Summer PJs, just in time for cooler weather....

Yeah, I know, this is totally lame. But my boys needed summer jammies, and I was trying to use stuff from stash. So last May, I cut these out right after making the "Planets" jammies. I went through my stash for short lengths of flannel, and I chose this for Thing 2, with the shirt from leftovers of the planets shirts. I think I'd had this remnant in my stash for two years or more....The shirt is T3, with 2 inches added in length, and the shorts are T4, both from KS SFT. These were actually finished back in June and have been in use since. For Thing 1, I chose this pirate ship flannel that I love, and a coordinating black interlock. The shirt is size S from KS 3043, and the shorts are size S from KS SFC. These were finally finished last night, just in time for a movie night....

Both have appliques on the shirt to tie the shirt in to the shorts. I like them that way, and so do my boys. (This way, it'll also be more clear to the husband that a shirt is a PJ shirt, should he ever help fold the laundry....)

Catching up

Haven't been sewing much lately - my mojo seems to be slacking, and my work load has heated up. I do have some things in the works. Several scrub shirts, a scrub jacket, two fleece blankets - I just need time and inclination to finish them. Unfortunately, while I have tons of time on my hands this weekend, I'm the show vet at a horse show and can't leave the grounds. And there's nowhere to bring my sewing machine. Oh, well...

But I did finish these jogging suits, though I forgot to post pictures. I ended up putting red snaps on one and blue snaps on the other. I think they turned out very well. The first one was sent out as the baby present, and the mom seemed to really like it.

The Black Serger Queue

I'm getting there slowly but surely in the queue of "things needing black serger thread." First up, two finished Christmas presents! These are PJ pants (KS SFT size T2) for the children of two coworkers. And let me just say, it feels good to have a few things already done for Christmas. :) Then two pairs of knit pants (KS 2275 size 5 and KS SFT size T3) apiece for Things 1&2. I've had the fireman fleece forever, and each year I've been making at least one pair of pants or shirt from it. Yet there is still plenty for next year and probably the year after! (And there's an upcoming sweatshirt from it for Thing 2.) The other knit is a strange animal symbols on grey. It was a $1/yd purchase from WM a few years ago. It's not terribly soft or warm, but it works well, especially as a backup item in a locker or cubby.

I'm still working my way through the Queue. There are three pairs of adult PJ pants that are almost done (and all Christmas/birthday presents!), plus 5 pairs of Thing pants which are about half-way done. Hopefully I'll be updating this post later today with finished pics. :)

Updates

First, the doll blanket was finished in time (late the night before!) and was apparently a smashing success. Yippee! I stitched the binding to the front and then handsewed it down while watching CSI Miami late on Friday night, but that meant that I didn't have to rush Saturday morning before the party. DH even thought it looked nice - for a little girl - and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't make the binding wider. He was thinking that the pink binding was going to be very "in your face" and definitely be something only a little girl could appreciate. I was just hoping that she'd like it, and according to Thing 1, she did. :)

And, I finished The Shirt#2 barely in time to slip it into DH's travel bag. In fact, I'd say that it was finished about three hours before he left town. Unfortunately, it was no longer a surprise by then, because he had come in to ask me what in the world I was working on. :( Oh, well....he was still surprised that I was doing it.

So hopefully he liked wearing it in Hawaii!

Blanket and a shirt

I finally used some of my precious Cat in the Hat fleece to make myself a new blanket! I've had this fleece for several years - probably 5 - and I haven't done anything with it. I made sure that there was enough left to still make myself a lounge shirt. But this is backed and bound with black fleece. It's two yards long - nice and toasty.
"The Shirt" is finally finished! Hooray! I used my new french curve to help me take out excess width through the rib cage and abdomen, tapering back out a little near the bottom. I also took two inches off the bottom of the shirt and another 3/4 inch off the sleeves. These changes were made on my pattern pieces, so now I'm ready to go on the next one once I get fabric. :) (This is KS 2935.)

Think I'm done with shorts now....

I finished these shorts at the end of July but forgot to post a picture. These were the "blue" set - and two of the three fabrics were from stash of at least one year - yippee! The Cars print was purchased early last year, and there should be enough left for a pair of pants, I think. And the beach print was purchased before I left Mississippi, so it was 2006 at the latest. I don't think there's enough left for pants, but definitely one or more pairs of shorts. The Batman print was a remnant I picked up at HF recently - there was just enough for the shorts. These are all size S for Thing 1.

