Meet Ben 10

In this house, because you are 4 and you think your mom can sew anything, you are obviously entitled to a custom made "Ben 10" jacket. I finally finished it last week. It was definitely a challenge, and of course I love a sewing challenge, but this one was a little over the top.
I was originally going to sew a quick fleece jacket but because there was no fleece to be found that was the right color, I settled on denim, which meant a collar, cuffs, and band around the bottom.
It's perfect!! I love the way it turned out. So here's a quick overview on how I went about making it. I generally am not fond of patterns because the directions are confusing and I'm usually disappointed with the fit of the finished product. So I used a jacket of his and made the pattern from it. I sewed up a trial version out of the lining material to make sure I got it right, then unpicked it an used it as a pattern for the real deal. I just made a massive version of bias tape (except not cut on the bias) and used it to bind all the raw edges and it worked. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. I had a few mishaps with the separating zipper being too long, and that I sewed the sleeves on before I put the white stripes on, etc. I learned a few things too, like...always buy extra fabric, even though you may think you have enough...and...probably when you are attempting a Jacket, it might save some time to use a pattern. Anyway, Jack loves it and that's all that counts. I love sewing for my kids.

I've not been blogging much because I'm getting ready for a craft fair next weekend and I've been trying to crank out purses to sell. Stay tuned and I'll show you what I've got so far.

10 comments:

  1. cute jacket! glad you wrote who it is from i thought speed racer--- we are not in to the Ben 10 guy here- so i didnt recog. it.
    so cute! now that you can make jackets you can move north :) but i dont reccomend that :)
    good luck preparing for the fair! Enjoy Spring Break!!!

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  2. Sarah, I love it!
    I've only watched Ben 10 a little bit, but this looks spot-on, and I can imagine how thrilled Jack must be!

    I've been meaning to ask you - what craft and/or sewing blogs do you follow?? I'd like to broaden my horizons a bit. :)

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  3. You've got mad skills Sarah!!! The Ben 10 jacket looks totally tough.

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  4. Where did you get the number 10 for the jacket

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  5. I made it. I ironed on the 10 with heat'n bond onto a circle backed with
    heat'n bond. Then did a tight zig zag, or satin stich, around it to make it look like a professional patch. I can give you better instructions if you leave me a comment with your email address.

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  6. I do a weekly blog feature each week. I'd love to share this and the rest of your blog next week. Would it be okay to post the picture?

    http://boyohboyohboycrafts.blogspot.com

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  7. I love this jacket. My grandson is really into Ben 10 just like your son. I got green denim, looks to be the same exact denim you used. I couldn't remember what color of zipper you used, as I saw another jacket w/white but I got a forest green. I think I'm going exchange it for a black one. I got Burda Kids #9535 pattern. I'm going to line the jacket in black and give it to my grandon for his birthday. I made him the white shirt w/black stripe for Halloween 2 years ago. It turned out really cute.

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  8. Hi - I was wondering what material you used for the grey striping. did you heat n bond that as well?
    thanks- it looks great!

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  9. Dear Fairy Bloom Tutus. Thanks for the nice comment!! To answer your question...I made the white stripes using a heavy white fabric. It seemed to be about the same weight as the denim. Any white fabric will do, as long as it is not see through. Yes, I used sewable Heat n' Bond to back the stripes as well, and then zig zagged the edges.

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  10. Hello Sarah,

    I am planning a Ben 10 birthday party for my son in 2 weeks time and are frantically searching for a Ben 10 jacket. Can you make one for me and Fedex? If you can and are willing to please contact me via e-mail at sbeepan@hotmail.com I will be grateful.

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