Boys' Duffle Coat

Here's a preview of my next big sewing project for O, a duffle coat.

Last week, I purchased a copy of the British sewing magazine Sew Hip because of the red duffle coat they featured on the cover. It also included a pull-out pattern in the center of the magazine that went up to size 10.

At first look, it looks kind of girly, but I figured by switching the toggles to the other side and picking a "manly" fabric, voila! I'll have a boys' coat. I loved the idea of making this out of red wool flannel, but O nixed that idea and the truth is, red is not his best color. He suggested green with a red lining, but then I thought he'd look like a Christmas ornament out on the playground.

Then I saw this jacket on the Hanna Anderson website, one of my favorite places to surf for boy clothing inspiration. Corduroy! Of course! I love sewing with corduroy, despite its tricky nap, and O loves wearing it. I could interline it with flannel under a rayon lining to keep it extra cozy, or skip that and make this an early spring jacket with just a flannel lining. And since he already has a brown jacket, I'm thinking I could sew this in a wide wale olive corduroy, which happens to be a good color on him, and line it with gold. That could look really spiffy. What do you think?

Why this blog

I had a revelation earlier this week: My favorite sewing projects involve sewing for my soon-to-be 9-year-old son. I've thought on this, and there seem to be a few reasons for this preference. First, everything's smaller and more manageable for me, as opposed for laying out a dress pattern for myself. Second, I like the challenge of creating attractive clothing for boys ... sewing for girls is easy. They have so many more pattern and fabric options, but for boys? Not so much. When you sew for boys, you have to rely on your own creativity. Third, my son is very discriminating about his clothes. He knows what he likes and doesn't like, and I get a lot of helpful input when I create something for him. And fourth, he's usually a happy customer. He loves what I make for him and wears the garments proudly. One of my proudest moments as a sewist was when he disdainfully looked at the cheap Halloween costumes in a department store and said, "I'd never wear one of those; your costumes are so much better."

I'm not an expert sewist or a stay-at-home mom with oodles of free time. I'm a Boston-based journalist/author/ghostwriter who, like many mothers, juggles a lot of work and personal projects. I hope you'll find my blog of interest as I start documenting everything I sew for my son. I'll share websites and tips that make sewing for boys, whether they're infants or scrubby-faced teenagers, gratifying as well as fun and educational. Another goal of this blog is to share sources of great fabric for boys' clothes. So please stick around!