Sunday, February 14, 2010
Oliver + S
About a month ago I received my Oliver + S Bedtime Story Pajama Pattern. I decided right after Christmas, after reading SouleMama's post about the solstice PJs she sewed for her kids, that I would move toward doing the same for my kids, and my nieces, for this Christmas (Christmas 2010). When I was a kid, my Great Aunt Ella could always be counted on to provide us with new PJs for Christmas photos. Our tradition was that we were allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and it was heavily recommended that it be Aunt Ella's gift.
Our Christmas this year was also full of commercialism. Far more than I had hoped for, far more than I wanted. And so, in my "lead by example" year, I am making the gifts. Knowing that a) I don't have much time for sewing and b) I won't want to sew from April through September (I will be otherwise engaged in my backyard), I decided to start now, starting with the smallest pair.
The kimono top shown in the photo (size 18-24 month) is made from organic cotton fleece, sewn with the fleecy side in (it's substantial enough that there isn't a clear front or back to the fabric) with conventional flannel used for the trim. The best part: I BOUGHT THE ORGANIC COTTON FLEECE LOCALLY. Atlantic Fabrics in Dartmouth is now stocking a limited amount of organic cotton!! I was so excited I actually thanked the staff when they cut the fabric for me (I bought the last 6.5 m, so hopefully they've restocked by now).
The pattern is very simple, easy to follow. The sleeves are done in a way that does not require easing in, so if anyone has had trouble with sleeves in the past, it takes out the difficult part of sewing in a curve and making sure your two circles are the same size!
The most difficult part about this project is that the fleece is so thick it's actually a little hard to sew when it's folded over in a hem. When you get 3-4 layers together, it's starting to make my sewing machine chug a little - it's a Kenmore, very basic, but has always done the job for me.
I've got the top 90% done, only hemming left to do, and the pants will come together pretty quickly.
I realize that white is probably not the best choice for children's PJs, but I couldn't resist the organic cotton, and the fleecy fluffiness is some of the nicest I've seen - who wouldn't want to snuggle down in jammies that feel THIS soft? I've got enough to make a really big pair for mama too!
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