Hi! Rachel here today, this time with another installment of our series See It/Sew It/Share It. I’ve been looking around for fun boy inspiration since it seems like as the temps have cooled and the leaves have fallen, ready-to-wear boy styles have gone BORING. How many long sleeve tees can my little guy have? Blah. This dude is closing in on 3 and a half, and he’s anything but boring these days. He’s got quite the personality, and despite his desire to wear nothing but jammies all day he’s really starting to develop a fun style all his own.

I love some of the chambray shirts that I’ve seen in the stores, and I really love that chambray has made its way into fall styles (and not just spring/summer) since it’s got such a nice, soft feel and is easy to wear. I decided that a print chambray oxford was the way to go, and Diana from Raspberry Creek Fabric generously sent this awesome Aztec-inspired Kaufman chambray from her shop. The quality of this fabric is just fantastic! It washed and ironed sooo nicely, and was a dream to sew. I used the Classic Oxford from Peek-a-Boo Patterns, which is a standby for me. It’s not a simple sew since there are a number of steps involved (especially if you’re adding the long sleeves and cuffs - my first Oxfords were all short sleeves and that saved a bit of time) but the instructions are clear and easy to follow; the finished product both fits well and looks great. I used a heavier interfacing on the collar and cuffs to give them a little more body, and I decided to indulge my pearl snap obsession instead of sewing a zillion tiny buttonholes. (I love the snaps from Snap Source and don’t mind hammering them in. It’s a great frustration-buster!)

My stylish guy loved the finished shirt, and couldn’t wait to show it off. He’ll be wearing it to his grandpa’s retirement dinner in a couple of weeks, too. I love that this style can be dressed up or down. Raspberry Creek has a red chambray in the shop also that would be fantastic for the holidays! Diana, the owner of RCF, is known for stocking an awesome assortment of french terry and other cozy knits (she has great prices on Art Gallery knits, too!), but make sure to check out the stash of wovens that she’s got listed. I used her fabrics for the Daphne skirt that I made for my daughter a few weeks ago (paired with the Ruby a-line top in the PR post), and the kids looked great for some fall pics together.

There’s a huge sale starting at Raspberry Creek later this week, so it’s a great time to stock up. Diana’s running her Thanksgiving sale early so we can all enjoy the holiday without worrying about missing the sale. The RCF group on Facebook is growing by leaps and bounds, too, so make sure to check it out for lots of great inspiration - you’ll find the codes for the sale over there, so don’t wait and join now!

Hope you all have holidays that are filled with love, laughter, and family.

Until next time,

Rachel