When I was a little girl I spent every Christmas Eve at a candlelight service with my family, then we would come home and open a few presents from my Auntie and Uncle David. I remember one special year very fondly; Auntie had gotten my sister and I each a new set of pajamas with a matching nightgown for our Barbies. Barbie and I went to bed and woke up to find Santa had come with new toys for each of us.

I was excited to learn about #SewFamilyJammies and join in making a set of matching Christmas pajamas for my husband and I. I think this is the first time my pajamas have matched someone else's since that Christmas Barbie and I shared a matching set!

I chose a classic red and black buffalo plaid snuggle flannel for our pajama pants and a black rayon spandex blend for our shirts which I purchased at JoAnn on Black Friday for 70% and 50% off! With such little time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year I was only able to finish the pajama pants before Christmas, but I do plan to make our shirts soon. I used the same pattern to make a tank top for myself earlier this summer and know I like the fit.


Since I was sewing a plaid I wanted to try to "out smart" the pattern, which had a separate front and back piece, by combining the two pieces at what would be the side seam. In my mind, this would eliminate pattern matching and some work by removing a few seams. However, the pattern was slightly rounded at the hips, so I needed to cut each piece separately. This pattern didn't come with pockets, but since the pattern does have a side seam it would be easy to add them.


I used the sewing pattern markers to make sure the plaid was aligned on the front and back pieces, then I laid one set of front and back pieces on top of the fabric, matching plaids, to cut the next set of front and back pieces. The snuggle flannel is only 42" wide and as it turns out I didn't get enough fabric for two sets of pajamas. I cut a size medium for Paul and a small for myself, after going on an extra fabric run!


I stuck to the pattern instructions, only deviating to hem the pajamas to our height and "stitch in the ditch" to tack the elastic at the side seams. I just HATE when elastic waistbands roll and wanted to prevent that. We love how they turned out.



Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Time estimate: 4 hours total
Fabric used: 100% cotton
Care instructions: machine wash gentle; no chlorine, bleach or fabric softener; tumble dry low; cool iron

Cost to Make
Pattern: gifted from my mother
Fabric: $16
*thread and elastic from my stash
TOTAL: $16


To follow the rest of the #SewFamilyJammies blog tour, visit these blogs too!

I recently participated in the #greatbigpatternswap, sending two patterns to other sewers and receiving two new-to-me patterns in the mail. I love the idea behind this swap; patterns are easy and inexpensive to mail and you get to meet other fabulous sewers all while curating a library patterns that better align with your wardrobe goals!


Each of the patterns I received were still uncut, so I got to work right away cutting them out while I asked my Instagram friends which pattern I should try first. By the time I was ready to cut into my fabric, Simplicity 1716 was in the lead by a hair. I just love the cowl neckline of views D, E, and F and had enough floral knit fabric leftover from a pair of leggings I made earlier this year that I was able to get to work right away.


The pattern called for stay tape in the shoulder seams and although I knew about this technique before making this top, I think it is the first time I used stay tape in one of my own garments. I've worn the top twice so far and the should seams are holding up well. Adding the stay tape didn't complicate the project in any way and I can see myself using it all other knit tops in the future.


I love how the back neck and arm facings turned out, although the armscye is a bit big for me. In the future I may try to slightly reduce the armscye and slightly elongate the cowl as some of the wrong side of the fabric can peak through from time to time. All in all, this pattern was a super fast sew and I loved the results. I can see adding a number of these tops into my regular work wardrobe rotation! Now to make time to sew my second new pattern...



Time estimate: 2-4 hours
Size: 12
Material used: knit print, 97% rayon and 3% spandex
Care instructions: machine wash cold, gentle cycle, line dry, cool iron as needed

Cost to make leggings:
pattern - free to me, approximately $3.50 to mail one pattern to other participant
*fabric and thread from my stash
TOTAL: $3.50

I had such a wonderful time participating in the Royal Wedding Sew Along that I decided to do another sew along! After a few detailed formal wear projects in a row I was happy to sew up this less complex vintage wrap dress for the "sew together for summer" wrap dress sew along.



This is a vintage pattern from my mother's stash and one I know fits our body type well. I have often borrowed her green paisley cotton dress from the same pattern but didn't have one of my own, until now. I think every woman needs a wrap dress in her wardrobe, its such a flattering style!


I purchased this wonderful polyester print for $7.99/yard at New Rainbow Fabrics during a spring trip to Chicago. I loved the print, but didn't know what I wanted to make with it so I purchased two yards to add to my stash. I made a few alterations to the pattern including adding pockets (see the vintage newspaper pattern piece,) removing the collar and shortening the sleeves leaving just enough fabric to make this dress and now wearing it reminds me of that trip to Chicago.



