More Lightweight PJ Pants

So awhile back, I had made a prototype pair of flannel PJ pants for my mother, and then she requested lightweight pairs instead. And I was recently at JAF and saw their keepsake calicos on a good sale, so of course I had to snatch some up for another pair. This is using my trusty M3006 for a pattern. She used to love bright yellow, so I thought this bright oil slick print would be great.

I went with orange for the sewing thread as well as the serger thread, and I added a handcrafted label to the back, just for fun.

 These are going into the gift stash for now. 

Gift/stash/gift stash sewing!

I've been motivated to sew stash recently, and it has the added bonus of adding to my gift stash, because so much of these fabrics were purchased on sale with intentions of use for a gift for someone. This one is no different. I purchased this Detroit Tigers flannel early in the year when JAF put licensed sports fabrics on a good sale. My aunt is a lifelong Tigers fan, so it was fun to find this fabric for her.

 This is M3006, my (mostly) go to for women's PJ pants. Since I'm not sure exactly how well the elastic is sized for her (it's hard to get definite answers to that), I always put in buttonholes in the waist and a drawstring. This particular drawstring is an orange ribbon that I also used in a not-quite-finished pair of PJs for my niece (they'll be done and show up eventually!)

These will be either her birthday or Christmas gift this year. Whew! So nice to be getting things out of the way already!

PJs for ME!

As I continue my push to use up some stash, I'm also making sure some is used for ME! I bought this flannel years ago with the intent to make a shirt/pants PJ set, but that was before realizing I prefer knit short-sleeve tops for PJ shirts. So instead, I used it to make myself a pair of PJ pants and a pair of PJ shorts. This way, I can wear the monster flannel year round!

 

A request for lightweight PJ pants

Sometimes it's hard to know what to gift people. I had asked my brother if he thought our mother would be interested in PJ pants (she's worn nightgowns as far back as I can remember, and I still haven't gotten around to trying the nightgown pattern I bought ages ago for her....). He thought yes, so I made a prototype flannel pair to test sizing and interest. Apparently I never took a picture before sending those. They were stitched probably in December or January and sent for her birthday in June. Well....the response was that they fit perfectly and were definitely desired, but that lightweight PJ pants would be more appreciated.

At that point, there were no decent deals on fabric, and have you noticed that the clearance sections are also completely picked over?!? So I bought a microfiber sheet set at Target - that's the folded pair on the right. It didn't behave terribly well, but it does feel very smooth against the skin. I'm using leftovers to make matching PJs for my niece.

And then I found this print when novelty cottons were on a good sale! So a second pair was in the works. Hopefully she loves them.

 

New PJ shorts for ME

Back in December, I tested out two pairs of PJ shorts patterns for me, to see which I liked better, before doing some assembly line sewing.  I never blogged the results, which were this first picture.  Yep.  Made this pair from rainbow tie-dyed paw prints on black flannel, back in December.  And it's seen regular rotation once the weather warmed up.

I cut these other pairs at the same time, but then life happened, and I didn't finish them until I was sewing on the Fourth of July.  Now I have three more pairs of PJ shorts for the summer!  The monster flannel was from JAF once upon a time - and I used it for my boys as well.  The walrus flannel was left over from PJ pants I made for a friend.  And the license plate woven was from deep stash.  I'm pretty excited to try them out!

Back to regular sewing - PJ edition

So I got motivated to sew new PJs for me.  Partly because I only have a few pairs of PJ shorts.  (Yeah, I know, it's December.  Let's remember I'm not particularly consistent with blogging.)  I knew I'd made a few pairs back in the past, but I couldn't remember what pattern I used most recently that I liked.  (Computer accident - files got deleted, sob.)  So I took the two patterns I had traced out already and tested them.  The "Woof Woof" flannel is M5504, and the bugs flannel is M3006 - my TNT PJ pants pattern turned into shorts, apparently.  (I'm pretty sure that I must have deliberately traced it as shorts, but I don't remember doing so.)  I took an inch out of both at CF, tapering to nothing at the side seams.  And while they both fit reasonably, I decided that I liked the M3006 better, so that will be used going forward.

