Tractor Outfit

I am so happy that these little outfits are finished.  I have been working on them for awhile now.  Well, not actually working on them.  More like procrastinating over them.  

I finished the tractor pants a long time ago.  Way back when I made their tractor sheets for their big boy beds.  

It took me awhile to get to the store to pick up fabric for the shirts.  I really wanted to try to make a shirt from scratch.  That's not true.  I really wanted to repurpose a shirt.  Take a mens XL and make it 2 children's shirts.  BUT I couldn't find a cheap mens shirt in an ivory color.  White would have looked really bad with the tractor pants.  The tractors are an ivory color.  So eventually I was able to run to Joannes and pick up some knit in the color I wanted.  

I found a tutorial on a 90 Minute Shirt and thought I could figure it out.  I'm not a sewer.  Not even close.  When I was in college right after Hubs and I got married I bought a machine.  I pretend I know how to sew.  I HAVE NO IDEA.  I figure it out enough to get (maybe) a decent item out of it.  

I did not take pictures during my projects.  I'm a pretty sloppy worker so it would have taken even longer to get this project done and to get during pictures.  Plus I wouldn't want you to see my mess.  Besides, the tutorial is done so perfectly I'm sure you would rather look at the original how to than mine.  

 This is what I ended up with.  The two shirts and the two pants.  The pants are the folded rectangle on the top.

 The back of the shirt says, What Happens On My Tractor Stays On My Tractor.

 I finished the shirts yesterday during the boys nap and decided that I wasn't going to put the applique on it until I tried it on the boys.  I didn't want to do more work than I had to if it wasn't going to fit.  I was pretty sure it wasn't going to fit.  As I suspected the shirt did not fit :(  so sad, I know.  G and I had a blast trying to get it on him.  At first he was a little skeptical being all caught up in the shirt but after hearing Mommy's roar of a laugh he started cracking up himself.  It was something that really should have been recorded.  As I thought, his little hands did not fit through the sleeves.

 I decided I would rip off the sleeves and make new ones.  I was going to just start from scratch but figured maybe changing the sleeves would be enough.  After they went to bed last night I took off the four sleeves, which literally took me as long as it did to make the two shirts.  UGH!  I made new sleeves and decided I was going to just go ahead and do the applique too.  I didn't want to work on the shirts again.  Even if they didn't fit!

I was still skeptical about the fit.  I knew their hands would fit through but I thought that the front of the shirt went up too high.  I also thought the shirt wasn't going to be quite long enough.  On the tutorial she is repurposing a shirt and uses the shirts hem as the bottom... I did not repurpose so I had to make a hem.  I didn't think about that when I was making my pattern.

When the boys woke up this morning I changed their diapers and put them in their new little outfits right away.  I normally don't change their clothes until after breakfast.  Actually, normally I don't do it until after their morning nap (which is basically all day... I mean who wants to sleep in nice clothes for that long).

 I was right about the neck being too tall.  The sleeves are also too short.

 I'm glad it's such a soft fabric otherwise I would think the neck of the shirt was hurting him.  The length turned out to be 'ok'.

 The pants bunch a little funny in the crotch.  I will definitely make these pants again (I already have flannel dinosaur fabric).  I just need to take into consideration that they wear cloth diapers so they have a little more junk in the trunk than when they have on a disposable (which is rare).

 The shoulders are a wee bit tight.  BUT I think it is adorable and they LOVED it!

 It was chilly in their room this morning so I put a onesie on under the shirt.  The shirt would still be too small, but I think it would look a little better without the bulk of the onesie.

 See my really bad lines... oops :)

I definitely think the shirts will fit a 12month-18month old perfectly!  At least it would have fit them at that size.

The shirt was easy to do... now I just need to change my pattern a bit to lower the neck and lengthen the arms.  I think lowering the neck will help with the tightness of the shoulders... or maybe I need to widen that part of my pattern... or maybe I sewed the sleeves onto the shoulders too tight.  Well I will try again... but not for a while.  I have to get busy on their birthday plans.

11 DAYS AND THEY WILL BE 2!!!  I can't believe it!