These are the shorts I finished this weekend. I found the soccer plaid at HF - Thing 1 picked it, but both Things liked it. And the construction trucks was a remnant that apparently I never logged into my spreadsheet, so I have no idea when I bought it. I really like it, though! Both Things wore their new soccer plaid shorts to the town's anniversary celebration last night, and Thing 1 wore his new trucks shorts today. The two bigger ones are size S for Thing 1, and again the smaller pair are size T3 for Thing 2.

The pockets are the first contrast color that I've used. I bought several colors of thin cotton broadcloth, on sale last week at HF for $1.99/yd. (I got more today at JAF for $1.66/yd, since I liked it so much!)

And I finally made more scrub hats! I've had these fabrics in my stash for months, waiting on time/inclination to make these. The Beatles prints are both a size M, for a friend who loves the Beatles (she got the Beatles pillowcase I made awhile back), and the cow and pig prints are a size L for me. These are from M4116.

So now I'm working on my fleece Cat in the Hat blanket while I wait for the french curve to arrive so that I can finish The Shirt. I had spray-basted the layers together several weeks or more ago, but I'd gotten stuck on the fleece binding, as I'd run out of premade binding. So last night I pinned black binding strips together and sewed them, and today I pinned the binding to the blanket. I still need to stitch it down. That will also help my yardage stats!

Moving up in sizes...

Thing 2 is already starting to outgrow his new knit PJs. There's still definitely plenty of wear in them, but the shirts are starting to look a little short. Since I've got all this time on my hands right now, I cut out another pair in size T3. This knit was a recent impulse buy, when juvenile knit prints were 60% off at JAF. I've got enough left for a pair of baby pants, I think. It would make a great baby gift - there are several babies due at church soon.
I also cut out four raglan shirts for Thing 2 - he needs some solid colored shirts to go with the print shorts. I thought it would be fun to mix up the sleeves to make them a little different. I was initially going to put sleeve bands on them, so two of the shirts have neckbands the same color as the bodies - the bands would have matched the neckbands. Then I didn't like the sleeve bands and took them off. So on the other two shirts, the neckbands match the sleeves. I like that look better. These are size T3 as well - we'll see how well they fit.

Slow sewing....

I'm trying to sew, but it's difficult to do so one-handed. :( I severed a nerve in my left hand and had surgery to reattach it. This makes it difficult to sew. I have managed to cut out four solid-colored raglan shirts for Thing 2, and I switched sleeves around so that all the shirts are different. And I cut out another pair of knit PJs for Thing 2, this time in size T3, as his T2 PJ shirts are starting to get a little short. So we'll see how much too big the size T3 will be.

I am also working on The Shirt again. Buttons and buttonholes were put on yesterday, and we pinned up the hem and pinned out some excess width. Now to hem the sleeves a bit higher and baste out the width for another try-on.

More sewing....

Yep, more shorts! The green twill was in my stash since last year - I think it was supposed to be pants. And I found the bug print - a very sturdy cotton! - in the remnant bin at HF. So Thing 1 got shorts from both, and Thing 2 also got bug shorts.

Thing 1 still wets the bed at night, so I bought the New Conceptions Sleep Dry Briefs pattern awhile back to try. I had this half-sewn for months and finally finished it. The pieces looked enormous until I sewed it all together and got the elastic in, but it really does fit okay. We've had one trial, which was unsuccessful - I'm not sure if I need more padding or to tweak the fit. But I will perservere! And I'm thinking of also getting the training pants pattern for Thing 2.

I put the buttonholes into the muslin shirt for DH and topstitched the facings down. Now I need to sew in the buttons and try it on him again to make the adjustments to take in the sides and take up the hem. Then I can adjust my pattern and cut out one of the "real" shirts.

Pictures!