Then I made a new pair of PJ pants - M3006, of course! - for ME - also taking one inch out at CF and tapering to nothing at the sides.  This was my test (of that modification) before cutting into the Wonder Woman flannel that I bought. ;)  I can't wait!

And the folded pair is a Christmas gift for my good friend who loves plaid and fishing.  It was perfect when I found the print at JAF.  Hers is also M3006, but she has to insert the elastic when she gets it.

More PJs....

So the PJ train continues....when I made the ninja PJs for my friend, I started worrying because I discovered some pilling on the PJ pants.  I thought that maybe I should make another pair of pants, in case the pilling became horrible quickly.  She likes purple, and I figured that these would go okay with the ninjabread shirt.  There was the added bonus that this flannel has been in my stash for years, so it was nice to get it used up.

And another friend likes sheep.  When we were in high school together, she frequently wore a particular sweater with sheep knitted into the design.  So when I saw a set of sheep sheets at a thrift store, I just HAD to buy them.  As per usual, the top is M5504, and the pants are M3006.  I don't see these lasting terribly long, but the fabric was so perfect that I had to go for it.  I have another pair (new fabric!) in progress for her for Christmas....

And more PJs....

Another belated birthday gift here - I have a friend who loves foxes.  Last year, I gave her a pair of fox flannel PJ pants.  This year, the pants are a lighter cotton.  I found the fabric on clearance at HF and had to snatch it up for her.

And for my ninja friend, I made a pair of lounge/PJ pants from a striped thrifted sheet.  As soon as I saw it, I thought it would make some fun PJ pants.  I hope that she likes it.  Sadly, I noticed after I made the pants and washed them, that there is some pilling in places.  (Didn't notice that when I'd washed the sheet before cutting.)  So I may make another pair of pants to go along with this, in case this pair doesn't last long.

And the set together with the ninjabread shirt.

Both PJ pants were made with M3006, my TNT PJ pant pattern.

More PJ pants....

Once again, my TNT of M3006.

My BFF loved her walrus PJ pants last year so much that she told me she would wear them until they rotted off!  Well, I don't think they're in danger of that any time soon, but I did think that when the walrus flannel was available on Black Friday again that perhaps I should make her another pair for that sad day.  This pair has a red drawstring instead of white.

Another friend loves foxes, so when I saw this fox flannel, I just had to get it!  (It wasn't even Black Friday - can you believe it?)  This is a birthday gift for her.

And finally we have something for ME!  When Thing 1 was taking a college for kids class last summer, Thing 2 and I found ourselves with several hours a day to fill.  One of those days, we visited a new-to-me Hancock Fabrics, where I found this woven kachina print.  I figure that I haven't made myself a new pair of PJ pants in some time, so it was high time I did.  With the help of a 50% off coupon, this beautiful print has been biding its time on the shelf ever since.  I did make the buttonholes for a drawstring, in case I want to add one later, but I don't use them hardly ever, so I left it out for now.

And then I revisited the northwoods-ish flannel PJs.  My friend loved her birthday gift, but sadly, despite using the same pattern size as the previous pair, they were too snug through the hips.  Also, I had not written my notes clearly enough, and so I needed to add an additional 3 inches of length.  Since I couldn't get any more of the print, I used the navy to add "racing stripes" to get an additional inch of ease on each side, and then I added 3 inch cuffs at the bottom.  I think that they overall look as though they were intended to be that way, for which I am relieved.

"Christmas" PJ sets

I finished two sets of PJs last week.  These are both out-of-town Christmas gifts.  (In case you haven't noticed by now, I kind of take a lax approach to getting the out-of-town Christmas gifts done....they're often mailed sometime in January.)  

