Christmas boxers

As is "tradition," I made new boxers to go in the stockings this year. This is the usual S9958, in three different sizes for the three males in my house.

Size Men's S in a coffee print for The Husband

Size Men's XS in an underwater print for Thing 1

Size Boys' XL in a takeout print for Thing 2

They turned out very well, and my family members were quite pleased.

"Back to School"......Boxers?

My boys like their custom-made boxers. A lot. And Thing 2 has hit a growth spurt and is outgrowing some of his boxers. So he came to me the other night and asked for new ones, and of course I was happy to oblige! Especially since these have been cut out since December and just hadn't made it to the top of the priority list! (He picked out the prints, I cut them out, and then life got in the way. Two other pairs became part of his Christmas stocking gift, but these didn't get stitched until now.)

As always, Simplicity 9958 for the win. These are boys' XL.

 

Christmas Boxers!

Gift giving occasions often involve new boxers for the men in my family! I've made this pattern (Simplicity 9958) sooo many times now! The question is always just which fabrics to choose....

My husband spent a lot of time this fall chopping up the pieces of our tree that was taken down recently. So when I randomly spotted a log print at JAF, I just had to get it for him. The Marine Corps print was a new one that Thing 2 spotted and begged for....and I told him he had to forget all knowledge of it, since Christmas was coming. These are size men's S, with a shortened hem based on his preference.

Thing 2 of course needed a pair of the Marine Corps print. And then I had six or seven cut out pairs sitting around, waiting for time.....so I chose the fun kitty print to finish up for his stocking. These are boys' size XL. Hopefully they'll fit for awhile. I need to get those other pairs sewn up before he outgrows them.....

And Thing 1 couldn't be left out. These fabrics are from a coop purchase a couple years ago. They were always intended for boxers for Thing 1, but I hadn't gotten around to them until now. And I wanted to avoid purchasing more fabric close to Christmas, so I found these on the shelf and stitched them up. He wears mens' size XS.

More boxers!

We've mentioned before how boxers are a go-to gift for the men in my life.  So of course I needed to sew some new boxers for Thing 1's recent birthday.  I bought these fabrics a year ago (with his approval - he's of the age where you don't just pick for him!) and even cut them out then, but with all the upheaval in my sewing room, there they sat.  So his birthday was motivation to finally stitch them up.  These are size XS men's.

I'm still alive!

You know how it goes....long time between posts.  I'll start with what I just finished and work backward.  It's Father's Day, so new boxers were in order.  This was a last-minute trip (Friday) to JAF for fun new fabric.  Novelty cottons were on sale for 40% off, which worked out splendidly.  So I got two.  You can see the bright taco print in back - I knew he'd love those!

And a close-up of the sunbathing bananas print.  This was too hysterical to leave behind.

Thing 2 came with me to the store and picked the bananas. ;)  This is the usual Simplicity 9958, adult size S, no changes from my usual (I think I folded an inch out of the hem years ago?).

Boxers everywhere

We know that boxers are a common gift for the males in my life.  (Although I'm surprised to not see any of the ones for my boys in there....did I seriously never blog them?  Let's see if I can find those pics....okay, here's one....These are some of the original boxers, after they got a prototype each in their stockings to test size....)

And more of the early ones....

Okay, back to this year.  These are for my husband, and both prints were from JAF.  He got the craft beer print in his stocking, and the dino skeletons are going into a box until Father's Day.

These are for Thing 1!  All fabrics again from JAF.  The superhero words print is the boys' XL, which is what he is currently wearing.  But the Mario, Zelda, and knockoff Minecraft are all men's size XS.  We'll see how those go.

These are for Thing 2!  The Chicago Blackhawks and bottle caps prints were from JAF.  The surfing skeletons, tools, and Marine Corps prints were from stash - I don't remember where.  These are all boys' size L.  (His previous ones were boys' M, and they're getting a bit tight.  He already had a Blackhawks print as seen above, but heaven forbid that he not have a Blackhawks pair that fits!)

These definitely went over well at Christmas!

Back to boxers.....

I can never get too far away from boxers as gifts for men in my life....though of course this is a pretty small group of men that I can sew boxers for. :)  My dad's birthday was in January, and when I saw this tool flannel, I thought it would be great for boxers for him during the very cold months.  Because it's flannel, I don't expect that he'll wear them throughout the year, but they might be very welcome when it's really cold.

And these are for my brother - probably for his birthday later this year.  I had cut them out several months before sewing them, as part of an assembly line process.  So when I worked on my dad's boxers, I figured I'd grab these and sew them up, too.  This fabric was from JAF, and I found it on red tag clearance one day.  There's some glitter in the fabric, too, which makes it even more hilarious for boxers.

