Does my son look younger than usual in this post? Why yes, yes he does. That's because I sewed this up in June and apparently the boy is just growing and growing and growing!

This rad baseball shirt is DEFINITELY something i'm going sew a few more times for him, i absolutely love it. I love being able to make it non-traditional and I want to sew him one up in like a floral or any rad print really!



I stitched this up to review for Pattern Revolution! it's the Old Tyme Baseball Shirt by Dandelions n Dungarees and it was actually quite an adventure to sew. I'm a very visual learner, and if i can't make sense of the pictures then i'm just doomed to fail so after screwing up so very epicly i re-cut it again and started to win.



The shirt isn't really that difficult, it was just that placket part that I messed up, and of course I messed it up AFTER i made binding and stitched it all on (oh my god I was so unimpressed with myself). After I just trusted that the pattern knew what it was trying to tell me and I followed the instructions carefully (trust me, don't question it, just do it) everything came together so well and the shirt is just the raddest thing in vin's wardrobe really


Honestly the thing that let me down the most was the patches. I have no idea how people who don't sew even use these iron on patches because let me tell you, they don't freaking stick?? Vin wore this shirt to his blue light disco (he wound up in the newsletter and on the school website wearing it haah) and by the end of the night he'd lost half the letters that said Pizza and the 7 on the back was falling off.

So uncool, really

he hasn't worn it since then which is a shame because i have to sew all the stuff back on but i mean i spent like over $20 on patches for this shirt that don't even work :,) Plus i almost scorched the shirt TRYING to make them stick.

whatever man, whatever


I really adore the piping, the snaps, the neckline. I really love this pattern! You can buy it in sizes 2T-7 and of course it's unisex so if you want to sew one for a little girl defo do this.

good morning! i turned a men's shirt into a cute two piece for eddie the other day and it turned out super cute so here is a super simple tutorial! originally i started with this cool black and teal scribble-patterned shirt and cut it up into the sweetest little outfit for edison. At first I wasn't sure if she would like it but she's super into cropped shirts and skirts lately so she ended up wearing it for three days!


for the tutorial i used this rad aztec-inspired print shirt i bought from the op shop years ago for tim and he wore like, once. Eddie loved this set too, but we gifted it to her cousin Ruby so they could have some matchy machy fun!




it's a super sweet little set, easy for her to dress herself in fun to show off those still toddler bellies! She's four, she's in kindy next year (!) but she totally still has that delicious bubby body where everything his chunky and yummy.


her hat is from an op shop that she refused to wear for about two years and as I was going to re-donate it back to lifeline she suddenly decided she wanted it! classic edison. her boots are from target!

You will need:
a men's button up shirt!
elastic (enough for the waist of the child you're making this for)
that's legit it

are you ready?

hey friends! i've been sewing for vin aka when did he get so TALL looking? He's finishing up grade two this year yikes (is this really the same kid?) my google account got deactived/frozen/SOMETHING for like two months there and it was the most frustrating thing but MASSIVE SHOUT OUTS to Luis from google who called me literally every morning for a week to help me sort out the mess and get me back online. There was no pics on my blog, i couldn't access my emails, i couldn't even access all my patterns which are stored on google drive (since i've gone through like five laptops in the last year) - it was hectic. Man I got so frustated on the phone and then i cried and then i apologised to him and i swear by the end of it i wanted to marry that beautiful man  ಥ‿ಥ  i was just so beyond grateful!

SO ANYWAY, about this rad outfit i sewed for Vin!



my pinterest board for boy style is such a big mix of stuff that's not necessarily or traditionally for boys. there's a mish mash of actual boy fashion, mens fashion, fun little details and probably stuff that is meant for females that will suit my boy just as well! I was enamoured by these button-up shirt and short sets, i have no idea what to even call them, two-pieces? It's been in my head for a really long time, and i've been fiddling around with drafting my own button-up shirt for vin from scratch so i thought i may as well do the two birds one stone thing and i'm stoked.

This is like the third shirt i've made from my pattern, it definitely still needs adjusting (specifically in the collar area where the shirt flips out a little under the actual collar? wow look at me and my technical terms) but i'm generally pretty stoked with it. i drafted a size four based on his measurements and then lengthened it to about a size six so it is legit a perfect fit.


yo can you even see the patch pocket there on the front??? take a closer look! it's there!

