What Does the Fox Say? PJ's

Is there was one thing that you could make over and over again, what would it be? For me, that thing is PJ's. Sewing can be pretty repetitious sometimes, and there are plenty of times when I'm bored or just not into it - like when I'm making pants. I'd rather chew on a sweat sock than make a pair of woven pants with a functioning fly.

I'm not sure what it is exactly that I love about making PJ's, but I think it has something to do with all the fun prints that you find with kid's PJ's. As my babies get older, the "cutesy" prints that I love for little kids become less acceptable for daily wear, so I focus my undying love of the cutesy prints on making PJ's (denial much?)

While I was shopping at Wal-Mart recently, I came across some fleece throws for $2.88 each for a 50x60 inch blanket. You guys. I almost died when I found these! They actually have a good amount of stretch to them, and there were SO many cute prints. I threw 6 of them in my cart and giddily ran home to sew.

Now before I say any more, please let me specify that these throws are not specifically created for use in clothing, so if you decide to make clothes with them as I have, please do so at your own risk, k?

Colder weather is happening more and more frequently here in PA, so when I found the fox printed throw shown in the picture below, I knew fleece fox PJ's had to happen. Immediately.

The pants were made using Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Alex and Anna Winter PJ's, Since the pants are made out of fleece, they're really warm and cozy. And I love the skinny fit that you get with the Alex and Anna PJ's. After I made the pants, I was able to cut out a shirt and another set of pants for my son!

So I basically got a whole outfit and a half for $2.88. You can't beat that.

And check out the adorable foxes! The only downside to using the throws is that the prints are directional, so if you wanted to cut with the stretch going sideways, the print will look a little wonky (that's why my foxes look like they're diving down in the pants above.) Let's just say they're practicing their pouncing or something? :) There are plenty of other prints that aren't as directional as this one, I just couldn't pass up the cute foxes.

And to go along with the fox PJ pants, or course I needed to make a "What Does the Fox Say" top to go with it. The shirt was made using See Kate Sew's Recess Raglan (probably my very favorite pattern that I own.) I used a white knit from Girl Charlee and some yummy yellow flocked heat transfer material from Silhouette, which happened to match the yellow leaves on the pants perfectly. I designed the wording in Silhouette Studio and cut it out. I just love the little fox face substituted for the "o"! (Any interest in the downloadable Silhouette Studio file I used for the wording in the shirt above?)

This girl loves her new PJ's and was hamming it up until we got a little photo bomber...

Meet Bear! He's actually my in-law's puppy, and he is adorable. And he knows it.

After I bought the first batch of throws, I've been back and picked up plenty more in even more adorable prints, so I'm sure this won't be the last time you hear about my fleece throw sewing :)So run, skip, frolic, whatever you need to do, and buy some fleece throws to make cozy winter PJ's!

A New Season + a New Pullover

Well hello again! It's been a whirlwind past two weeks with a new kindergartener, a new pre-schooler, and starting a new job as an assistant teacher at my son's pre-school. Happily, everyone is settling in nicely and most of my nerves are intact lol. It helps that both kids are loving school, especially Haley who bounds off the bus everyday with new stories about what they did that day in kindergarten. It's only been two weeks and she's already learned how to spell several words and repeats them to me excitedly each day. Oh the kindergarten years, when school is carefree and fun. I hope she never loses her love for learning.

While the kids have been in school, I've been busy adding to their fall wardrobes, including making a couple of these awesome Pine Lake Pullovers by Peek-a-boo Patterns (released this past Thursday.) This is a pattern I tested (with no expectation of a blog post), but I just wanted to share because it's become another new fall wardrobe favorite - I even have a couple more in the works for next fall.

This one is made of a fun leopard printed fleece that I found, and a mint colored zipper for a fun pop of color. Haley loves it and, as the temperatures have started dipping into cooler digits lately, she's been wearing it to school almost every morning. She especially loves the kangaroo pocket. Is it just my daughter, or are other 5-year-olds also just as obsessed with pockets at this age? Whatever the case, she loves that she has a place to keep her hands (and some rocks) toasty on crisp mornings.

I've come to grips with the facts that my babies are growing up. I think. No promises that there won't be any tears when Connor starts school in a couple of years (there were a few when I watched my daughter board the bus), but I do love to see how proud they are of themselves when they come home having learned new and exciting things.

Here's to a new season!