First, the knit PJs:
These two pair are for Thing 2. The long pant version was due to retail therapy one day. :) I saw the print on sale and decided that buying it would make my day better! The shorts version was a remnant that I couldn't pass up, and there was just enough to cut the shirt and shorts. He loves them! (KS SFT size 2T for both pieces)

This pair is for Thing 1, and the fabric has been in my stash for at least three years. There is a second pair as well, but apparently I haven't yet taken a picture. I'll have to do that at some point. It's really cute, too. (KS 2775 size 5 for the pants, KS 3043 size S for the shirt)

Probably the last pair of summer-weight pants for the boys. We'll see if I find any really cute fabric anywhere else! I just couldn't pass this up, with all those bright fish - and especially on sale at $1.99/yard! (KS 3042 size XS and KS SFT size 2T)

Thing 2 just turned three, and these are his birthday shorts! He really doesn't need more clothes, but I knew that he'd love them (especially since Thing 1 is getting some - see below!). The fabric was a remnant I picked up last year, and it was perfect for this. Because last year's 2T shorts are getting a little small, I made a size 3T, which is perfect, plus a little growing room. And he's thrilled that the pocket openings are big enough to get his hands through. :) (KS SFT size 3T)

Thing 1 is in dire need of new shorts. He's been growing like a weed, but he's still skinny enough to wear his 4T shorts from two years ago, as well as last year's XS ones. However, the length is getting a bit skimpy, shall we say? So this is the first pair of size S shorts, to test the fit. Once he tries them on tomorrow, I'll cut out bunches more and start eliminating the 4T shorts from the drawer. :) He is obsessed with Cars, so this will be great. I found the pattern as a remnant last year. (KS SFC size S)

Continued progress...

First, the finished PJs for Thing 1! This is KS 3042, and I made the short-sleeved shirt, the shorts, and the pants. That will make this PJ set more versatile for summer and fall. I don't think I can even hope that it will still fit in the spring! Still, that's 2.5 yards out from long-term stash! Yippee! Here is the shirt at its current stage. DH was able to try it on, though it will be more helpful when I add buttons and buttonholes to hold the facings in place. I will likely hem the sleeves as directed (1 inch, I believe), but he wants the shirt as a whole to be shorter, as he does not plan to wear this design tucked in. So we'll have to determine the length after the rest is done. Also, I need to take it in a bit at the sides and determine optimal alterations to the pattern. But then he wants to pick out some solid colors for the next ones!

All in all, I'd say that is success. I did feel the need for some instant gratification, so I cut two new pair of knit PJs for Thing 1 (both long-term stash as well!), and I already had two new pairs for Thing 2 cut as well. I spent this evening folding laundry, but tomorrow, I'll rethread the serger and begin stitching those, along with continuing to work on The Shirt.

Progress update....

So I'm diligently working on a shirt for DH (which was promised to him three years ago - oops!) from KS 2935. And Thursday night, I got as far as needing to attach the collar before I went to bed. Friday night, I was ready to attach the collar, when I realized that I'd sewn the wrong edges of the collar together the night before. Aargh! At least I still had enough to recut the collar pieces. Now I'm waiting for my iron to heat up to press the collar and get back to it.

I'm also finally sewing up PJs for Thing 1 from KS 3042. I've used it for the pants before, but this is the first time with the shirt or shorts. I have some flannel from JAF on a Black Friday (2007, I think) which is being used for shirt, shorts, and pants. This has been cut and in the queue for months, so I hope that the pants are still long enough!

Hopefully there will be pictures later today or tomorrow!

Moving right along....

On the road to stash reduction and increase in useful items! First up actually isn't stash - I bought the seersucker print on sale at JAF a month ago, I think. My boys love the pirate seersucker pants I made them last year, so I figured that another pair was in order for this summer. And then this one truly is stash! I had the shirt and fabric last year, intending to make a summer PJ set for my SIL's birthday, and it just didn't happen. This year, I was determined. I'm a few days late, but I'm sure she'll be okay with that. She likes to wear her boxers low on her hips, so I modified the size S of S9958 to have it hit where she likes them. It saves on fabric, too! (Not that I need any fabric savings with stash reduction plans, of course.)

Some finished items....

