Like Father, like Son! Jalie Men’s Tees & Tanks for My Favorite Boys

Hello friends! I’m really excited to share some of my newest sews today- not just because they’ll get alot of love from their recipients, but because they gave us such an awesome opportunity for family photos.

When folks ask me why I sew (usually after being shocked that I don’t sew to sell) I always answer with my top 3 goals for sewing:

1. Self care time. This comes first. There was a time when I sewed out of “obligation” to fabric or pattern companies, but it took the joy out of it. These days, I just sew because I love it, and it gets me out of my head
2. To make something useful! I love seeing my projects come to life on the people I sew for (which is usually just my family)
3. To get great family photos! You know that thing you want to do, but never do until you’re motivated to do it by an external force? Sewing to share often helps us get out there and take some photos that become precious memories. These kids are growing before my eyes, and I love capturing each stage with photography

Keeping those goals in mind, when I received some “sketchy trees” dri-release fabric from the current pre-order with Sew Dynamic Fabrics, I decided to make something for my favorite boys. All three of them! Stephen doesn’t usually get included due to fabric restrictions, but I decided to be the best fabric cutting ninja I could be, and see if I could dream up a project that would make a yard and a half last for all three!

I’m happy to report that it worked!

Fabric Details

This was my first time working with the dri-release base, and I was amazed by the drape and silkiness of the fabric. It weighs in at 215 gsm, and is made from recycled materials, containing 82% recycled polyester; 11% Tencel; 7% Elastine.

It feels like the rayon challis equivalent of a knit- perfect for tees, loose pants and the like, with moderate horizontal stretch and a bit of vertical stretch as well.

Although I received this fabric for free as part of my promotional agreement, I would certainly order it again- the colors are a bit muted, giving it an old-school look, and I think it would make lovely tops and dresses for summer, since it wicks sweat pretty well (this was easy to test in the south Florida humidity, lol!)

Pattern Details

I started with my TNT (tried and true) Jalie 2918 Men’s Tee pattern, cutting a size Z for Stephen, and an K for Oliver. I love the range of these patterns- if you look back on my blog, you can find posts going all the way back to some of the smallest sizes they offer.

Of course, this only left me with small scraps to go on for my medium sized guy, who wears an M in Jalie sizing (the edge of the men’s range! snif!)

I turned to the Ben Tank, which offers a great colorblocked view, and offered him the chance to design it, using some coordinating fabric from my stash. I think he nailed it- the tank can be divided into four sections, and I like the print in the top middle like he has it.

I finished the tank with binding, using the method in this blog post, and added a little handmade tag to the outside so it wouldn’t irritate his skin. He immediately requested several more of this style, so I know it’s a win!

The boys don’t usually love being captured in “cuddly” poses together, but they humored their mama for this one, and then we had a blast posing in different family groups.

Their little sister even snuck her way into a final photo, with me behind the camera. I wish we would have brought the tripod so we could have gotten all 5 of us in one shot, but we will remember for next time.

These photos were taken at the old Bahia Honda bridge in the Florida Keys- a place where we spent the majority of our “winter” and created many precious memories.

We were about to leave the keys for the spring when we took these pictures, and they will hold a special place in my heart, reminding me of the wonderful times we had there.

Family Photos!

So…sorry not sorry for the family photo dump here….

This guy is my cuddler! Always willing to step up and take the lead as the firstborn twin, he loves to lend a hand, is pretty darn athletic, and is starting to charm girls more than I’d like (it must be the hair!), but mama’s still his main squeeze.

This sweet boy is the second born twin, and knows for sure he wants to grow up to be a writer. Born with a quick wit and a little bit of a mischievous personality, he still enjoys curling up in mama’s lap for a good story when he’s done poking at his brother’s buttons for the day.

As my “firstborns” I have such a special bond with these two, and they have such a special bond together as twins. I’m thankful everyday for all the time I get to spend with them.

Everyone got a turn behind the camera….so we got a few photos of us as well! Sophia took this one- she was so proud! She wanted daddy to carry mommy “like a princess”….

My outfit is a RTW target tee, with a pair of Spark shorts (fabric is lightweight ABP from Bow Button Fabrics, who gets a shoutout for shipping faster than I’ve ever seen a company ship! 3 days from order to my door, in the middle of the ocean!) More on the Spark Tights coming soon, since I’ve finally perfected them!

For now, we are on our way up and out of Florida- but I’ll share more about our travel plans in a future post!

Do you have any plans for summer? If you’re going to be traveling or sewing this summer I’d love to hear more about your plans!

If you enjoyed this post, you can find all my sewing tutorials HERE on YouTube, or at the top of my blog under the “Sewing Tutorials” link (subscribe HERE). I received the fabric in this post for free (well, most of it) but the opinions are my own!