The first set of PJs is for my aunt.  She's gotten these cow PJs and these cow PJs in the past, and now she's getting these cow PJs!  (Can you sense a theme?  She works for a company that makes dairy products, and so she loves to collect cow things.)  This particular flannel print was purchased from JAF on Black Friday in 2009, so it's been well-aged. ;)  I am on a kick to try to reduce the amount of fabric sitting on my shelves - or at least ensure reasonable turnover - so I decided that this year she should get the last stashed length of cow flannel.  (Also, I just realized that there has been an eerie pattern at work, and she's now been gifted cow flannel PJs in 2009, 2011, and 2013.  I really had no such pattern in mind!)  The shirt is M5504, and the pants are M3006 - both size L.  I really made no changes, other than adding the drawstring to the pants.  Hopefully she likes them!

Then we have my friend who got the northwoods-ish flannel PJs for her birthday in November.  She had also asked for a pair of lighter-weight jammies, so I dug into my stash and found this Tigger print - pretty sure that was $1-2 per yard at WM in MS, so a bare minimum of 7.5 years ago!  I did have to buy the yellow print to go with it, but that was fine.  These are the same patterns as the cow PJs, but size M for both.  And I brought the print neckband to the front to try to tie the set together a bit.  Hopefully my friend loves them!

A Birthday Gift

I had made a pair of PJs for my BFF two years ago, and she loved them!  She sews as well, but apparently she wasn't doing a very good job of prioritizing any sewing for herself. ;)  So she requested a new pair of PJs.  I had a queen-sized flannel sheet from the thrift store that I thought she'd love (the print), so I used that for the pants and the front/back of the shirt.  There wasn't quite enough for the sleeves, so I used a coordinating navy flannel instead, and also used it for the neckband, which I brought to the outside again.  

I used M3006 for the pants and M5504 for the shirt.  Unfortunately, my notes were a little vague from when I made the pants the last time, and so they are a few inches short.  But I will add cuffs to them when she sends them back, and that will lengthen them correctly.  Fortunately, I have quite a bit of stash fabric for the pair I'm making her for Christmas, so I can cut a new, properly lengthened pair of pants and use the ones I already cut for someone else.

PJ pants

I think we're finally at the end of the Christmas posts.  I hope so, anyway!  These two gifts are the ones that got the best reviews, I have to say.  The shoes flannel was a Black Friday purchase from JAF.  I had made three pillowcases out of it last year for the teenage daughters of a friend, and this year, I used the remaining yardage for PJ pants for their older sister.  I had no idea just how well that would go over!  Most inspired fabric choice ever, it seems!

Well, actually, that honor may have to go to the walrus flannel.  Also a Black Friday purchase, but one that I knew at the time was inspired!  One of my bestest buddies looooves walruses, so when I saw that flannel, I knew that she had to have it!  And I was right!  She was so excited to unwrap her walrus PJ pants!  (There's even enough left for a pillowcase for her birthday - shhh! Don't tell her!)  They even have a version in the ultra cuddle fleece!

I used my TNT PJ pants pattern for these - M3006.  Works great every time.

Repurposed sheets

One pair of PJ pants would normally not rate its own blog post, but I've been bad about posting lately and am trying to fix that. In addition, I just need to rave about these for other reasons.

I have definitely repurposed sheets before - I've made sheets into baby pack-n-play or crib sheets, I've made sheets into PJs for birthday gifts and Operation Christmas Child gifts, and I've made them into cloth napkins (not blogged). But I've never made flannel sheets into PJs before - at least not that I can remember, and definitely not for myself. I got this fitted flannel sheet at a thrift store several years ago, I think. Since I love snowmen, I thought this would be great for winter PJ pants for me. And between the PR Fabric Stash contest and needing to sew another pair of PJ pants (same size) for a friend's birthday, I had the impetus to do something about it. OMG! Can I just say how incredibly soft these PJ pants are? Soooo comfy. I love them! I'm guessing it's from all the use and washing they got in their previous life. At any rate, I would totally use old flannel sheets again for PJs. I may have to keep an eye out at the thrift store.....

More gift sewing....

