Saturation
I think I have saturated the marketplace here at home. The boys were really excited about the eight pairs of bandana pants I made for them this past weekend, but you see, I could’t stop there. No, those eBay bandanas were really lacking in the quality department, and I just wanted to make a few pairs with nice bandanas. So Monday night I picked up a few at Michaels, along with some packaged fat quarters they had, and today I turned them all into four more pairs of shorts.
This afternoon, aglow with the excitement of a newly-finished project, I went in search of the intended recipient: “Eamonn! Look what I made for you – another pair of shorts! But this time they’re light blue!” He looked at me and sighed. My five-year-old sighed at me! It was clearly a pity sigh. It was a sound that said “Poor Mom. I know I should work up some enthusiasm for this, but how many pairs of shorts can I really get excited about? Maybe I’ll just say nothing and go back to watching Spongebob.” Clearly, he didn’t recognize how superior these pants were to his other four pairs.
The reaction wasn’t much better from the older one. I think it went something along the lines of “uh huh.”
It took less than a week to go from “oh, cool!” to “uh huh.” I knew I should have learned to sew five years ago when they were a baby and a toddler – when they were still cute and didn’t sigh patronizingly at me 
I did get a good laugh this afternoon, though, when I was showing Aidan everything I’d sewn while he was in school. “I made these blue shorts for Eamonn, these orange ones for you, these frog shorts for Eamonn, and this for you:”
You should have seen the look on his face 
No, in reality the skirt is for a 6-year-old friend of ours. She picked out the fabric (a Japanese Alice in Wonderland print from Reprodepot) and I sewed it up. It’s the first time I’ve gotten to make anything for a little girl. It was fun. Wish I knew some more little people of the female variety. Skirt-making is so darn easy, and pretty economical when you’re doing it for a small person who doesn’t need much fabric.
Oh, one thing I wanted to mention about the shorts: if you’re interested in making your own fat quarter shorts, I did them in exactly the same way as the bandana shorts (following this tutorial), the only difference being that the legs needed to be hemmed. I wish I’d realized earlier (before my sons got bored with the idea) how easy it would be to make play shorts in all kinds of fun fabrics.
Maybe I should just get my My Friend Mandy doll out of my parents’ garage. She’d appreciate play shorts from me, I bet
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Don’t feel so bad, I used to get the same reaction from my daughter and it got worse the older she got! At a certain age you MUST let them pick the fabric or they will never wear it. It is funny…Love the shorts! And the skirt is darling!
They’re still relatively appreciative when I make them something new, but I think it was probably entirely too much to expect enthusiasm about the fifth and sixth pairs of shorts in the space of a week
Its ok, my one year old sighed at me the other day. I was in pure shock!
I must say I simply LOVE the froggie shorts! I love the pirate ones too, but I think I like the froggie ones a tiny bit more. I’d ask you to make a pair in my size, but even though they are called “fat” quarters, I still don’t think its enough fabric to make adult sized pants! LOL!
Lovely work, I certainly am not sighing at you!
See what Melissa has been blogging about: Another Successful Trade on Etsy!!
Haha, yeah, I think an adult would need “really fat quarters” to make shorts.
Your one year old, eh? Boy are you in for it down the road, LOL!
My son wouldn’t wear anything I sewed (teenager!), but I should really sew for myself (besides costuming I mean. But if 12th century comes back in style, I’m set.)
btw – the purse arrived – my husband was shocked cause I’m not much of one for shopping and “girlie” pursuits, but he liked it too. Just not as much as me.
I’m so glad you like it! I’ve really got to get my rear in gear and make some more of those…
Oh my gosh! These look great! I laughed when I read about your son’s lack o’ enthusiasm. Ah well, they are boys! I think you did a terrific job. The frog pattern is fun, isn’t it?
Thanks! Boys will be boys. Frankly, I’m impressed they’ve shown any enthusiasm at all before now! I like the frogs, too. They’re more my speed than skulls are, but I thought maybe “pirate pants” would be appealing to the 8-year-old. The jury is still out on that!
