The Mud Puddle Splashers!

Good morning!  I know I said I was going to be back at naptime yesterday, but I got distracted by cookies — all-natural, gluten-free, coconut flour, chocolate chip pecan cookies.  Yum.  I need to tweak the recipe a little and then maybe I’ll share! Really, I got wrapped up packaging up a couple of wholesale orders and answering emails, and the afternoon got away from me, but I did bake cookies.  My kids needed some mama-time.

Back to the subject at hand!  The complete Mud Puddle Splashers pattern is done!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  It’s become my go-to for quick and simple basic pants and shorts for my two youngest boys.  I love that the little extras don’t take much time, but they make a huge difference in the finished look and the practicality of the pants.The side seam pockets are a huge hit with my little guys.  Pants are just not pants without pockets for your hands or your pennies.  (Remember, if you have a big enough piece of fabric, you can cut the pockets and the legs in one piece.  You’ll find instructions right here:  Naptime Mud Puddle Splashers.)The faux fly gives the look of a zipper without the fuss.  Little ones appreciate the ease of the elastic waist and big kids like the comfort. The back pockets are the perfect finishing touch.  I’ve said before that I think back pockets make the difference between a pair of pants looking not-quite-done verses properly-finished.  (My husband is actually the one who originally expressed that opinion to me when he asked me to be sure and add back pockets to our boys handmade bottoms.)And, the cuff!  Experienced moms know that kids tend to grow up faster than they grow out.  How many times have you looked at your child and thought how did those pants get so short so fast?  The optional cuff really extends the life of these pants so you get more wear-time for the work that you put into the sewing.  (I can certainly appreciate that!)I mentioned last week that I had plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the MPS to charities that benefit at-risk children.  I still absolutely want to do that.  I originally designed this pattern for charity, and I want it to continue to have that purpose.  I’m actually glad that I put off posting this introduction, though, because I needed to research the laws about businesses giving a portion of the profits of something to charity.  I’m still not sure if Florida has a specific law, but most states do, and I’m not big enough to pay an attorney to help me out with it.  So, for now, I’m going to have to remove that wording from the pattern listing and the paper-pattern cover.  I’ll just have to continue to look for other ways to give and encourage you to give!  (There are still two days left to sew bibs for the February Hopeful Threads Dinner for 2 project!)

I’ll wrap up this post with a little reminder of where this pattern got started!  If you want to read more about the project that we completed last July or where the Mud Puddle Splashers name originated, including why in the world I made mud puddles in the backyard and let my children jump in them, just click over to this post:  Boys Shorts Month at Hopeful Threads.You can find all of my patterns, including these three new ones, in my pattern store:  Fishsticks Designs.  The patterns are arranged in alphabetical order, and the new ones have a little white banner in the upper left-hand corner so they’re easier for you to find.