I bought my first sewing machine when my older boy was about a year old. I had been spending tons of money buying cloth diapers for him and I decided I'd rather make them. It didn't take long to realize I was going to spend more on fabric, but I was already hooked!

Eventually I ended up sewing all of his clothes, from boxers to jackets. And it was great to be able to dress him in fun bright colors -- colors the big manufacturers were not using for little boys' clothes. And he didn't even have to have a football or tractor or some other item that screamed "I am a boy!" on his shirt fronts before we even knew if he liked footballs or tractors. (Turned out that tractors were big in the toddler years, no footballs to date.)

Now I'm sewing more for younger boy and loving it just as much. And even though older boy currently thrills at the sight of a store-bought superhero tee, he still gets just as excited when I make him a new piece.