Family Jammies (Hudson Pants +Baby Sweetie Leggings)

Okay! So they were Christmas Jammies! Sue me! I just didn’t want to put that in the title because, while they were made for Christmas, I chose to do very non-Christmas-y jammies this year. Last year I made the girls some jams and they were red and green and sparkly and they turned out very cute but I never really wanted them to wear them after the holidays were over so it was just kind of a waste.

This year I went very practical and neutral and I’m happy to say that everyone wears the jammies I made weekly if not nightly (yep, that’s me!) so it definitely paid off to steer clear of the Christmas vibes this time around.

Sometimes I’m a bit on the fence as to whether or not I should turn a make into an actual blog post. I don’t always feel like I have a ton to say about certain projects. But I’d like to post more often. And I’m the type of person who likes to read about any sewing project, so shouldn’t I be the type of person who writes about any sewing project? Also, as I’m relatively new to the garment sewing community, there are things that might be considered old news to others that are totally new news to me. I just think we should share what we know because everyone knows something different and you never know what you might learn (or share, I guess). So this post might be a little basic and also the pictures aren’t the best, but maybe it’ll help someone (or just help me remember stuff when I get around to making Christmas pajamas next year).

I reeeeaaaaally failed at taking pictures of mine and Ben’s pajamas this year. I appreciate lots of good photos so I’m aware that I’m really letting people down here. Sorry! What you get is a headless phone picture with the dog but at least my bedroom is clean! So for mine and Ben’s joggers I used the Hudson Pants pattern by True Bias. I’m always trying to save money so I was maybe planning on using the women’s version to make Ben’s pants but Ben made it clear that he wanted men’s pants, thank you very much. Sheesh! What a Prima Donna! (haha jk) So I ended up getting both the women’s version and the men’s version. For the record, I have zero regrets about this because I can tell that I will be using these dozens of more times, they are that good.

Here’s Ben’s really great picture. Okay, I know, it’s also horrible-you can barely see those pants at all! Goodness gracious! Maybe I’ll get it together next Christmas and force a Christmas photo shoot on everyone (yeah…fat chance). So for our fabric, I ordered French Terry knit from Raspberry Creek Fabric. I chose the mint for me and navy blue for Ben. I was kind of disappointed in my fabric-it started pilling after the first wear. I’d attribute it to inner thigh friction except that now it’s pilled all over, so I don’t know what the deal is. Ben’s fabric didn’t seem to have the same problem as mine and I will say that I’ve bought Brushed French Terry knit from RCF before and I totally and completely love it and the sweater I made from it has zero pilling. Also RCF has always had great customer service (and they have great prices) so I still think they are awesome.

Oh, I do want to put a plug in for Dritz 2 inch soft waistband elastic. I didn’t know this was a thing. I just that elastic was elastic and that it was all weird and hard but then I discovered the soft elastic and I totally love it. I haven’t found it in any other brand although surely it must be available? But I definitely love the Dritz kind and I highly recommend it.

I can’t remember the sizes I sewed for Ben and I, but I didn’t make any adjustments save shortening (mine), but that’s pretty standard for me. I mention it above, but we both really love our joggers. They’re very comfortable and have the perfect amount of ease in my opinion. They’re more fitted but still completely loungeable. I really want to try making a pair using a cotton jersey knit. I think it could be super comfy.

Moving on to my gals. I did take pictures with my actual camera with these gals but, for cooperation purposes, I took the photos right before bed time so that it made sense to put the jammies on in the first place. So I had to use flash lighting instead of natural, but any parents out there know that you just do what you have to do. And these girls are so darn cute that when I told them I wanted to take pictures of them wearing their pajamas, they ran and got some stuffed toys to complete the photo shoot. Ha! These gals are the best.

There is a mini version of the Hudson Pants for kiddos but I opted not to buy it because it starts at 2T and Greta was still wearing 12 month mostly, so I didn’t want to have to buy that and then still have to find or make another pattern to work for her. Maybe I’ll buy it in the future-I don’t know. Instead I used this free pattern from Petite Stitchery called the Baby Sweetie Leggings. The sizes go from newborn to 24 months. I made a size 18 month for Greta and she’ll still be able to wear them for a few more months. I made a 24 month for Wendy and I lengthened it by an inch. She loves them and wants to wear them often but the last time she wore them she said they were too small. They ride up to her calves when she’s sitting and she’s not into that; so we may have to retire her pair. I did adjust the pattern just slightly by raising the waist line slightly so that I could encase the elastic and sew on top of it (you can’t see this in the girls’ pictures but you can see the effect in the picture of my pants).

Instead of making shirts this year, I just bought sweaters they could wear night or day and I think this was the best choice ever. These girls have lots of girl cousins and, as a result, pretty much all of their clothes are hand-me-downs which is totally awesome. It was nice to get them something new and just-for-them though, especially since it filled a hole in their wardrobe. I definitely want to do the same next year. I did this for Ben as well (he got a tee shirt that says “With great beard comes great responsibility” and it cracks me up) and I think it was a success all around. As for fabric for the girls’ joggers, I just used left over from my joggers and left over from a previous project. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but sewing for kids is the best! Fit is inconsequential and you use so very little fabric.

Hello, knee stains. Yes, I wear these too often. I’ll definitely be due for a new pair come December.

Patterns: True Bias Hudson Pants (Men and Women, respectively) and Petite Stitchery Baby Sweetie Leggings
Adjustments: Shortening (mine), raising the waist (the girls’)
Fabric: French Terry knit from Raspberry Creek fabric (and Greta’s is the brushed french terry knit from the same)
Cost: Men’s Hudson Pants Pattern: $12
Women’s Hudson Pants Pattern: $12 (I got our patterns on sale but I can’t remember the discount. This is the standard price)
4 yards of french terry: about $32
2 inch elastic: $5
Thread, elastic for the girls, and Greta’s fabric was all from the stash
Would I make this pattern again?: Yes, definitely. I really loved the Hudson Pants pattern. It’s a great basic and it fit both Ben and I well right out of the hypothetical envelope. The Baby Sweetie Leggings were also good. They are very basic but I was on a bit of time crunch so that was welcome. I could definitely see myself using this pattern again in the future, although both my girls might be grown out of the size range by next year.