Thing 2 was invited to another birthday party. As previously mentioned, there are 15 or so kids in his kindergarten class, so $$ for birthday party presents adds up! I decided to have him help me choose fabric to make an Art-on-the-Go kit for her, then add colored pencils, a notebook, and some foam door hangers and foam stickers for other art projects. The gift didn't get the same wild enthusiasm as the Barbies and such, but I think the mom appreciated it. :) And it's more the kind of gift that is appreciated later on, when the toys lose a bit of luster. The entire "art gift" probably cost me $10 in materials, but only $4 in actual money, since all of the fabric/notions came from my stash. (And I made 3 at once, so there are 2 more in my gift stash!)

I had previously made the green sheet in the top of the picture for my new niece's bassinette, which apparently is like a pack-n-play but an odd size. That one was my prototype, since I had no idea how long to make the elastic. Turned out I guessed a little short, and they had to cut the casing in 4 places to release it all so that they could verify the sheet itself was the right size. I then sent another one - same size, but 10 inches longer elastic - which fit just right. (That one isn't pictured, but it came from a jersey sheet that I repurposed.) But it took quite some time to get word that it fit - apparently checking the fit and getting back to me wasn't a priority until the baby arrived, and suddenly they wanted more sheets! ;) So I fixed the green sheet so that it was usable again, and I made 4 more sheets - 2 flannel, 2 cotton - all from stash. They have some Winnie the Pooh stuff in the nursery, I'm told, so I was pretty happy to have 2 Pooh prints to use. This brings the total up to 6 sheets that I've sewn, which should be pretty good for a bassinette.
A friend had a birthday earlier this month, and she loves the PJ pants I make her. She just got a snowflake pair at Christmas, but I saw this flannel on clearance last summer and just had to get it for her. I know that she loves the neon colors in the print, but I'm not sure how she'll feel about the skulls....hopefully she's okay with them. This is my TNT PJ pattern, M3006.
And I had made her a square corn bag last year at Christmas, but apparently she put it in the microwave too long earlier this year. Her mom relayed a deep desire for a new one, so I just had to oblige. ;) I squeaked the cover out of the leftovers from her PJ pants.

A birthday gift

My BFF loves to drink tea, and several Black Fridays ago, I found the perfect pink tea print flannel for PJ pants for her! Of course, then I promptly stashed it and did nothing with it, but this year was THE year. What should have been a perfectly uneventful pair of PJ pants became an exercise in frustration when I mistakenly cut two sets of FRONT pieces. Why, oh, why, couldn't I have cut two sets of BACK pieces instead??? So there they sat for quite awhile, during which time I stewed over my foolishness and tried to figure out how to fix it. I couldn't find any more of that print, of course, so I ultimately put the second set of pieces back with the scraps and sewed them together, then recut the pieces so that I would have the needed extra width. It will of course be noticeable to her when she puts them on, but I don't think anyone else will ever notice, as the fix is basically in the inseam and crotch. (I considered just putting in a gusset, but I wasn't sure if there was enough extra width in the pant legs already or whether I'd still need a strip down the inseam.)

I wasn't making PJ shirts at the time that I purchased this flannel, so I had no extra for a shirt, nor did I have any coordinating flannel for one. This wouldn't have bothered me, except that I then discovered the Think Pink contest was going on over at PatternReview, and I had no pink item to enter. (I realized too late to save these pants or my aunt's PJ shirt for the contest.) And since the sponsor was giving away a free pattern just for completing an entry, I really wanted to enter. So I thought my best bet was a coordinating pink shirt for these pants. Fortunately, the pale pink flannel at JAF was a near-perfect match to the background pink of the pants print. I brought the neck facings to the front to tie the set together a bit more, and I really like how it looks.

Hopefully my BFF will love them! They are a bit DIY, as I have no idea what elastic measurement to use. So I made a buttonhole by the CB seam and used that to insert the elastic. She can adjust it how she likes it and then stitch it in. And I added a drawstring from bias tape, but again, she'll have to adjust the length and stitch it in place. Also I wasn't sure if she'd need extra length in the sleeves, so I sent some of my leftover flannel print so that she can add cuffs if necessary.