So I've been watching a lot of movies or TV shows on DVD, which means crocheting time, right? Three more double-layer potholders are done, and more are in the works. In fact, I've got an hour-long commute tomorrow, so I bought more skeins of cotton yarn to take along. :)

And I finally finished the last pair of knit pants. (They are actually navy - the flash went off strangely.) They've been sitting around for at least a month, waiting on hems and waist elastic. Oh, well....Thing 2 is still asking for pants some days, so they'll be worn. These are my typical KS SFT pattern. This size was T1, lengthened by 0.5-1 inch, I think.

Then it was time to get serious about summer PJs for the Things. They like to wear sleepers year-round, but they'll also wear short-sleeved shirt/long pants PJ sets. So I pulled out some stash (Yay! Stash reduction!) and traced some new pattern sizes. Thing 1 got pants from KS 2275, size 5, and I added the leg cuffs at his request. They are now plenty long, though I think they'd have been okay for awhile without the cuffs. The shirt is from KS 3043, size S (the last time I tried this, I learned that size XS was just a bit too small).

Thing 2's new PJs were of course from KS SFT. However, I traced off size T2 in both shirt and pants - the first time I've moved him up to that (despite the fact that he's about to turn 3). The pants are plenty long enough to take him through a bit of a growth spurt, and the shirt will fit for awhile. I'll even use size T2 to make him a "regular" shirt soon - but probably not too many of them.

The monster interlock is from JAF, purchased when it was on clearance a few years ago, I think. It was definitely time to use some! And the ribbing was from Hancocks, I believe. I prewashed the interlock but not the ribbing. They are wearing their new jammies tonight and seem very excited about them! Guess I'll have to make some more, now that I'm sure of sizing. ;)

Still chugging along....

Here's my most recent output. Broken finger is still annoying, but over the last week or so, I managed to sew up five pair of knit pants for Thing 2, who had very little to wear once the weather turned cool. I have four pair pictured, but I made two of the firetruck sweatpants, mainly because I had an "oops!" moment while cutting and started off cutting two pieces facing the same way. That wasn't going to work, so I then cut two more going the other way (I have TONS of this fabric - I bought 15 yards on eBay a few years ago) and just made two! I'll keep one pair at daycare as the emergency back-up pants.

There are two more pairs cut out already - a navy blue and a brown - plus there's still the fabric from my retail therapy last month. That, plus a couple of pairs of woven pants, should take him through the winter, I would think. But I do foresee some knit PJs for Christmas. :) I have some knit train fabric that he'll love!

Slow sewing

Yep, the broken finger is still slowing me down. :( Oh, well...it's not the end of the world. I followed up the amazing success of the Jeff Gordon nursing pads (wow, that sounds creepy!) with another set of 4 pairs, this time totally in tasteful white. This is a gift for a first-time mom whose baby shower is coming up in just a couple of days. Hopefully I'll make it there to give these to her!

I also finished the second pair of Halloween pants last night, but Thing 1 has not yet tried them on. These were cut from the KS 3042 (pajama) pattern. I want to see how the fit compares to the KS SFC ghost camo pants, and I'll probably post pictures. At any rate, I was glad to finish them in plenty of time for Halloween (though I'm sure Thing 1 will wear them after Halloween).

This time I cut and sewed the outer and lining pieces separately, then put them together to sew the leg hems and waist elastic. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I think I'll do this again! Not that every pair of pants I sew for Thing 1 needs to be flannel-lined, but he'll probably outgrow some of these so fast that it's not a bad idea. And then the only serging I do is the waist and hems, prior to turning down and sewing. The rest of it is lined, so it doesn't matter.

I still need to work on the new shoes for Thing 2, and I've got more pants on tap for both of them.

Halloween pants

I bought this ghost camouflage fabric at WM last year but didn't get around to making it up in time. So instead I used it this fall to try out the KS SFC size S pants pattern. I also spray basted the fabric to white flannel from an old sheet, as it is starting to get chilly some days and the camo fabric is thin, then cut the pieces and sewed them with the fashion fabric and flannel as one. It worked well, but I have to say that the KS SFC pants pattern is too poofy at the hips and too tapered in the legs. I may have to just go back to the KS 3042 PJ pants pattern. Maybe I'll try morphing them first. I have another Halloween fabric that would work well. Oh, well....at least Thing 1 loves these!

