Trial run - Jalie 2564

Why is it that everything feels like it wears out at exactly the same time?  My sleepwear of choice is a singlet top/camisole with built in shelf bra and a pair of boyleg shorts.  When I went to replace my well worn PJs I discovered that a single tank top was over $30 which felt like a ridiculous amount for what it is.  You know the feeling - you know you could make it for less than it costs and choose whatever colours/patterns you like (irrespective of whether you actually have the time or energy to do it).

Being the great procrastinator that I am I put off doing anything for another 12 months and my pjs were disgusting - the elastic had completely gone, they were all stretched out of shape and you could see through the fabric.  So. Bad.

Enter Jalie 2564 (I couldn't find it listed on Jalie's website) which I bought years ago in anticipation of making my own singlet tops.  For my trial run I used a foil print stretch cotton from Spotlight and fold over elastic from Etsy.  I was tossing up what colour elastic to use but in the end I figured anything Mickey Mouse needed a touch of red.

I wasn't happy with my initial application of the fold over elastic - it made the neckline look really baggy so I ripped it out and followed this tutorial from Emerald Erin and it worked a charm.

To finish the set I sewed up a pair of the Cloth Habit Rosy Ladyshorts.  Couldn't be happier with them and I'm so glad that I fussy cut Mickey.  One of my girls even asked for a pair so I must have done something right!

After sleep testing these my only adjustment would be to add about another inch in length to the singlet top/camisole.  I bought some beautiful cotton/elastin Art Gallery Fabrics  for the real deal, hopefully I get a chance to post about them later this week.

Sunday afternoon family fun

We have a rule in our house that on Sundays the girls aren't allowed to use their electronic devices - no iPods, no laptops etc.  This often leads to cries of 'I'm bored', but it does force them to think of other ways to amuse themselves.

Paige and Georgia have been hanging out in my sewing room with me (and often without me!).  They've been cutting up scraps and making cushions as well as pillows and sleeping bags for their toys.

Paige has been so keen to do some 'proper' sewing that I thought we'd give PJ pants a go.

I pulled out my trusty copy of Butterick 5853 and cut out an XL (10) with the width of a L (7-8).

Paige did all the sewing herself and was so incredibly proud of herself.  Check out the posing!

Because pj pants are the sewing equivalent of comfort food I whipped up a pair for Georgia and Caitlyn too.

I used the same Butterick pattern for Georgia in the same sizes with an extra 1.5 inches added to the length.  I ran out of standard waistband elastic so I used some cotton lycra and made a yoga pant style waistband.  Georgia loves them and I love that I've used up all the scraps from my koi pj pants.

For Caitlyn I used some cool printed cotton poplin (I think) that I picked up at Spotlight in Ballina. I used Simplicity 3577 in the child/teen large and added 2 inches to the length.  Due to a fabric shortage I didn't have enough for the waistband casing (and no elastic) so I cut the waist at the height of the medium size.  I hope this makes sense :)

 
I ended up using a soft spotty elastic for the waistband.  Due to Cait's long legs I couldn't even hem these properly, they're just overlocked!  That child is nearly as tall as I am.

I've been doing quite a lot of simple batch sewing lately but I have plans for a couple of winter white garments and I need to finish my nephew's quilt, we'll see what pushes to the front of the queue :D

Who you calling Koi?

Ok, so it's a very corny blog title but it's the best I can do at the moment.

I hope I don't have another week like the last for a very long time.  I was so exhausted on Friday night that Wade gave me a 10pm curfew!  I was desperate to spend some time in my sewing room and I had very limited brain capacity so I decided to make myself another pair of Amy Butler Lounge Pants.

I bought this koi print flannelette at Spotlight recently with the lounge pants pattern in mind.  There's nothing nicer than a pair of cozy comfy flannel pj pants on a cold day.  The only thing I did differently to last time was to add an extra 2 inches to the length and leave off the hem bands ( I haven't touched the coat I mention in that post, it's still waiting to be sewn up).

These pants are designed for comfort, not figure flattery (on me anyway), but I love them.  The fabric makes me smile, they feel terrific and I finished them before my imposed bedtime!  Now I just need to make a pj top to go with them.

Sweet Dreams

During Paige's recent hospital stay we spent a little bit of time looking at projects on Pinterest.  This one really caught her eye, so I thought we'd do our own version.  

I used the slim fit style from Ottobre Design 301 (The best t-shirts) pattern in a size 140.  I added an extra 8 inches to the bottom and scooped an extra inch out of the front neckline (it was really high last time I made it).  This time I also used contrast bands to hem the sleeves.  The only thing I'm not 100% happy with is the slight wave in the neck band, but for a nighty it's not a big deal.  The fabrics are all great cotton lycra blends from Spotlight several years ago.  Unfortunately Spotlight don't seem to sell it anymore which is a real shame because it's decent quality at a reasonable price.

At the moment I'm only able to sew in about 20 minute sessions so it took 3 nights to make this - one night to cut out, one night to do the applique and one night to put it all together.  Paige is happy with the final result and I just loved getting to spend a little time in my sewing room.

Expect a few more kids projects to show up here, Paige has shot up several inches since last winter and is in desperate need of new clothes.

A little Christmas spirit

In my ever expanding fabric stash is a very small selection of Christmas fabrics - pretty little pieces that I just couldn't resist.  

To assuage my guilt for stockpiling fabric I had no plans to use I made the girls some Christmas pyjama pants using the Little Nighty Night Favorite Things pattern.  I then promptly added to my general fabric stash during a flying visit to Spotlight.

It's nearly time for me to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly, put my feet up and enjoy the general craziness of Christmas.  From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

Funky PJs and other bits and pieces

The kids picked out some funky flannel at Spotlight a little while back and I finally got the chance to make them up - just as the weather starts to warm up :)

There's really not much to say - I used Butterick 5853 for the two animal print pairs and Simplicity 3577 for the white pair.  The all had over an inch taken off the top of the waist and I had to add bands to the bottom of the Simplicity pair because the stated finished length was significantly shorter than the actual finished length!  I did laugh when I was reading How good is that and saw that she'd used the same fabric for her pj pants.

While I was on a bit of a roll in the sewing room I finally made myself a cushion for my chair.  Nothing too fancy - just a simple envelope with a little piping but I love the bright yellow scissor print.

And my final piece of miscellaneous sewing?  A giant bag, a tent bag to be exact.  The bag our tent was stored in disintegrated so Wade asked me to make him a new one.  It never hurts to have a few brownie points in the bank so I used some old fabric that we found at his parents house and made a simple drawstring bag.

Not the most glamorous sewing, but definitely very handy.  Hopefully I'll have a new dress to show you very soon.