Celebrate the BOY Wrapup!

I always hate saying Celebrate the BOY is over because well, it’s not.  I’ll still be sewing for my boy! just not at such an accelerated speed.  Because, boy oh boy, two weeks of non-stop sewing and posting was killer this time.  Maybe it has something to do with having a baby at home now.  Hmm.  Are you needing some Clara air-time?  Me too.

But CTB is one of my favorites because:
A) I get to collaborate with Rae, who is uber creative, totally fun, and very easy to work with (can you believe we’ve still never met in person??)
B) It pushes me to get projects done and try new things.
C)  At the end of the day when I smash it all together, I’ve got a great start on his summer wardrobe.  Woohoo!

Thanks for Celebrating along with us by adding your pics to the CTB Flickr group.  And please continue to do-so throughout the year!  We like to peek-in and see what you guys are doing.

And we’d love your feedback on ways to make our BOY series better.  We’re talking about making it only a week long, maybe twice a year…..so maybe another week in the Fall?
Do you wish we had guests to go along?  Or did you enjoy a MADE/Made by Rae project party?
Do you wish there were more roundups?  Do you wish we had giveaways?
In our minds we kept it simple and focused on sewing and dressing our boys.  But we’re open to new ideas!

Okay till the next big BOY party, find the complete archives HERE (I’ve added new buttons).
You’ll find Rae’s wrapup post HERE and her archives HERE.
And to find my recent projects just click a button below:

    

Let’s hear it for the Boy!

  1. Fabulous series as usual! I loved all the ideas– especially the tee shirts!

  2. I think I’ve said this before, but this series was a huge deal to me when I first started to sew for my son. Great job, as usual. Whatever format it takes in the future, I’ll be eagerly following along.

  3. 3) Julie R.

    I loved the series! Thanks for the time and effort you put into it! I like the idea of having it be one week, two times a year. For me, at least, there are 4 seasons and different clothes and accessories for each of them. I like having guests post, but it’s still wonderful with just you and Rae, because you are both so incredibly creative. Thanks again for doing this series!

  4. great job you guys! you amaze me!

  5. Thank you for CTB and for all your hard work! I loved having both you and Raes ideas/posts! Maybe if you do it again you could get other bloggers to share ideas on their blogs too and link but not necessarily guests on your blog?

  6. 6) Karin

    I like the guest posts too. I also like when you do non-clothing items – I think there were some wallets last time? I have three boys though, so any sort of project for them is appreciated!

  7. I heart CTB! You guys did a superb job!

  8. Fantastic “Celebrate the boy”, love all boy clothes and thanks for sharing with us!

  9. Although I don’t have children of my own and only one 15 year old niece, I just wanted to say that I think it is so awesome to see what you and others you’ve collaborated with have done for your bloggers that you have inspired. I know it is a lot of work, and you blessed so many with that work. And it seems that are a lot more ideas out there for girls over boys. So it is such a valuable topic to revisit. I also enjoy reading the posts and seeing the photos. Maybe my sister will have a baby boy in a few years and then I can come back to these posts. 🙂
    I pray that God continues to bless you with a successful blog and a happy healthy family.
    Melissa

  10. I love CTB! Twice a year would be great and I actually preferred it with just you and Rae this year.

  11. 11) Sherri

    I don’t have boys but I really enjoyed the series.

  12. 12) Jackie

    I enjoyed it. I liked the simplicity of it as well, just you and Rae. Maybe a couple of guests posts would work as well, to share the love and all, and expose us to some new ideas as well. Maybe you can switch it up so that every other summer/fall one season will be simple and the other will have guests posts, then switch the next go round. I like giveaways, but maybe not during the special series, there’s already so much going on. I love it when you have giveaway week….fun, fun,fun.

  13. Bravo Dana, it was fab, really enjoyable. Take a breath now!

  14. Forgot to say…. Yes twice a year, PLEASE! Loved the collaboration between you and Rae, your ideas work well together(you’ve got to meet) don’t feel the need for giveaways, think you and Rae give us way enough!