The fabric is upcycled from a doona cover! There's LOADS left and Eddie is super keen for some sort of dress to be made for her (although i'm really leaning toward tropical colours and plant prints for summer even though i have so much of this 90s geometric stuff that's also in my face and on my mind)



I used the small fry skinnies (yay!!) for the shorts. they're definitely my go-to for nice shorts that aren't just quick-sew-slip-on shorts you know? I feel the more i sew these the less intricate they seem (not that they are overly complicated i'm just super impatient with sewing and want things finished like five days ago).


He chose the button ^_^ I shortened the pattern a lot to make them quite short on this man's little leggies. Instead of belt loops i also put elastic in the waistband instead so they sit nice and snug without having to use a belt. The pattern-matching on this was SO FUN argh i'm such a nerd for it. I need like a hashtag or something for all the projects where i've had too much fun matching up stripes or plaids or w/e. I mean check out those pockets (even the coin pocket is a perfect stripe match!). I sewed them up with a half fly because the fabric is just a thin cotton and I didn't really think they'd be like the sturdy sort of shorts that would need a proper fly (does that make any sense at all or is that just me?) There's also pockets on the butt but i failed to get a nice clear photo of them! You can sort of see them in the photo below?






in case you were wondering, vincent has chosen to grow his hair! none of us (even him) know how long he wants to grow it, but after going three years consecutively of getting anxious if his hair wasn't slicked to the side perfectly it's refreshing for a change!

his hat is from pumpkin patch and his shoes are just from big w that i plan on painting and sewing patches too so keep an eye out for THOSE!

so i've been like out of the blogosphere loop for a few months now and i was wondering what blogs you guys read? what is keeping you inspired? any recommendations for me!!

hey guys!! I'm a little excited about this post because it's got some low key foreshadowing of this MASSIVE project I am challenging myself with. I haven't done any blogging about it because I want to just be able to post all about it after I've finished sewing all the things but it's pretty exciting to be doing something that i want to do and not for anything or anyone? Other than Vinnie of course because I will give you that it's all for him. He's my muse, my little model, my bestie.


ANYWAY oh my goodness enough rambling, right? TODAY I'm showing off a little something I sewed up for the One Thimble blog tour. They're on issue 12 now which is pretty rad and if you haven't got yourself an issue you really should be checking it out! Last issue I wrote an article about sewing for boys and did a tutorial for Vin's Zayn Jacket (you can still get back issues!).

I made Vin dawg the 'Oswald, Pond & Williams Bow Ties' by paraplu patterns - specifically the oswald! I've never sewn or tied a bow tie before, but the pattern was pretty straightforward and easy to follow. Of course I had to go complicate things and use thick white drill fabric since I wanted to ~design my own~ in a way. Not really. Vin's outfit is inspired by some pieces from this music video, one of my long time favourite K-pop idols G-Dragon and his song Crayon! (that's a huge hint to my project 8) ) GD wears a really rad Keith Haring bowtie (really, it's so rad), so it was immediately the thing I wanted to make! Using my fabric markers that I haven't touched since I made Vin a bat shirt for Project Run & Play (woah) I drew some funky dancing keith haring-inspired dudes. I was a little worried at first about the placement of the pattern on my fabric I drew on, because I wasn't sure what parts of the bow-tie would be the front and how it would be tied and all that (bow tie n00b here) but I cut one long piece and one short piece of the patterned fabric and it worked out a-ok!



Of course I couldn't get the hardware for bow ties anywhere where i live 8) story of my life, right? but you CAN get them online and on ebay and etsy and places like that. I made do with some weird hook thing and some bra strap sliders ;) You know what, it still totally works!


If you don't already have one, i highly recommend getting a dritz tube turner because turning skinny pieces of fabric the right way out was the WORST THING ABOUT SEWING EVER for me (worse than unpicking, okay) but I've had these rad tube turners (you get 3 different sizes) for a few years and they make it take like 0.3 seconds.

Vin adores his bow tie, and I love it too! There's three different bow tie styles that come with his pattern, the oswald (diamond point), pond (rounded club) or the williams (bug butterfly). The only part that was missing from the instructions was how to tie it! Fortunately there's tonnes of tutorials online, diagrams, videos etc (i'm a super visual learner) so I'm sure after a few practices I'd do a better job at tying this little fella. Vincent normally doesn't like things around his neck, but he really liked the bow tie (he also really likes G Dragon so i think that was pretty influential in him wanting to rock this).


