ago, and I've been saving it for the perfect project. This was definitely it!

I made Myra the shawl collar style and made no size changes. The pattern is designed with a slim, sleek fit, and that is exactly what I wanted for this top. Myra and I both love how it turned out, and she wears it constantly.

Then there's Duncan. He's my tough guy. A man of few words, he prefers to speak with his fists.

This skull print french terry was a perfect fit for his personality. Mix it up with the hoodie variation of the Bimaa, and it's exactly him.

To get a more manly fit for Duncan, I used a size larger than his size based on his measurements. Since the pattern is drafted to be long, I also shortened it to the next size smaller. For Duncan, who is a size 3T, I made the width a size 4T and the length of both the body and the sleeves at the size 2T.

I also widened the cuffs and waistband, which I made out of this awesome chunky sweater-y rib knit. Isn't that stuff great? Super tough, right? But also super warm and cozy!

But can we talk about this hood for a minute? Seriously, it is the best thing ever. You may recall my singing its praises when I made Myra's Trixie costume, but it is just as amazing for an everyday hoodie. I lined Duncan's with a supersoft rayon jersey, and it is so cozy.

You know, if I can ever talk him into wearing it for more than 45 seconds... Seriously kid?? That's the snuggliest, best fitting hood ever!

The other feature of this hood that I really love is the way it wraps to the front to fill in the neckline. You can see that it doesn't bind at the neck at all, but lays nice and flat against the chest, but still with a nice smooth line around the face. It's really beautifully designed.

So, there you have it. Two Bimaas - one slim, sleek and girly, the other big, buff and manly, both from one awesome pattern. 

What do you mean you don't have this pattern already?? Run over to the LouBee Clothing shop and get it!

Big, bad Duncan is waiting... 

And while you're at it, be sure to check out the other bloggers participating in the tour! There are some seriously talented ladies here. I am truly honored to be among them. I'm sharing today with Alida Makes, so be sure to hop over to her blog.

Bimaa Sweater + Ananda Pants = The Great and Powerful Trixie!

Myra spent a lot of time debating which My Little Pony she was going to be for Halloween. When she finally decided on The Great and Powerful Trixie, I was a little surprised, but thrilled that I wasn't going to have to sew Princess Celestia's wings and golden hooves. Once I pinned her down, it was time to choose patterns, and the SewFab bundle had just been released. The Bimaa hoodie and the Ananda pants seemed like the obvious choice! And they were.

Myra LOVES her Trixie costume, and I'm pretty thrilled with how easily it came together. For the top, the Bimaa sweater pattern is absolutely perfect for adding ears. The hood has a center panel that is seamed right where a pair of ears would sit, so you don't have to manipulate the pattern at all.

For her horn, I elected to use a separate headband. The horn itself is just a piece of fleece that I twisted around itself and hand sewed to the headband. Super easy. For her mane, I did add a center seam to the center panel of the hood, and inserted the mane just below the ears. In retrospect, I sort of wish I had continued her "hairline" a little farther forward, and trimmed the from shorter to simulate a forelock.

The main body of the costume is poly fleece to keep her cozy on Halloween night. For the mane, tail, hood lining and waistband of the pants, I used a cotton-lycra jersey from Chez Ami. The mane and tail are cut into thin strips to simulate hair. I love how it curls up on the ends, just like Trixie's hair.

Trixie's cutie mark is a magic wand with a "swoosh" of magic sparkles. For the wand, I used more of the same jersey and painted the stick part with fabric paint. The "swoosh" is a bit of silver sparkle knit, appliqued in place and decorated with some glitter star buttons.

The Ananda Pants are so perfect for this costume! The pant has a nice easy fit, and the waist is finished with a knit waistband. Since Myra is carrying around that heavy tail, I did reinforce the waistband with some 1 3/4 inch wide elastic, which I just inserted into the knit waistband itself. It's still super comfy, but it holds up the extra weight well.

From the back, you can see I just inserted the tail into the center back seam of the pants. I seriously love how well that waistband covers Myra's lower back! She has a bit of a ghetto booty, but these pants are perfect. She asked me to make her another pair in pink to wear to school, so I know they are a winner.

Now we just have to wait for Halloween! Are you ready to rumble, Twilight Sparkle?! Trixie's coming for you!