  15. 15) k

    I absolutely LOVE Celebrate the Boy!! Thank you so much for it. For me it is all about the projects. i like hearing from you the best, but I would certainly understand if you needed to bring in guests (that three kids thing does keep one busy; I don’t know how you do it). My ideal CTB would have no roundups, no giveaways, just those very SPLENDID projects. Thanks again!

  16. I think you and Rae did a wonderful job. This was my first CTB (funny to think I hadn’t even discovered sewing when you did the last one!) and it was great. I tried sewing and posting along, and only made it through one week — so I can truly appreciate how much work you two put into CTB. I think one week would be good — or maybe start on a Wed, Thurs or Fri and then continue through the next week (just my preference, having a weekend to try out all that I’m seeing on the blogs and then add to the pool is so helpful). I also think it was great to have a new pattern release prior to CTB to help with inspiration — the flip vest worked so well for me in that regard! Personally, I don’t think guest posts are necessary. I feel like you and Rae have really inspired most of my boy sewing, so I really appreciated all the boy-dedicated guidance from you two during CTB. Although, that being said, I like when other bloggers take on the same project/pattern and then you link to their corresponding posts (for ex., when you highlighted your vest pattern testers, etc.). Okay, enough — I’ll stop typing! 🙂 Seriously, though — thank you for CTB!!

  17. 17) country quilter

    U have unique ideas that enhances boy’s outfits. It is so nice to see creative plays with fabrics and designs rather then the same ole same you find in the stores. My grandson is three and he loves to wear soft pants around the house so I make him nice pants to sleep in and then wear the next day as his outfit. He hates to get dressed in the morning.

  18. 18) sorahart

    I really enjoyed your format this time. No overload, just lots of basic, do-able ideas that gave me a lot of inspiration. Fun stuff! I truly appreciate your hard work as it’s given me renewed motivation to sew for my little guy. Thank you!

  19. 19) Heather

    Looooved it!! You guys are awesome and i always love seeing all your creative posts so thank you for sharing! 🙂 love the way it was set up this time..no giveaways..no extra do-dads just good old sewing..thanks again!

  20. I thought the format was great this time as many others have said. I find it amazing that you and Rae haven’t met because you seem to work together so well. I don’t think you need giveways and round ups are fun but really I just liked it being the two of you with really practical ideas that make me want to sew for my little guy! Thank you both!

  21. I have added to my spring/summer list for O: piped pockets on shorts; muscle tee (he’ll LOVE that one); those pintucked pants that I cannot get out of my head! Also: not possible that you and Rae have never met. We will have to remedy that–soon! Too bad you can’t make it to Portland in May–we could all hang out!

  22. I love celebrate the boy and I’m not sure how you could make it better. Giveaways are always fun but sometimes they distract from the main focus: inspiration for all things boy. When it comes right down to it, I’m looking for basic patterns that I can dress up to my liking. Thanks for that!

  23. Thank you for this series! I have loved it. I wouldn’t change anything. When you add on giveaways and so forth the all-important tutorials get lost in the mix.

  24. 24) Ashley

    I loved the simplicity of just you and Rae as others have said. You guys did an amazing job! I love this series! I love the participate and link-to-your-blog idea. I saw many participating. Maybe once a month a guest post for a quick-fix celebrate the boy?? It’s all boy over here! Thanks for doing this!! 🙂

  25. 25) Rachel

    I love the series every year but this year’s version was my favorite! I really like having projects from you & Rae. I like new patterns & tutorials best (no surprise), a few roundups are enjoyable & I thought this year’s quantity was good. I would love to see Celebrate the Boy as a semi-annual 1 week event.

  26. 26) Angie Lynn

    Dana,
    I am always in awe of your productivity and constant flow of ideas. It just keeps getting better and better on your site. Personally, I enjoy it when just you and Rae post on the CTB series; I just love your styles! However, I’m sure it’s nice for you two to have guest posts to give you a little break.

    Also, I can’t resist adding that I am holding my breath, just waiting for a little update/preview of your next book. I am sooooo excited for that.