New pants! (And retail therapy)

Thing 2 is in need of long pants that fit for cooler weather. I made two pairs over the summer, to try out the sizing of two different patterns, and so I went back to the KS SFT knit pants. The blue pair on the right is size T1, made over the summer. Thing 1 can still definitely wear them, but I was concerned that they may not fit throughout the winter. So I decided to try out size T2, which is the orange pair. Well, he is swimming in them! In fact, I have to roll the cuffs up twice just so that he can walk around without being annoyed by the length. So I think that the next pairs will be T1 with maybe a 1/2 inch added to the length. That should keep them wearable now but usable for longer.

In other news, I had a rough week at work last week (including a very painful kick from a cow - I'm still limping!), and I decided on my way home Friday (at 8 pm!) that I needed some retail therapy. Well, in my world, retail therapy is best accomplished at a fabric store or book store. And I wasn't in the mood for a book when the library might still be open, so....

On the left, the colors are (from top to bottom): navy, gray, hunter green, brown, and black, all cotton interlock. The prints on the right are ones I fell in love with. So Thing 2 should be well ready for winter when I'm done! (Though of course I'll still make a few pairs of woven pants, too.) Only the black and navy interlock has been prewashed, but I'll take care of the others this weekend. I bought enough of the solids for 1 pair of pants each plus a little leftover for cuffs and necklines (you never know when that might come in handy!), but I bought enough of the prints for pants and a matching shirt. What can I say? It was a rough week, and knits were 40% off!

Up next...white and orange queues....

So I thought I'd do a double-post today and show a bit of what's coming up next....Thing 1 starts kindergarten in the fall, and he will need an art smock at school. I could probably have come up with something suitable without a pattern, but....I bought the Art Smart Smock pattern from SewBaby instead. I've had my eye on this pattern for quite awhile but could never find it locally. However, with this motivation, I went ahead and ordered it. I cut the main piece out of some white PUL I had on hand, and I'm trimming it with red bias tape. I have to check my supply of ribbing - I'll either use red or black for the neckband and sleeve cuffs. Then I will applique a picture of Thomas the Tank Engine to it, as Thing 1 is a huge fan. We'll see whether I applique his name as well....But the pattern is simple, yet open for lots of personalization, and I think it'll make some great gifts, too. Also in the white queue are some slippers and a scrub shirt, though I may bump the scrub shirt for a later queue.

After that comes the orange queue. The next test PJs for Thing 1 (shirt from KS 3042 and pants from KS SFC) are a green and orange aligator camo-type print. There are two pairs of slippers, and then the test Hawaiian-type shirt for DH has orange in the print. (I'm really hoping to get that shirt done soon so he stops pestering me about it! And it'll take up 3.5 yards from the stash.) There's also a fall print scrub shirt. And I think that's it!

More finished items....red and green queues....

First up, the red queue!
I used red serger thread on these shorts so that I could get cracking on the other red stuff, and I think it looks fine. The shorts for Thing 2 are size T2, which I think fits him better and doesn't seem to pull across the front of the thighs. Both shorts have added slash pockets, using an old sheet for the pocket bags. I used KS SFT for Thing 2 and KS SFC for Thing 1, and the fabric is leftovers from boxers for DH (stash - yay!).

Knit pants and shorts for Thing 2. The shorts are size T1 from KS SFT again, but the pants are size XL from KS SFB. When I have a chance, I'll try these on him and also try on the blue pants (T1 from KS SFT) to see how the two patterns/sizes compare. The red interlock for the pants was purchased on sale at JAF, but the mystery knit for the shorts has been in my stash for awhile.

I had already cut out these pants for Thing 1 from the KS 3042 pattern prior to getting KS SFC. After sewing them up and seeing them on, I think this PJ pattern is just too wide-legged for normal use. I'm going to try the size S in KS SFC in another pair of PJs to see if it needs alterations before I start cranking out pants for Thing 1's fall kindergarten wardrobe. :) The shorts for Thing 2 are my now TNT pattern from KS SFT, and that fabric has been in the stash for almost two years now, I think. He's wearing those shorts today and they look great!

I added slash pockets to the pants. Instead of my usual plain white sheet for pocket bags for print pants, I decided to go with the seersucker fish leftovers. I think it looks pretty cute! Thing 1 likes it, so that's that. :)