Surfing Space Robot Cargo Pants

My mother in law know I like nothing better than new toys to play with. Last year for Christmas she sent me a box of notions which was awesome. Just basics, like every colour of thread in the rainbow and new pins, but its so nice to have these things on hand.

To celebrate the halfway mark in this pregnancy she sent me two books of kids sewing-
Cute Clothes for Kids by Rob Merritt

and

Sew Baby by Choly Knight

I'll eventually do a bit of a review of each of those, but for now I have the first project from CCFK. Its just a pair of pants, admittedly, but the styling in the book shows so many detailing ideas that take it a little beyond the usual. I traced one of the pocket shapes. Its just a patch pocket, but the extra flap (purely decorative) on the front just adds a little extra. And since I'm banned from ruffles (boo-hiss) I used bias tape to add the stripe and the tab under the pocket.

The waist is easily adjustable, using buttonhole elastic, and the hems are loosely tacked up, as until babys is here I have no faith in my sizing! I debated the button hole, well- mainly the button, but I figure I'll have the pants on a setting that just keeps them on, so the button wont be pressing in too much. Its not like baby will be doing much! In pants that take less time I've just been leaving a gap so I can get in and adjust the elastic if necessary, but I'm not sure if this will fall into the too-hard basket and they just wont get used... which would be a shame because we all know how much I love this fabric!

To put the buttonhole elastic in I simply sew 2 buttonholes slightly larger than the elastic, one on each side of the centre back, in the main portion of the facing. I then sew the casing closed all the way around, sew a flat button at centre back then feed the elastic through. 

So hopefully I'll get some wear out of my efforts. 

Target have a sale on at the moment, so I've been stocking up on plain singlets to go with all the funky patterned bottoms I seem to be making!