Sunday, March 13, 2011

:: pins & needles - Man verses Beast

Burda 9793

Additions: Giraffe in pocket on left, cargo pocket on right

Long view

Back view: A double butt pocket, mismatched buttons

Once again I have made Burda 9793. This has definitely become by go-to pattern for the boys. Such a winner!

These pants were sewn out of necessity. Why? Well, it will not stop raining here - all day, every day. Just to put it in perspective for you, we had 1080.2mm of rain in the month of February and it's still falling. The result of this (apart from mould growing on every surface) is that the mosquitos have reached plague proportions. We have to dodge the ambush every time we leave the house. It's man verses beast!

Which brings me back to the pants. The kids need some serious coverage. Pants like these not only stop the bites, but also mean I have to use less of the nasty spray on them. More coverage = less chemicals. The pants have to be lightweight too, as it is still hot. 

I actually made these from an old pair of linen pants I used to have. The fabric was fine, but the leg bottoms were all ripped (because I'd been to lazy to hem them) and they were a bit stained. I kept the side pockets and added the front cargo pockets. I sewed on a giraffe and rectangular patch over the unsightly stains. I didn't bother removing the back pockets as I was worried they'd be a bit perforated which explains the odd double-butt pocket. One button was missing which I simply replaced with an orange one (I only had one) to match the giraffe. 

We had to take these photos in about 10 seconds. The mozzies detected all that bare skin and the sweet smell of young blood within no time. Nasty blood-sucking beasts!

8 comments:

  1. Great upcycling/recycling....and fantastic pants for your cute little man. I love the giraffe and orange button detail. You tell those mossies to keep away from that cherbub of yours, he is too cute for words.
    Such a pain not being able to dry clothes in humid weather. I don't know how you cope with it, the humidity that is.
    Have a great week,
    Anne xx

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  2. Great giraffe! Did you see that your man-bag featured in the Made boys round up?

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  3. Cute pants! That's a crazy amount of rain, and those mosquitoes sound terrifying; my youngest still swells up golf-ball size for each and every mosquito bite. Needless to say, she's not real outdoorsy in the summer.

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  4. Aw, those pants are just lovely, and I wouldn't have guessed a re-fashioning project, I thought that the double butt pocket and mismatched buttons were genius design touches! They look fantastic!
    As for the amount of rain you're getting, wow... Would it be insensitive of me to say I'm a bit jealous? We've had no rain here for so long I've forgotten what it feels like to have to worry about washing on the line etc. We've had the worst drought on record, ever. Even last winter was the driest on record. Our farmers are really suffering.
    Oh, this is in WA, should have said so first, sorry...!

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  5. The giraffe coming out of the pocket is inspired! So cute!

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  6. I love the Giraffe - great idea. Sounds like great weather for ducks!

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  7. I love the giraffe peeking out of the pocket and the mismatched button. So cute!

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  8. I really love this, especially those buttons in the back. awesome job!

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