christmas robe

His new clothes modelling face?

Technically this is supposed to be a Christmas present, but I had to get a post up before the end of the month and I just wasn't feeling the empty robe pics.  On the bright side he seems to like it which rather surprised me.

Just give me the cookie!

Despite all the holiday madness which has overtaken my house I'm trying to keep up with the Sewing for Boys sew-along as well as Sew Weekly challenges (why I decided to join the Sew Weekly right before the holidays I can't remember but I am enjoying it so far).

mmm... cookie

This is installation 1 of coordinating Christmas PJs for the whole family (omg I'm so excited to make everyone wear their PJs on Christmas!)  Hopefully I can piece together enough fabric for some matching pants.

that's right, I'm a professional model

This pattern is divine!  Much better than the pattern I used for my robe with well written instructions.  Of course that's exactly what I've come to expect from Sewing for Boys.  If you're at all on the fence about buying this book just do it it's worth it!

I get paid in cookies

The fabric is some sort of flannel I got at the thrift.  It was wonderfully cheap (about 5 yards for $2.50) so I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth.  I'll be even happier if I can eek out those PJ pants though.  I already made a pair of PJ pants for hubby out of this fabric so I really didn't have enough to do the full lining nor did I have any flannel in the stash so I just cut the two front pieces to do a facing.

Umm.. yeah.  I'm really short on fabric at this point so I used that fleece for the bottom front lining pieces.

I machine sewed the side seams of the lining down by stitching in the ditch and they hand sewed it down around the sleeve and collar.  I love the clean finish of the hand stitching.  All in all this robe is a win and I'll make this pattern again whenever I have the occasion.

see my beautiful hand stitching?  that's right: you don't cuz it's invisible!

too late for the party....

I stumbled across the pyjama party sew along far too late to participate.  Actually I discovered it the day it was ending (I don't know how people find out about these things in a timely manner!) and cried a little because I know I need new PJs and I wanna play =(

I might've tried to bang something out really quick, but without a pattern I didn't think it was happening.  I did stumble upon a pattern sale a short time later though and got (among others) Easy Endless Options M5248 with one thing in mind: new PJs for me.

I needed the robe most of all because both of my robes mysteriously disappeared last time we moved.  I'm still not fully convinced that my husband didn't have anything to do with that, seeing as how both robes had certainly seen better days.

PJ shorts are next (for summer, which it allegedly is) followed by pants because basically everything I sleep in is worn out...

So worn out I'm too embarrassed to show them off.

So worn out I can't even hang out around the house in them because what if someone rings the doorbell?!  

Now you know that's bad.  I don't usually care cuz, hey, it's my house, but answering the door like that might be bordering on public indecency.

But back to the robe:

It's a relatively heavy cotton flannel from a thrifted Martha Stewart bedsheet (because recycling is... a good thing).  If you don't understand that reference watch 5 minutes of her show and you'll get it.  I actually love the fabric, it's soft and warm and is a subtle white and light brown (or lord help me I suppose beige?) floral.

The pattern calls for interfacing in the shawl collar but I left it out worrying it would be too stiff.  It's not an Oxford shirt after all, just a comfy hangin' around the house sorta thing.  I'm satisfied with it this way, the cotton flannel has a lot of body to it anyway.

I'm not a flasher, just trying to show the pockets I added.  What is a robe without pockets?  Useless!  You've seen that fabric before.  I'm using wherever I can in hopes of using most of it up.  Still most of the fitted and all of the flat sheet to go.

I actually used the pocket pattern and method of attachment from the Darling Ranges dress pattern.  Not that it would've been hard to draft those pockets.  They're nice and inconspicuous from the outside.

I would've preferred patch pockets on  each front, but I ran way short of material.  I had to piece the second front facing.  My main failing is that I didn't realize there were front facings til it was too late.  It might've been possible with great planning, but as it is there's hardly anything left over.  I don't think it's too noticeable, though.

You can see the pattern well here, it's not even so much floral as it is, umm, botanical?  It's plant parts but not flowery.

I cut the XL to be sure it fit over my belly.  Of course I didn't really check the measurements first and it's huge.  But then, so am I.

Yikes right?  Not a pretty picture.  Upon checking the measurements I should've gotten the next size group down, but the website seemed pretty vague about sizing.  Oh well, they're PJs.

I'd love another one of these in some slippery fabric, and maybe a light cotton one with short sleeves...  I'll definitely try the large next time and hope it's smaller.