CRAFT: Fleece PJ Pants

Comfy pj pants - everybody needs a pair. I, for one, have a magical pair of running pants that I like to wear. They're spandex-y, soft, and make my butt look amazing (which is an added bonus.) I originally bought them with the purpose of wearing them to the gym they never made it out of the house. When I got home that night, I threw these babies on and that's the end of the story. Sometimes, I even wear them out in public (don't tell What Not To Wear.) They're that wonderful.

I decided that my daughter needed to have a pair of heavenly lounge pants, so I grabbed my fleece stash and whipped up these babies. The winters here in PA aren't so kind, so the fleece is perfect for keeping her little buns warm all winter long. Plus, they have a pink giraffe pattern on them. And pink giraffes are just plain awesome.

SUPPLIES: pair of pants to use as a template, paper and pencil to make the pattern, fleece fabric (I got mine at Joann's), 1/2 inch elastic, disappearing ink marker. sewing machine and supplies.

ONE: fold your pants in half longways so that the front of your pants are in the fold. Pull the curve of the bum out like shown in the picture above.
TWO: trace around your pants using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Make sure to add an extra 1 1/2 inches + at the top for the casing, and an extra 2 inches at the bottom for the hem. Cut out your pattern.
THREE: fold your fabric with the right sides together and place your pattern on the fold as shown above. Trace around your pattern with your disappearing ink marker.
FOUR: cut out. Repeat for a total of 2 pieces.
FIVE: place your two pieces with the right sides together and pin from the top of your pants to the bottom of the curve. Sew.
SIX: match up the two sewn curves, and your pants should look more like pants now.
SEVEN: pin from the bottom of each leg to the other and sew.
EIGHT: your pants are almost done!
NINE: hem the bottom of your pants and create the casing for your elastic. To create the casing, fold your fleece over 1/4 inch and pin. Sew all the way around. Fold your fleece over another 3/4 inches and pin. Sew all the way around just below your previously sewn line, making sure to leave an opening to insert your elastic. Measure your child's waist and add 1/2 inch. Cut this amount of elastic out. Use a safety pin to thread the elastic through your pants, then sew the opening closed.

Comfy pants! Perfect for cuddling up on cold, lazy days.

She loves them, and her bum looks pretty cute in them too :) They're so easy, I'll be making a few more soon!

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!

Knight Party: How to Make a Knight's Tunic

If you're going to throw a medieval knight party, you have to have the traditional knightly garb, right? I mean, what is a knight without his tunic? Unfortunately, even little knights have expensive clothes. I hunted around the internet and found several outfits that were really great, but not so great on my budget. Rather than buying an expensive costume from a store, I dug into my fleece stash and came up with this awesome tunic. Why fleece? Mainly because the edges don't fray, so that meant no hemming for me and one less thing to worry about :)

Connor's been going through this stage where he sees his sister putting on princess dresses and little heels and wants to do the same, but of course my husband wants none of that. I'm hoping this little tunic will become one of his new favorite dress up outfits!


SUPPLIES: shirt to use as a template, paper for your pattern, fleece for the main fabric, 1 sheet of white felt, leather scraps, sewing machine and supplies.

Making Your Pattern:

ONE: fold your template shirt in half and place it on the edge of your paper. Trace around your shirt with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, and be sure to make the bottom longer (a little above the knees.)
TWO: cut out your template.
THREE: fold your fleece in half, right sides together. Place your pattern on the fold and trace around with chalk or disappearing ink marker.
FOUR: cut out and unfold your fabric. This is your back piece. Repeat to get your front piece but cut the neckline lower for the front.

Assembly:

FIVE: cut out a cross from some felt. Pin to the front of the tunic and sew around the edges to attach.
SIX: on the bottom of your tunic, find the middle and draw a line several inches long.
SEVEN: cut a slit as shown in the picture above, making sure to round the corners on the bottom.
EIGHT: pin the shoulders and sides together and sew the sides and shoulders only to attach.

Turn your tunic inside out and that's it! Again, since the tunic is made of fleece the edges won't fray, so I didn't bother hemming the bottom or finishing the neckline or armholes. For the belt, I simply cut a long strip of leather long enough to tie around his waist in a knot.

I made the tunic large on purpose so Connor could grow into it. It's really the perfect size for my almost 4-year-old, so hopefully it'll last him awhile. Layer a long sleeve gray shirt underneath to get more of an "armor" look. If it has a hood, even better! If you want to get really creative with everything, pair the outfit with some black leggings and boots. Since I had neither, gray pants and bare feet worked just fine for this little knight :)

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!