And a PJ set....

My aunt loves her flannel PJs, and I try to add to her collection every year. This is only the second PJ shirt I've made her, though. Since she loved the cow set a couple years ago, I thought it would be good to make some more sets. So I bought coordinating flannel at the last Black Friday - just didn't get it sewn up last year, thanks to moving.

The shirt is a very vibrant fuschia tie-dye flannel. I used M5504 (raglan sleeve) for it. (I have also made myself a PJ shirt out of it - boring brown so no need to post - and I can vouch that it's comfy.) It's a quick shirt to sew up - nothing fancy. I did use the pants fabric for the neck facing, to tie it together. I thought about turning the facings to the outside but decided not to for this one.

A cute cow print flannel for the pants - my standard M3006. I really wanted a drawstring that matched the shirt but couldn't find any twill tape or bias tape that was the right color. Oh, well....
The set together. I think she'll be pretty happy with it!

PJ brigade!

If I'm churning out PJ pants, you know Christmas must be coming! This is a standard, go-to Christmas gift for family/friends, especially adults. Who couldn't use a comfy, cozy pair of flannel PJs?

This first pair is for a friend. I use M3006 as my standard PJ pants for women. These pants are from JAF Black Friday flannel - I think I bought it last year. She got a set of matching pillowcases last year, and this year she gets the PJs.

For another friend, who loves the PJ pants I've made for her. I think this is only the third pair now, and her mom told me last year that she really loved the pair I made her five years ago, so I figured she definitely needed more! Also a JAF Black Friday purchase - this was supposed to be for my aunt, who got a pillowcase from it last year. But I must not have purchased quite enough, or it shrank more than expected. My aunt needs a size bigger, and there just wasn't enough length for it. (Since my aunt is taller, I didn't want to gyp her on length, and I just thought that adding white cuffs would look funny.) My aunt's loss is my friend's gain, though! And I still didn't have enough length to turn up a hem, so these legs are bound with white nylon-lycra.
PJ pants for my brother - for whom I use B6887, with adjustments for a working fly. This is a chamois flannel shirting, also from JAF, which I purchased about 2-3 years ago to test a long-sleeved shirt pattern for DH. However, he didn't want any long-sleeved shirts, so I shoved the flannel in my stash and pulled it out this year for my brother. I think he'll really like it!
PJ pants for my DSIL - also B6887, but adjusted for her (including no working fly!). This horse print flannel is one of several lengths of flannel that she and my brother gave me for Christmas six years ago, before they were married. I thought it was perfect to pull out for her, since I hadn't gotten around to using it yet.
Looney Tunes boxers (S9958) for a friend's husband. He's a LT fanatic, and I had this print leftover from making him a scrub shirt. I think he'll love it!

Still plugging away...

First up, not a Christmas present!

These are my new PJ pants. I figured that while I was making some for gifts, I might as well add to my collection! (And coming soon, I'll start working on more PJ shirts to coordinate.) I again used my trusty TNT M3006, and I added cuffs at the bottom, but this time I also added bias tape around the top of the cuffs, as unfilled piping. I think it sets them off a little, though my husband thinks they look goofy. Oh, well...


Next, a Christmas present that has already made it to its recipient! These are monogrammed stone coasters, using the tutorial at The Domestic Notebook. I love these! They were quite inexpensive, as well as really easy. And quick, too! These are two of the set I made for one friend. I made six for her, as well as for my grandmother, twelve for another friend (who has six children), and eight for another friend (who hosts church game nights). And I enjoyed it so much that I bought more stones to paint. I think I spent $25-30 in the initial supplies (I bought two of the large stamps, the ink, and a set of alphabet stamps - all on sale) and my first sets of stones. That's quite reasonable, especially since the ink will last a very long time and the stamps of course practically forever! I found some alphabet stamps that I think I like better, but I don't yet like them better enough to buy a new set. :) Just waiting for a good sale.

