Sewing :: Special PJs

Last year at this time of the month I was frantically working away at my Christmas knitting gift list. I decided around August 08 that I would bring a host of hand knitted gifts to the present circle and my plan went okay. Very sore hands, very happy recipients.

This year, different story. Now that work and school for the boys is taking up a good amount of time, knitting has taken a bit of a back seat. And I decided early on to go very easy of myself in the Making category. As in, no plans, no worries. Gift giving has always been a very casual thing in our family so I know there will be no ruffled feathers.

The thing is, without putting pressure on myself to create, the desire to make has sprung forward again and again. This week I fished out Christmas flannel stored away from last year and felt a jolt of inspiration. The boys have a Christmas program scheduled for school and I read that they will be doing it in pajamas (how cute is that?). So, Christmas pajamas it is.


My plan has been kept pretty simple too. I decided to use the Heather Ross Kai shirt pattern for the top, just extending the arm length to make a long sleeve shirt.

And the pants will be the classic, fold and sew and go pattern I have used for the boys since these early incarnations.

It is not often that I sew the same pattern, but I find that each time I repeat a piece, the sewing gets easier and easier. My initially sewing of these shirts took awhile, at least a few weekends. This shirt was cut one night, sewn the next morning. It helps that all the steps fell into place logically and I remembered all the mistakes I had made on my first pass (like sewing the collar wrong three times. 3 Times!). So, shirt one is in, button less but that is okay. Owen has insisted that he pick out his buttons and I am going to let him. That is one shopping trip that I think I am going to really enjoy.


Mason will have the present pattern flannel (*scary note :: they looked at the print and called them presents. And so Christmas time begins). His is cut and waiting for the actual sewing. And if the flannel yardage accommodates, I might eek out a few pairs of pajama bottoms for Tim and I. I am actually contemplating having our Christmas picture feature a pajama clad family. Bed head would be excusable then, right?

And then there is a pile of these, plans for some sweet little girl things.

And the box bag pattern is rearing its (ugly) head. For some reason my sewing of these fairly simple bags was not smooth, it has been a long time and I must have had bad sewing mojo on that day.

I did these production style and that does not really gel with me, felt a little bit too sweat shop and a little less pleasurable crafting, you know?

The lack of any discernible list (or recipient, for that matter) seems to be firing up my desire to knit too. The booklet from Ysolda came in the mail and is full of sweet and quick little knits for all ages and then there are these gorgeous mitts knit by Jess at Fig and Plum, Rav pattern here. So, we will see.

We are headed over to my brother's tomorrow night for an early Thanksgiving dinner, then up to the Cabin for a long and quiet weekend with just the four of us. I am hoping for some down time and craft time and hike time and us time. And maybe some temperatures that dip lower than the high 70s. Enough with the unseasonable warm weather lately. I have some new almost done knits to wear.

And we seem to have bested the dreaded flu around these parts, so I am hoping for a sniffle free trip. Cross your fingers for us. It has been a rough one.

Have a super duper and awesomely Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!