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This awesome pencil print fabric from Snowy Owl Custom Fabric was just perfect for a family of makers! I knew we needed it the second I saw it! It is currently on preorder at Snowy Owl Custom Fabric and is available in cotton lycra and cotton woven. This is a border print fabric with the pencils at one side and the drawn “lines” extending all the way to the opposite end. I found the scale really great on this print. As you can see by cutting my pieces toward the middle, I was able to capture both the pencils and the drawn lines easily. There was plenty of border left on each side of my pattern that I could have easily gone up to the size 4T included in my pattern with the same effect or even larger children’s or adult clothing. I had one yard of the single border fabric to work with, but there is also a double border version if that suits your project better!
When I received this fabric, I knew I wanted to make a Jon Jon from it. My family is originally from the South, and Jon Jons are just a staple of many a southern boy’s wardrobe! I made my son, Noah, so many Jon Jons every summer until he was about 4! He loved how cool and easy they were to put on when he wanted to “dress himself”. I loved how nice he always looked! The Jon Jon is a very simple pattern and perfect for even beginners to sew!
However, when I went to look for my jon jon pattern I had purchased a month or two ago, I could not find it anywhere. I searched my pattern piles, in between fabric stacks and turned the studio upside down. The only thing I found was that I desperately need to reorganize my sewing studio! But… while hunting through the boxes I came across this book, “Applique Martha’s Favorites“. I could not believe I found not only the book, but that the pattern pieces were intact inside! This was the exact book/pattern I used to make Noah’s Jon Jon’s as a baby/toddler! I excited showed Son of the Maker (now 21!) and he looked at me and delivered an enthusiastic “Yeah, I’m not wearing that.” haha I was so excited to sew up my all time favorite Jon Jon pattern for Baby Kai! The book includes both a Jon Jon pattern and a jumper pattern as well as some simple appliques. I made so many Jon Jons and jumpers using this book for my kiddos. Thankfully, I had traced off the sizes I needed at the time so I had all of the pattern pieces inside! Yippie!
I don’t believe this book is in print any longer, however, it is available second hand from Amazon. And for less than I originally paid for it!
A great thing about the Jon Jon pattern is it can be made to be reversible! This is really awesome as you can just turn it inside out quick if your little one gets a stain on it while you’re out and about! However, we’ve always lived in very hot climates. Therefore, I rarely make them reversible. Instead, I make a simple facing for the bodice area so the rest of the jon jon is just one cool layer of cotton. I was able to cut my facing from the border scraps after cutting the fronts and backs. I usually add a facing that extends about 2″ under the arm for this size (size 1). I go a little longer for the sizes 2, 3 and 4.
When Noah was younger I always made his Jon Jons with buttons and button holes. Thanks to the genius Kam Snaps, however, I am now able to quickly add cute colorful snaps which I think are so adorable! I have a nice selection of them to choose from so it’s nice to not have to go on a hunt for buttons to match! Two snaps on each shoulder were perfect.
I’m sure there will be many more Jon Jon’s in Kai’s future for the next few summers!
Be sure to check out this current preorder at Snow Owl Custom Fabric for some really adorable fabric prints!
Visit their website to preorder this round here: Snowy Owl Custom Fabric
You can also visit their facebook group: here: Snowy Owl Customs Facebook Group
Butterfly, Heart, Star, Flower Snaps