And finally, for my friend who is coming to visit this weekend, I finally cut out and sewed up her new scrub jacket. This is pattern M9652 in a size S. It's quite large, however - these scrub jacket patterns are designed with a lot of ease. I made several muslins in ugly fabric a few years ago, to determine the fit for her. Now I just pull out the trusty pattern and cut. :) I made a lot of these jackets for her in 2006 and 2007, but this is the first time I've made her a new one since. She's going to love it, as she loves most patriotic stuff. (And I have more of this fabric to give her as a present, so she can decide what else she wants with it.) I'd forgotten how easy the pattern is to make up, which is good, because I have two or three more fabrics to sew up in the near future. I don't make many alterations - removed some length to add ribbed cuffs, and either use no closures or use snaps.

More Christmas gifts....

Yep, still finishing Christmas gifts that get mailed out. I did get three boxes mailed the other day, and it felt good! And can I just say that I'm now a huge fan of printing my shipping labels off from www.usps.com? I'm not real thrilled with how the post office keeps raising rates, so it's nice to save $0.50-$1.00 per package (at least, that was the difference with the size/weight box I mailed), plus getting a free delivery confirmation instead of paying $0.70 for that. Plus, I just waltzed into the post office, set my boxes on the counter, and waltzed back out. Nice! (Yes, I know that I could have scheduled a pickup from home, but it worked out better this way for this round. Next time I'll have them picked up from the front porch swing.)

On to the finished items:

Once again, my go-to PJ pants pattern (M3006). This time, instead of cuffs, I sewed grosgrain ribbon around the legs about 3.5 inches from the bottom before sewing the inseams, then simply hemmed them once done. I used the same ribbon for a drawstring, and I also used a small piece of it for the "tag" in the back. I think they turned out cute.

Christmas Looney Tunes boxers for a Looney Tunes fanatic - my usual boxer pattern (S9958), no changes.

The PJ pants on the left are for a set for Thing 2, but the two on the right are Christmas presents for a friend's two boys. All are the KS SFT side seam pants pattern - the two on the left are T3 and the polar bear pair on the right are T4.

And finally a pillowcase from a Tinkerbell flannel-back satin I bought a few years ago (specifically for this - I can't believe how long it took to get my butt in gear and sew it!) with a coordinating Tinkerbell satin ribbon. Not my thing, but the recipient should love it!

Christmas gifts

Sad but true - my Christmas gifts came down to the wire, and I confess that they're still not quite done. Oh, well.....I had everything done that was necessary for in person, and Christmas gifts that come late in the mail are always fun, right?

Things have been slow lately, because I was dealing with the class from *$#&!!! Also, my serger was on the blink for awhile. My output slowed down dramatically while I was waiting for my baby to come back from the shop. But come back it did, and then I was able to get back into the swing of things!

First up, the shark shirts from the Patrick Curved Raglan Seam pattern. My boys have been waiting on these for a long time, but I couldn't finish them without the serger. Now they're done, and each shirt has been worn at least twice in the last week! :) These are the same sizes as before (3T and 5T), but this time, I used 1/4" seam allowances. I am planning to compare the size 5T to the "big kid" sizes and maybe move up to the next size for the next shirt. I'd also like to try the hoodie instructions.

This is my go-to PJ pants pattern, and I liked the addition of the contrast cuffs so much on my wolf PJ pants that I did it again for these. And I used black bias tape for the drawstring. I think my friend will like these!

I finally finished the stack of cloth napkins for my friend. Those got sent out to her early so that she could use them. Hopefully she likes them! These were cut out of some flannel sheets I got from freecycle. I also have a bunch of fabric to use to make her some more. The basic pattern is from a book called Simply Napkins.

The nephews both got some toys that were not going to be terribly easy to wrap. So instead, I used pillowcases. The younger nephew got one of the trains and toys pillowcases (I made these awhile ago but apparently didn't mention them), and the older one, who is in Little League, got the Peanuts baseball print. They were a hit! And much easier for wrapping....

There's more to mention, and more that's still being finished, so that'll be for next time!