Hi Lisa,
My husband wears shorts like this that his mom makes, still!
He wears them around the house though. He’s got cows (that say “Moody” on them) frogs, fish, flames (i know, i know), anything at all she can find on sale and sew up to fit him.
Nevermind she doesn’t make me any. (I’d hate to see what fabric she’d pick for me!)
Yours are awesome and we love them, even if the kids have ‘gotten over it’. lol.
Starr
See what Starr has been blogging about: thursday on etsy
Get out! Really? That is so cool! Well, cool in a dorky mama’s boy kind of way, LOL! Seriously, though, I love that. I wanted to make my husband a pair and got a “don’t you dare” look out of him. He’s not really a fan of shorts. Or bandanas.
Aren’t those bandana shorts fun!? I’ve been making some for my boys, too. They actually get a big kick out of picking out the bandanas and I love how cheap and easy they are.
I’ve been thinking aobut trying to make a pair for myself too. Lounging shorts, if you will. Perhaps 2 bandanas per leg would work? Then again, I may just get laughed right out of the house! lol
See what Emily has been blogging about: After the Rain
Actually… did you know that you can get 27×27 bandanas online? That might be big enough. I was tempted to do it myself, but I didn’t know what the quality of the bandanas was, and I’m a little more picky than my boys in terms of comfort
Anyway, if you’re interested in the link, you can get those big ones at Wholesale for Everyone.
love the frog shorts!
oh and thanks for yet another flashback! I had My Friend Mandy too – and you can bet your patootie I got My Friend Jenny when she came out – she looked just like me (in fact my mom used to make me and the doll matching outfits…LOL)
See what Jen has been blogging about: More St. Louis
oh and in case that isn’t enough – I should show you my wedding picture – my mom dug up My Friend Jenny and made her a wedding dress that matched mine – holy cow it was so cool!
OMG, that is great! In an over-the-top, who *does* that, kind of way
You’re making me want to dig out my Mandy pictures…
My sister and I got Mandy and Jenny for Christmas one year – I also got my first camera around the same time. That doll was the most photographed thing in my possession, LOL! Every time I curled her hair, or got her a new outfit, she needed to pose for a picture.
Good grief, I haven’t changed a bit, have I??
Can I just say that wish bandanas were a LOT bigger, because those shorts look like they’d make AWESOME loungewear for a person of my dimensions.
Would 27×27 work for you? I just commented above about a place that sells them in that size. I’m tempted…
Hey Lisa,
But if you ever want to get together and play with dolls…lol… I have My Friend Jenny!! I never got Mandy, but my cousin had her. We played so many hours with them, and my aunt made the most amazing clothes for them! Ah, the memories…
I wish I had gotten the idea for those shorts years ago! My youngest is now 12
Heh. I have to get Mandy out of my parents’ garage! My sister had Jenny, and I think my mom did make us some clothes for them, too. We also had three other Fisher-Price dolls that were the right size to be younger siblings to Mandy and Jenny, so we used to pretend they were. We had a whole family dynamic worked-out for when we played house. Fun!
Aw, I had My Friend Jenny until my little sister left her floating in our wading pool and she got all moldy! I wonder if my Mom still has my sister’s My Friend Mandy. Hmmm . . . I’ll have to ask.
Those pants and that skirt are adorable. I love the way the bandana print lines up on the short!
Thanks for the link to the shorts. I was just at the fabric store the other day with my daughter Korby (HUGE tomboy). She saw the the pictures of the shorts you made and loved them! She is almost 9! I saw so many cool fabrics there, but could not find an easy pattern. I will be checking that one out! Thanks- Kashoan
See what Kashoan has been blogging about: Please Check Out the View
Totally cute shorts. Love the bandana ones. Nice project.
Can those bandana shorts be made for grown men? like as big as basketball shorts?
Only if you have really big bandanas. Or, use squares of some other kind of fabric, cut to a larger size.