  27. Hurray for CTB! Thank you Dana and Rae for your efforts towards promoting boys clothes. And for ‘having me’.

  28. I only found this site today and haven’t dug through much of the archives, but I know I’ll be making good use of it as my 19-month old son grows ever bigger! I’m hoping you’ll continue this as an annual or semi-annual event!

  29. 29) byrney

    I love ctb…I have 2! I love having guest posts because I get to discover new bloggers 🙂 twice a year would be fab….thankyou…it must take s lot of effort.

  30. Thank you for bringing it back. It was great. I enjoyed that it was two of you creating. It felt cohesive. I also really enjoyed looking at what other people did and found new awesome blogs to follow. I also liked that you featured so many other blogs. To sum it up, it was great and I wouldn’t change a thing.:)

  31. 31) Sarah K.

    Loved it again! I found you during that first CTB when my son was a wee newborn, right out of the hospital. The month was awesome, but I can totally see how that would be wildly overwhelming. I like the idea mentioned a few times of the different seasons thing (do seasons exist in Texas though?!). I also like the way that the tutorials built off of each other or were otherwise related (like the super duper pants session last year!). It helps me think that I can take on three projects that feel different, but won’t overwhelm me. I can’t wait to try out the tees and some super duper piping soon! Thanks again!

  32. 32) TPL

    Love the CTB series. Always have.

    I like the idea of guest posts. Would give you a breather and we’ll see more ideas here. Yes to roundups and no to giveaways.

  33. 33) Lis

    I like the idea of having Celebrate the Boy twice a year. Perhaps have one guest post and one givewaway during each week? (I’ll bet it would be a lot easier on you both to only prep one week per season rather than two weeks at a time!) I love both your site, and Rae’s – they are my go-to sites when I’m stuck creatively, or with a technique. However, you both have a knack for finding amazing guest bloggers, too! (I wouldn’t say I’m lazy for only reading your blogs, I just don’t actively go looking for change since there are a lot of poor blogs out there. I just don’t have the time to search for hours and find the good ones!)

    Things I’ve made from your blog specifically for boys: frontier vest and pirate costume, hobo sack.
    Things I’ve made from guest blogs specifically for boys: monster faces pillow, superhero cape, and bow ties (*loved this!! we had a tea party birthday party, and all the boys wore plain black ‘frontier’ vests, and fun-print bowties for this formal dress-up occasion.)

    The only boy I sew for lives several states away, so measuring for clothes is really tough. I loved a previous suggestion of having some non-clothing tutorials during CtB. Actually, a guest blogger in a past CtB did a leather cuff – I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m so excited to have an idea like that in my arsenal for when he’s a teen. 🙂

    Thanks for letting us put in our 2 cents for next year. I’m sure whatever you determine will be great!

  34. 34) lee ann

    Wanted to say Thanks for all the great boy sewing inspiration. Now I don’t feel like there is nothing to sew for my two boys!

  35. I loved it when you did the mini Boys of Summer one, so maybe bi-annual festivities would be fantastic. This is the first series I ever heard about when I was first blogging & sewing, and the first one that got me excited about boy stuff.

    Whatever you do, you do it right though 🙂

  36. 36) Beth

    I like the idea of doing two rounds that are each a week long rather than the single two-week stretch. That way we can get two seasons of clothing and ideas rather than just one!

  37. 37) Paige W

    I too love CTB and have 3 boys. I think 2 (or more!) series a year would always be welcome, love it as you and Rae, and it would be cool if you posted on just one day a week for a month- such as each of the 5 Fridays in March and then we would have a whole week to possibly make the project while awaiting the next one. Or 2 days a week?! Maybe some people wouldn’t like it to go on that long, or you’d feel like it consumed your whole month. Which would be bad. You guys do such a good job, and I love seeing boy things.

  38. 38) Petra

    Loved the CTB series. We don’t realise how much effort you must put in to this behind-the-scenes, so thank you for that, you have inspired me!

  39. Your creativity amazes me. So does your stamina. You did such a fantastic on all of the boy stuff. Sooooo cute.

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