As always, this is S9958 - my TNT boxer pattern.

Father's Day Boxers

So it's been previously demonstrated that I tend to make boxers a lot for the men in my life.  And this Father's Day was no exception!

My dad is an Army veteran, and I've previously made him Army print boxers.  But I was in JAF recently and saw that their licensed fabric was on sale 50% off.  I hadn't really expected to buy any of it, but then I saw this print and thought it was really neat.  So....my dad got a new pair of Army boxers for Father's Day.

My husband is a Marine Corps veteran, and so he has previously been the recipient of Marine print boxers.  But I thought it was time to make more, and both of these prints (purchased from a coop) have been in the stash - intended for boxers - for at least four years.  So it was time to move them out. :)

And since I was working up boxers and had black thread in the serger (with the Army boxers), I also cut out and whipped up this pair of monster boxers.  My husband has a couple of pairs of Halloween boxers already, but they are 9-10 years old, and at least one pair needs to be retired from use.  So when I saw this print on clearance at JAF for $2/yd, I bought some.  I'll hang on to them for now, but maybe give them to him around Halloween.

Several new boxers

Yep, of course I made more boxers!  It seems to be what I do. :)  The first pair was a gift for my dad for his birthday.  I used most of the rest of the chili pepper fabric from the thrift store - I think there's enough left for a few hanging towels, but that's it.

And my husband got two lengths of fabric rolled up in his stocking Christmas morning, because I had run out of time and hadn't made the boxers yet. Oops....I had seen the fall Peanuts fabric on sale at JAF and knew he'd like it, and I saw the Boris & Natasha fabric on clearance at Nancy's Notions.  (As a kid, I loved Rocky & Bullwinkle, and I used to say that if I ever found a Boris & Natasha tie, I'd buy it for my dad.  So when I saw this fabric, I had to have it for my husband.)  Then I got the Christmas Peanuts fabric at the local quilt store, during their New Year's Day sale.  So I stitched these all up at once.  He doesn't know about the Christmas pair yet, though - I think I'll save those for his birthday.

New boxers....and a thought....

Years and years ago (eight, I think), I made my husband a pair of boxers from a blue fabric with red chili peppers all over it.  He really liked them!  Sadly, time marches on, and those boxers desperately needed to be retired.  So when I saw this fabric in the thrift store, I jumped at it!  These became his birthday gift, though a little late....oops!  I didn't make any changes - this is my TNT pattern for him.  But I do really like how they turned out.

And the thought is that I've seen patterns for quilted wallhangings that are designed to look like boxers in the blocks.  I think it would be fun to make one, using pieces of retired boxers to make the boxers in the blocks!  I'm currently thinking about this one, which is for sale, or the free Laundry Time pattern.  It won't get anytime soon, anyway, so for now I'll just think about it, and hang onto the "retired" boxers.

Boxers!

So apparently it's been awhile since I've sewn boxers, which is hard to believe, considering my past production....The last boxers I blogged about were in 2011, as Christmas gifts.  But I changed that recently!  My DH enjoys drinking beer and occasionally brewing his own, so when I saw this beer bottles fabric at the local quilt store, I just had to get it for him!  (I even paid full-price, so these are the most expensive boxers I've ever made!)  This was his Father's Day present.

And on a recent retail therapy trip (aided by a gift card, I might add!), I found licensed fabrics on 25% off sale.  My brother loves Star Wars and the color green, so I thought that this blueprints on green print would be awesome for some new boxers!  I think he'll really get a kick out of these for his birthday, and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

There Must Be Boxers

If we're approaching birthdays/Christmas in this house, there HAS to be at least one pair of boxers sewn. No ifs, ands, or buts! So....here we have five:My husband has been the recipient of so many pairs of boxers that I have lost count - I just know that it's over 30 pair. Because, let's face it, goofy boxers are fun! So I quit sewing them for him for a few years, because after all, he had enough to go for a month without having his underwear washed. But several pairs are 6+ years old, and they are starting to show their age. So I felt that I could safely make a new pair, since I recently culled some. ;) The Marine Corps boxers are for him.

The coin print and pin-up girls boxers are for my brother. His birthday is this month, and as he is to be a father shortly, I will send him the pinup girls and tell him that it's time to show some class and maturity. ;) Yes, that is our goofy sense of humor. I'll put the coins away until next year, probably.

The Day of the Dead boxers are for my dad for Christmas, and the sailboats are for his birthday in January. I tend to make him 1-2 pairs of boxers every year, but I think this is the first time for a Halloween pair. The skeletons are playing musical instruments, so I think he should really get a kick out of them.

As usual, all boxers are from S9958 (sizes S, M, and L). And in this case, all fabrics have been in stash for at least 1 year, if not much longer. Hooray for stashbusting!