I made the dress following the pattern instructions and used a few tips I learned from my leader in the Royal Wedding Sew Along. Lindsey, from Inside the Hem, taught me to use colored transfer paper to indicate my pattern markings which was so much easier than what I had been doing. I also made my interfacings fit inside the seam width to reduce bulk.



This dress is the first time I used lace to finish the hem of a skirt. I really liked that this method allowed for maximum ease with my machine blind hem. I will certainly be using this method again!



I finished my dress with vintage hook and eye closures as well as a medium sized snap where the bust panels meet. As a finial touch I added HeatnBond under the interfacings on the front panels of the dress. This will help to keep the interfacings turned inside and, I hope, keep the snap from pulling too much.

I'm excited to see all of your summer wrap dresses!




Time estimate: 16 hours
Size: 12
Fabric used: polyester print
Care instructions: machine wash cold, gentle cycle, cool dry

Cost to make:
Pattern: borrowed
Fabric: $16
Interfacing, HeatnBond, and notions: from my stash
TOTAL: $16

I only made a muslin of the bodice and sleeves since the skirt of my pattern was wide enough I wasn't worried about fit. I cut out a size 12 based on the sizing chart on the back of the pattern and as you can see it was dramatically too large on me. I had been working ahead of Lindsey's videos and found myself pinning large amounts of fabric out of my muslin.

I put the project away for a while and I'm glad I did, because once Lindsey's videos caught up to me I learned about the finished garment measurements chart on the back of the pattern envelope. What an eye opener; I needed to be making a size eight! I sized down to an eight in both the dress and skirt, although I kept the arms a bit wider at a graded size 10. I will certainly be watching Lindsey's sizing video on repeat for future projects as well.




I had a lot of fun sourcing materials for this project. Most of the fabric and all of the other materials for this dress and fascinator were purchased from JoAnn. Its so helpful to be able to run out and purchase more, coordinating materials whenever I need them. But I also love wearing unique fabric with a story. I found the lining material at New Rainbow Fabrics during a weekend trip to Chicago and love remembering the trip each time I wear my new dress.



One of the techniques I wasn't very familiar with, but elevated the final look and execution of this garment was understitching the lining fabric. This is certainly a technique I will be using again in the near future!

A tried and true technique I used was hand basting difficult seams such as the armscye and center back. This technique always comes in helpful in difficult situations and is one I'll use again soon.

Working with satin also challenged me to learn more about the best needles to use. I had researched and was careful to use the correct needle on my sewing machine, but also learned the importance on using the correct hand needles and pins so as not to pull my fabric.



I chose this pattern because the faux wrap style bodice and full skirt are so flattering on my figure. One of the things I really liked about this pattern was the clever way the front pleats hide seams, making the three separate front skirt pieces look like one. But, my favorite part about this pattern is probably the pockets. That's right, this dress has pockets!

The dress turned out a bit short, but my only negative critique of this pattern is my limited range of arm motion. Given the fabric and lowered size combination I wasn't able to reach much above shoulder length. When I make this pattern again I will try the sleeveless version and see if that is a better fit for me.

I took the time to hand hem the sleeves and used an invisible stitch on my machine to finish the skirt hem. These finishes allowed for a more formal completed look, which was perfect for the gala I wore it to.


I used the satin remnants from making my dress and some tool from my stash to create the fascinator below, completing my royal wedding look. This was the first fascinator I made and I love the finished product. I will certainly be making a few others from this Vogue pattern when I can pull them off! My only negative critique of this fascinator is that I had to cut down the stabilizer to fit it inside the satin cover and the bottom fabric and hair clips pull away from the inner base. When I make this pattern again I will use a slightly smaller base and try to glue the bottom fabric to the stabilizer.

I also used a small square remnant to make a hand stitched pocket square for my husband. No matter my project I almost always have enough fabric left over to make a matching pocket square for him and he is always a good sport about wearing them. Not to mention the endless pictures he takes of my finished garments. Husband shout out!










Time estimate: 20+ hours
Size: 8
Material used: matte satin, 100% polyester
Care instructions: machine wash gentle cold, non chlorine bleach, line dry, cool iron

Cost to make dress:
pattern - $4.00
muslin - $10.50
fashion fabric - $20.50
lining - $2.00
zipper - $4.00
thread - $3.50
DRESS TOTAL: $44.50 plus tax

Cost to make fascinator:
pattern - $5.00
stabilizer - $4.00
hair clips - $1.5
*fashion fabric, thread, and hot glue from my stash
FASCINATOR TOTAL: $10.50 plus tax

Pocket square made from extra fabric and thread, no additional cost