I have two little explorers in my house. My smallest one has already turned into a little tornado leaving nothing untouched (or untasted). When he is not chewing on everything you will find him digging his hand into the flower pots, holding the earth up and watching it fall onto the floor, drumming on the toilet or checking how fast he can unroll the toilet paper onto the floor. He crawls full speed every time I open the fridge to make sure he can block me from closing it and his biggest dream seems to be able to crawl into the dishwasher… Thankfully he sometimes occupies himself by practising getting up and standing without supporting himself 🙂 . My other kid is trying to get a grip on the world with her whys. More on that some other day but it is safe to say there is no stone or fact left untouched at our house.
We just spent a week in Arguineguin on Gran Canaria. This is the first time we revisit a hotel we have been to before and to tell the truth we have barely left the hotel. I realized that we have become the people that I never understood. I used to ask myself why anyone would want to go to the same place again and not explore the surroundings? It is not that I don’t want to explore any longer. I just feel like the amount of energy it costs outweighs its pleasure. Packing for an excursion is major undertaking and getting everyone fed at the right time feels a bit like playing a game of tetris. It doesn’t exactly make it easier that our little boy is a terrible sleeper and wakes up if a mute mouse coughs within a 1 kilometer radius.
It is fascinating watching your little ones explore the world and it reminds you that you should keep trying even if it comes at a cost. Because it is usually worth it. Except the only real attempt we made during this trip taking the boat to Mogan. It simply wasn’t worth it and I enjoyed the pool and the sun at the hotel much more. We might have to be a bit boring for the next couple of years but after that I swear we will be back in the explorer business!
I see that I have become less adventurous in all aspects of life. Even my sewing. I am so strapped on time that doing something out of the box feels like a major risk. What if what I make is a failure and I will have wasted a month’s worth of work?
For this project I decided I would get outside of my comfort zone. I am often inspired by fabric and envision a garment that is inspired by the pattern on the fabric. Like the pattern of the fox in this Andrea Lauren fabric. I wanted to make pants that had a similar pattern. It turned out to be a trickier than I thought. I did “empty” piping in an improvised pattern and it turned out a bit thick so I almost choked my overlocker when finishing the edges.
I am glad I spent time on it even if I am not happy with the final result. It feels very unbalanced. Partially because he is still a bit too small for both the T-shirt and the pants but also because the orange pattern is a bit too large (and it doesn’t help that it is only on the front). I don’t think I would have managed to make it smaller though using jersey. At least I learned something which is always good and makes this somewhat worth it!
I used the Rowan Titchy Thread tee pattern for the first time and loved it. Basically no complaints for the regular hem, long sleeved version in size 12-18 months. I will for sure try more variations of this pattern. The pants are my own hack. The Andrea Lauren fox fabric and black jersey I bought at Olivias. The orange jersey I bought at Kjekk og Søt and I must say the two ladies that run these stores have great customer service helping me find the closest orange match.
Here are few photos of my little explorer that definitely didn’t feel like posing like I intended him to. I debated if I should actually post this project but I decided that his cuteness outweighs the flaws of the pants :).
Look at this little man that is set on getting under the glass fence!
What an adorable outfit! I love how you used the fox as inspiration for the detail on the pants. They look fantastic. I also totally understand what you’re saying about not exploring, getting out of the house can seem like a big achievement some days 🙂
Thank you and thank you for an excellent pattern! Glad to hear I am not the only one struggling to get out of the house 🙂 .