This pattern comes with the latest issue of One Thimble!

Do you love his jumper? My mum (his oma!) knitted it for him especially for this *look*. She made it all up herself, no pattern, and although it took her like twenty goes to get the neckline big enough for his clever brain I absolutely LOVE it. So does he! He practically lives in his jumper. See the pattern on the front? Big V for Vin :B Thanks mum!

Yep! It's winter here and yep it's been bitterly cold and so at first I didn't think doing a swimsuit tour was a very good idea but I figured, what the heck, because how can you say no to this? Also the day I started sewing up this adorable little swimsuit set the sun has been out and the weather has been AMAZING! Shortest winter ever, thanks queensland!

Ajaire from Call Ajaire sent me an email to be part of the Summer Swimmear Tour 2016 showcasing swimsuits designed by herself (the classic maillot), the wolf & the tree (just keep swimming rashguard) and gracious threads (swim & surf shorts) with fabric sponsored by imagine gnats! Unfortunately being in australia means that shipping costs & time don't make it that easy for me so while i stared wistfully at the fabric i pulled up my big girl pants and made the executive decision to use one of the fabrics i already had in my stash (i said no to fabric)(i did it!)


I sewed up the Just Keep Swimming (formerly O Captain! My Captain!) Rashguard by the Wolf and the Tree! I chose the bikini length (it's the shortest length for the top but it skims eddie's ribcage so it's perfect!) with the long sleeves. I also did the pieced front but instead of any contrast panels I added some black stretchknit as a sort of piping between the seams.

The bottoms are the standard regular briefs, but they do come up to eddie's bellybutton when she wears them right (she prefers to have her tummy hanging out when she wears cropped tops so keeps pushing it down, lol).


 I absolutely adore the arty print on this fabric! Eddie has been the cropped rashie as a top for the two weeks? I always feel that's a huge win when it comes to handmade clothes for our kids, don't you think! So easily they can turn their noses up at our *vision* haha, but lately my kids are really into just the fun of it all - which is what fashion should be about! Also a huge factor with sewing for my children is COMFORT. Although vincent is quite happy to wear things too small for him, eddie will only wear things that feel good (or make her look good)


The pattern is pretty great! I've never put eddie in rashies when we went to the beach or anything, opting instead to slather her up in sunscreen but that was before this pattern where she'll actually be adorable and sun safe! The australian sun is brutal, you can get burned even on a cloudy day here (and I often get appalled at my american friends not putting their sunscreen on! it's ingrained into us as kids here ahah). Usually she wears little tankinis and bikini bottoms because i love seeing her adorable little toddler body (hold up, she's FOUR now. not a toddler!)


It's straightforward, the pieces all fit together perfectly and the instructions for the style I made didn't give me much trouble (which is good because I'm not the sort of sewist who reads instructions!). There's so many variations you can make with this pattern, including the top length, sleeve length, and also with the bottoms! You can make it lined too, but with the thickness of my fabric that wasn't something i needed to do!



There's sales and coupons and a giveaway to win patterns & fabric too, check out the info at the bottom of this post.


She wanted to hold hands with the palm tree 8)


thank you so much to my wonderful friend Amanda who delivered the inflatable pool toys for us to use as props! I was seriously doubting where to get blow-up palm trees from in our small town - in winter!

You should go check out my love Kat's post for the tour too. We chose the exact same pattern to sew up and she did THREE for her girls (also please click around her site a bit because she's just worked so hard giving it a huge makeover and branding it and it legit looks so freaking amazing. i'm in awe of her. she's incredible)

Knitted Socks Tutorial & Watercolour Backpack DIY

I'm such Zayn trash right now, it's almost a problem, regardless I really love this Betty Boop x Joyrich jacket he wore and I recreated it my own way. Denim jacket from the op shop with new sleeves and a bunch of patches I've been collecting to make Vin a patch jacket. I pulled out a denim shirt of Vincent's that he never wears, and explained to him what I was going to do with it, and the kid burst into tears because he didn't want me to cut up his shirt that he didn't even know existed. I couldn't stop giggling, the little guy is a pretty sensitive sweet little soul, even more so when he's tired. So i totally assured him that shirt would stay intact and I'll do it from a different jacket. A few days later he asked me about the jacket i wanted to make him again and we came to a compromise. He chose the fabric, helped me with the patches, and we nailed it!


