Christmas PJs

Everyone has traditions around the holidays. In our family it is the yearly Christmas pjs. 

This year I used two patterns for our yearly pjs: the Patterns for Pirates pj pants pattern (free! And awesome) and the Blank Slate Blanc tee (free if you are a member of their Facebook group or if you purchase another pattern of theirs). These are really doll clothes patterns. Super simple shapes, minimal finishing of you use a serger, and easy to make multiples. 

Eldest got the shorts version of the pants and the short sleeve version  of the tee because her apartment runs warm. I made flannelette long pants in a funky science print for youngest with a short sleeve tee, and added a pair of flannelette shorts in a hearts and skulls print for fun.  Adopted child got long knit pants and a pair of shorts from the science print. I got long pants and a short sleeve tee. I lived dangerously and added a seam on the pants for fun. 

What are your holiday sewing traditions? Do you sew gifts or just hope to get through sewing for yourself?

A perfect wardrobe formula?

Wardrobe planning according to the ‘experts’  is one of those odd things where the list comes before real life. You all know what lists I am talking about. The ones that start ‘every closet should  have a coloured blazer, white pants and this printed blouse. Or two tops, two bottoms in colour, the same in colour b, then mix and match prints. I’m not saying mix and match is bad; I just think that starting with a generic must have list misses the point. The way to plan a functional wardrobe is not to blindly follow a random list some dude came up with that has nothing to do with you, your life, your style and your current reality. 

Realistic wardrobe planning comes down to one question: What do you really wear?

What do you put on at o’dark o’clock when you are stumbling for the coffee and then out the door?  Is it the silk blouse with the wool and cashmere skirt or the comfortable but slightly dressy tee with the nice pants? Are you putting on a uniform? A suit? Sweats and a tee as your kids run for the bus? I have spent years researching wardrobe planning. I am going to say this right out: there is not a magic formula.  No perfect number of items or perfect list someone else came up with. You need to make the things you want to wear for the life you have. 

A perfect wardrobe plan is the one that helps you stand blearily in front of you closet and walk away ready for the day, day in and day out. If you are a CEO, your closet is going to be full of suits. If you are a park ranger, your closet is going to be full of clothing suitable for the rugged outdoors.  If you are a teacher, you are going to have that soft creative look at me twist so your job is easier. If you live in Canada where there is snow and rain and sleet, you are going to need more coats than someone who lives on the sunny coast of Australia. 

SWAP, sewing with a plan, started on the sunny coast of Australia, where multiple layers are not needed for a dressy office life. A winter coat suitable for -30c was never on the formula list. My life and the climate I live in changes the lists that would make the perfect wardrobe formula.

If you are new to wardrobe planning, start with where you are now.  

First, take a picture of what you are wearing every day for a month. Make a list of all the things you do-the every day regular and the not so regular (funeral? Black tie awards ceremony?).  Figure out your comfortable ideal- what outfits and proportions make you forget your clothing and focus on the tasks? 

Then figure out what is missing. What are your wardrobe holes? The funeral dress? The nice suit for an interview? Jeans that do not have holes? Dressier tops for those endless zoom meetings? Those are where you should start when you plan your sewing. 

Sewing, when done well, slides effortlessly into the life you have right now.  

Updates (and bad pictures)

Apparently, changing from a level up plan to a real life plan is good for production.  I’ve made, and fixed, the maxi dress.  I’ve made a casual dress using a stashed black with daisies dress that I do not remember buying (hmmm—how long has that been in the personal fabric story??).  I also made a third black dress that had its challenges.

Bwahaha, yes—challenges.  That is what we will call them.  Challenges.  Ever tried to deal with an air threading serger that has a blocked channel? Enough said.

Dress 1: (I have no idea why the picture is sideways):

Maxi dress, crossover empire bodice, three quarter sleeves.
Rayon poly Lycra fabric. 

I’m cloning a brown dress that fits me perfectly that I don’t wear because it is brown and it doesn’t have pockets.  This took 2 m of rpl.  I used a free dress pattern from the blog: itsalwaysautumn.  I’m lucky to be the same size and I have the same life vibe.  I shortened the suggest skirt length 6” and the bodice length an inch. I lengthened the sleeve to three quarters, and added pockets to the skirt.  Love it, feels like wearing pjs.

Dress 2:  (why is my selfie sideways?)