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!

New stuff....

So the last time I was at Hobby Lobby, I saw that cotton prints were 30% off, and I found another Robert Kaufman Army print that I liked, so I bought it to make boxers for my dad, with the vague thought of getting them done for Father's Day. Clearly, that did not happen - mainly because I decided that I just had other priorities for Father's Day....such as my husband's new shirt. But these have been done for a week or so, and I just realized that I never showed them off! (S9958, size L)

And here is the pile that was my weekend intentions....which didn't get done, of course! From left to right: 2 Patrick Curved Raglan Seam shirts (one for each Thing), green scrub pants, fabric for a scrub shirt, Thing 1's new shirt, and Thing 2's new shirt.
But at least I finished the scrub pants! This is M9359, size M. Minimal alterations - I skipped the inseam pockets, added a cargo pocket to the right leg for my cell phone or anything else that seems necessary, and used 1/2-inch twill tape for a drawstring instead of elastic and self-fabric. The cargo pocket has a finished size of 7.25 inches wide by 8 inches deep. I placed it with the intent of the top being 12 inches below the top of the waist casing, but I forgot that the casing was for a 1/2-inch drawstring rather than an inch wide elastic. So the pocket is a bit lower than I had wanted. I will wear this another time or two before making the next ones to decide on a better placement.

I made these from symphony broadcloth (JAF) and wore them the day after I finished them. I was concerned that the fabric might be too thin and possibly see-through, but this color at least did not have that problem. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up to repeated washings, but at least for the first wearing, it seems thin enough to be cool in a warm surgery suite but not too thin to be useful. I bought a second color at the same time, so I will definitely make it up soon, and as long as it also wears well, I'll be buying more later on.

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!)

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!

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.)

White queue #1 is gone!

The first set from the "white serger thread" queue is done! (In fact, this is the entirety of what I originally considered the "white serger thread" queue to be. I have since remembered a few UFOs that should probably get some attention now, but that's not the point!) Not pictured here are two pair of toddler PJ pants from the same flannel as the middle pair of boxers. I thought it'd be fun for the two little boys to be able to match their father! :)

The $$ flannel in the upper left is another pair of PJ pants, again from Butterick 6887, though without the fly (mock or real). It's for my DSIL, so I saw no point in taking time over a fly. I used to take off the bottom three or four inches of the legs and add a cuff so that she could roll up the legs if desired, but I've heard that she never does, so this iteration is sans cuff. The three boxers are again all from Simplicity 9958, and all three fabrics were purchased sometime this fall with the intent of using them for boxers. Always nice to still have the same vision by the time these things are sewn!

Now I have just two more Christmas gifts to complete, and I'll be totally done! Oh, yeah - still have to get them wrapped, packaged up, and out the door....

Some Christmas presents done!

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm late....I finished all the stuff that was given in person (on time, I might add!), so now I'm playing catchup with the stuff that's mailed out of town. I think I had something in one of my goals about not being behind on this in 2008....

The fabric peeking out in the upper left is from a pair of flannel PJ pants (Butterick 6887, using Simplicity 9958 for the real fly). I found this fabric on clearance over the summer and thought it would be perfect. The others are all boxers (Simplicity 9958, my TNT boxer pattern). The John Deere fabric must be a remnant I've had over a year, since it didn't show up in my fabric spreadsheet from last year. The Spiderman fabric was found on sale this summer, and DH specifically requested boxers from it! (This from the man who says he has way too many boxers and he'll never be able to wear them all out - HA!) The Native American fabric is for my grandpa, who is a big fan of Native American stuff. And the horse fabric is for my DSIL, who loves horses.

So three of these fabrics have been in the stash at least since the summer, and two were purchased in the last month for these gifts. I'm happy with that. After all, one goal is to sew more from stash. I realize that I can't do that all the time, but I have a lot of stash, so I should at least attempt to get something from stash first. This is a good start. And for the moment, since I started a new yardage spreadsheet for the year, I have almost 8 yards out and 0 yards in!

Finished items!

First up, the wedding boxers:


This print is so loud, and the flannel-backed satin just makes it even more over the top! I think that DB will love them. In fact, they might end up as the boxers to be worn under the tux - how funny would that be? :)

Next, the pants with slash pockets:

I added another picture with a fish puppet in the pocket, just to show the shape of the pocket. I love how these turned out! DH thinks that the print makes Thing 1 ready for disco night, but as I pointed out to him, these are for play pants, and I'd rather do the experiment with a cheaper fabric (in this case, a remnant) than something expensive. Thing 1 loves them, and he wore them all day after I finished them.

I've already made another pair of pants with pockets, and I have plans for lots more!