Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

If the title of the post isn't enough of a clue, perhaps this photo will seal the deal:

My husband agreed to let me share the gender as long as there was a firearm in the photo. Appropriate, perhaps -- one of the
first outfits our son will wear, along with the first pistol he's likely to shoot!

Our baby on the way is a boy!

We are so thrilled -- especially for Little Man, who was keen on having a brother. When we would ask what he thought the baby would be (long before we had any idea), he would always say "A boy, because I love baby boys." I'm so glad that, Lord willing, he'll have a male playmate relatively close to his own age. On a personal level, I had absolutely no preference, so I was guaranteed to be entirely satisfied regardless of the outcome!

And, of course, finding out the gender was a perfect excuse for more sewing. You may remember the little jacket above from this post -- the "gender neutral" jacket that turned out a bit masculine? Fortunately that won't be a problem. But there was quite a bit of the $1 thrifted Orvis shirt left, which meant that a pair of matching harem pants were in order. 

The pants pattern is self-drafted and very simple. Hopefully we'll find out in a few months if they fit (and what size they are -- I'm hoping for newborn, but I'm thinking 0-3 months is more likely). I used my last scraps of brown knit to bind the cuffs, a little patch pocket for the back, and the front drawstring.

But even after the pants, there was too much fabric left to just throw out. I used Zaaberry's baby hat pattern, adding a little argyle detail that I saw on Make It & Love It. I stitched about 3/8" from the edge (no serging), just to make it a tad smaller. I don't really use knit hats after the first few weeks/months, so I want to make sure it fits while it's still useful!

Those two little brown diamonds for the argyle pattern? They were cut from the very last fragment of brown knit!

It's so satisfying to have something else to tuck away for the baby, and so gratifying to use up every last bit of an upcycled garment. I'd say it's a happy ending, but I'm hoping for a happy beginning, instead.