This is the same pattern, just below knee length, in a printed mystery knit crepe.  Not yet hemmed though I did wear it at school already.  I need to learn to use my cover stitch machine before I can hem it.  But the fabric doesn’t fray.

Dress 3: (but, why is this one the right way around?? So weird!)

Same pattern.  This is a very fine weight double faced double knit.  One side is silver, the other side is black.  It has a shine and drape but not a lot of stretch. I eked the dress out of just under 2m of fabric.  The dress is tight, and will probably end up as a back up piece unless I lose weight (always possible though unlikely). If I manage to fine the plain rayon poly Lycra I wanted to use for this dress, I will definitely remake it.

Sewing this dress was a comedy of errors.   I ran out of top thread in my sewing machine while I was top stitching the side seam and didn’t notice.  I ran out of looper thread on my new to me serger and didn’t notice.  The air threader on the serger didn’t work because the  tube was clogged from me running out of thread.  It took Hubbie and I at least half an hour to figure out how to clear the tube and then how to thread the machine because the instructions did not work.  I don’t know why.  I eventually threaded fishing line through the tube on the lower looper, tied the thread on, and pulled it through.  After that, the machine just purred along.  There must be some trick with the air threaded serger I don’t know yet.

Overall:
I love this pattern.  I will definitely make this pattern again (and again lol).  The shape suits my body and it is comfortable. Here are pictures from the first three dresses.  (And I have no idea why they are sideways, again...)

New Year, New SWAP

Apparently once a year I come back here and start again. The fabric cave is overflowing, my friends.  The fact that I am not sewing post concussion is pretty apparent.  Yeah—I can sew, I do sew.  But my brain currently shuts me down before I have enough energy to actually sew anything.  That said, it is SWAP time on Artisan Square Sewing Guild. For the last two years, I have planned an EF inspired swap and not finished more than one item.  This year, I swear it will be different.  This year I will compete.

(Cue hysterical laughter and many people muttering—sure you will, including both of my children).

The rules are pretty easy: 11 items, 1 or 2 have to go with everything, 2 can be made previously (1 can even be bought).  Other than that—go for it.

These are the rules that dreams are made of.  This is Dress SWAP rules.  Honestly: 9 dresses, 2 sweaters may actually be my SWAP.

I’ve been sewing Capsules that work together in my colours for at least seven years now and I have clothing that works for my lifestyle.  Wash and wear, smart casual, cute and curved, just one step up from stay at home mom.  I teach primary school—down on the carpet, playing with glitter and glue and mucky fingers.  I love silk, wool and dry clean only fabrics in theory; my life, she be wash and wear. I’m not quite at the point of only wearing pull on gym pants but I love pull on stretch woven dress pants and tees and nice sweaters.  I currently have a dearth of dresses that are suitable for my life.

So, if I was going to do SWAP (who am I kidding? I am doing this) I would end up doing two different SWAPs and one would be all dresses.  And every single one of those dresses would have pockets. Every day dresses that work with my current run through the playground but still look nice to talk to parents and the admin along with a few that would work for graduation and for choir events where I need dressy black.

If I was going to do a Dress SWAP it would look like this:

Two sweaters: one black (which I already own) and one that I would knit on my knitting machine
Cross over bodice black flowered maxi, three quarter length sleeves
Black ballet neck full skirt dress, casual fabric (rayon Lycra jersey)
Black ballet neck full skirt dress, 3/4 sleeve, black stretch velvet
Black eyelet, boat neck dress with pleated skirt
Knee length cross over bodice dress, 3/4 circle skirt (likely not black though the print may have a black background)
Ballet style Tank dress with Aline skirt (maybe not black, though seriously, black would just be easier—this could be lace over rayon Lycra jersey or it could be a print or it could be teal)
Cross over bodice dress, cap sleeves, three quarter skirt, side pockets (blue or rose)
Cap sleeve dress, Aline, woven, with pockets, knee length (able to be colour blocked, using quilting cottons or the cute blue flowered print currently marinating in my stash).

I need the universal little back dress (people in my life keep getting older, getting cancer, getting frail) and I need a comfortable graduation dress this year that will manage both hot (no air conditioning) and cold (who turned the air conditioning up to arctic?).   And it would be fun.  No worrying about what goes with what.  It all goes with a sweater.  Maybe that will be my inspiration phrase.  

So, what are your SWAP plans?