Jammies!

Thing 1 has outgrown most of his jammies, and even the ones that he can still wear are starting to look like waders on him. Not a good look! And also not so good for staying warm at night when your parents refuse to turn the heat above 65....though they have plenty of double-layer fleece blankets....but still....

Time to have a jammie sewing party! I decided to start with KS 3042 in flannel. The most recent jammie pants from this pattern were a size S, so I traced a size M and added an inch of length. I also traced the size M top in long sleeves but did not add length to that. I had this robot flannel that I purchased early last year. I intended to make him a set from the flannel, but unfortunately I didn't have quite enough. Instead, I pulled this yellow flannel out of stash to make the top. Thing 2 has plenty of jammies that fit, so I wasn't going to make him a pair. However, since I had plenty of both the robot and yellow flannels, I figured why not? He loves new jammies, especially if they match his brother's. So I made his in a size XS - no changes. These fit great, with room to grow! (Which is good, as I have a penguin flannel purchased on Black Friday this year to become jammies for Thing 1.)

I love making/giving the boys a special pair of jammies for Christmas, and I had purchased a Christmas ooga booga knit velour for this year. However, I needed to be certain of the sizing for Thing 1 especially! I have used KS 2275 for the pants and KS 2894 for the raglan shirt. So I made up a pair in a turtle camo waffle knit I purchased on clearance in early 2009. I realize that the waffle knit is bad about stretching in width and shrinking in length (as happened to these shark jammies), but I figured that this particular knit has been washed 3-4x so hopefully that won't be much of a problem. And, besides, at least I could get a good idea of the size on the first wearing, and then it's all fair game. So size M for the shirt and size 7 for the pants - one size up on shirt and two up on pants from the shark jammies - and there is definite growth room in both! Oh, and I realize the ribbing doesn't really match, but it was the best I could do, unless I went with black, and I just wanted to keep it totally bright and cheerful.

And then the Christmas jammies! Thing 1 has fallen in love with the ooga booga fabric and has 2 shirts made from other colorways (grey/red/black and rainbow), and Thing 2 likes them, though I haven't yet made him a shirt from them. So I knew these would be a hit! I bought the fabric from the Sew It Seams coop (formerly This-End-Up) in both interlock (intended for shirts which didn't happen - there's always next Christmas....) and cotton velour, which I thought would make really nice jammies. The larger pair are the same as the turtle camo, and the smaller pair are XS shirt and size 5 pants. Both are definitely a bit big, but that just gives a chance that they'll still fit next Christmas! (Maybe?) And I took their picture beside the tree to go in our (late) Christmas cards.

Finally hemmed the thermal knits (among other things)....

So I forget how long the thermal knit jammies have been languishing in the land of "Mostly Done," but let's just go with - "it's been awhile." Probably at least a month. I was trying out liquid starch for stiffening some thin knits that are going to become new Patrick raglan seam shirts, so I decided to try it on these as well. I think it really helped! I had no troubles with the waist elastic, and I think that the shirt hems also behaved pretty well. Of course, everything is always helped by a final wash and dry, and these were no exception. They made their PJ debut last night, when we went to the grade school for a PJs and movie night. (Btw, I heartily recommend Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.) A definite hit! They fit well, with some growth room, and the boys love them. The smaller one is from KS SFT (size T3), and the larger is KS 2275 for the pants (size 5) and KS 2894 for the shirt (size S). Four yards out of stash - yay!

My dad's birthday was last month, and he is former Army. I had gotten this Robert Kaufman fabric from a coop, and I used it with S9958 for a pair of boxers for him (size L).

And for a bit of instant gratification, I bought this flannel fabric on sale at JAF last weekend and cut and sewed the pillowcases yesterday morning. The boys were able to take their new pillowcases (and pillows) to the PJs and movie night, as well as wearing their new shark jammies! These definitely went over well. (With me, too - I loved the silly monsters print but had no real reason to buy 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. :)

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)

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. ;)