That mickey mouse applique is a pillowcase I got for 50c at the Op-Shop about five years ago. Sometimes I keep stuff in my stash for too long and then turf it but i really, really wanted to do something with this!


Vin's shirt is a resize I made for the Boys Can Wear Pink series and his leggings are the super cute Wild & Free pants by Coffee & Thread that I sewed up for Pattern Revolution. Guys I made this outfit over a month ago and every weekend the little dude is wearing it. THAT is satisfaction. His shoes are dunlop volleys from target, and his hat was from milk n soda.


You can follow my pinterest board for boy's style inspiration below!

Follow Max California's board • boy style • on Pinterest.

(this post contains affiliate links!)

There's some really cute rompers out there to sew up these days, which is awesome but this year my absolute favourite has to be #110 from Thread Faction!  I sewed up the size 3 for Edison, although she measured a size 2 in this pattern (it's getting cold here and I wanted her to wear it more than just once!). I hacked up a shirt my sister had donated to me for repurposing and it fit sooo perf!


 This pattern is a dream to sew. Everything is straight forward and easy! Like, really easy. Liz' patterns are perfect for any beginner (through to advanced because look! so cute!) with the simple diagrams and easy-to-follow instructions. For reals, I have trouble sometimes following instructions in patterns? Like it's easier for me to grab the pieces, glanced at the illustrations, and then work it out or sew it together how I would do it (double-checking if there's a new technique I haven't attempted yet) because most of the time I just get so confused! I'm a very visual learner!


These babies though? It's got everything from how to cut your fabric properly to how to alter the pattern to fit your kid. The pattern doesn't even assume you know anything, it helps you with EVERY single part. Oh my gosh, I really really love it. I've got like four other patterns I'm sewing up from the same company and i'm legit excited over that! The designs are simple but stunning,


Edison absolutely loves this which is huge because for a year she was so averse to rompers. This one she was serious heart-eyes over and was kinda bummed we didn't take pics sooner of her in it because - the golden blogging child rule is that you can't wear anything until after the photoshoot! Hahha. She really wants to wear this to gymnastics, which is adorable. I'm going to have to make her a few more when Summer comes around!


I know it sounds like I'm raving over this pattern like a crazy person but I feel once you start sewing up a Thread Faction pattern yourself you will understand where I'm coming from? I hope you do anyway aha.


The flutter sleeves are unfinished, which make them nice and light, and the waistband is elasticated. Construction of this romper is so straightforward it's just so nice to have one of those patterns where you can sit down and sew and not feel like you need some physics degree to just get it all together.


There's a whole blog tour going down, so you should go check that out and see all the other things that my friends have been stitching up! My day isn't until tomorrow but I have other Thread Faction things to shooowwwwww you so come back tomorrow and the next day and the next day too, alright? alright. (There's a giveaway too okay so yeh, you better come back >:| ) Oh! And there's a competition too so like if you fancy yourself some free patterns and fabric go enter that too ;) You know. If you want to.


26/5 Nap Time Creations,  Miss Castelinhos, Swoodson Says, Needles to say

27/5 Made By Sara, Sew Not Perfect, Hello Holli, Whisk 'em

28/5 House of Estrela, Made By Amanda Rose, Max California, Brave Fabrics

29/5 Create 3.5, Bless by Tone, The College Seamstress

30/5 Ma Me Mi Mo, Paisley Roots,  Skirt Fixation

31/5 Sew Very, Rebel and Malice, Call Ajaire

1/6 Better Dressed Child, Buzzmills, Handmade Frenzy

2/6 Lamb and ewe crafts, All Things Beautiful, Pen, Seb & Rox



All the patterns are $8 each, but you can buy the entire collection for $28 (seven patterns!) and seriously? This is a really cute collection! There's two dresses, a tank, shorts, a romper, skorts (so cute!) and a really cute dolman sleeved cropped top. What I love about this collection is not only is it all knit, but it looks so comfortable and it's easy to sew. The style is simplistic and I love that so much. You could pretty much sew your little girl's entire summer wardrobe from this collection! The sizes run from size 2 to size 10, and I feel they're those patterns that you reach for instinctively when you want to sew something up quickly. Not to mention, if you're into t-shirt surgery like me, you can upcycle so many things with these patterns!