In the interest of sanity and a few winks of sleep, I made a last minute decision to let go of making five pair (five pair!) of Solstice Pajamas this holiday season. (I traditionally have a new Mama-made pair under the tree for everyone.)
It was January 5th before anyone noticed the absense of them.
I'm going to take that as a sign not that no one notices Mama's handmades (that can't be true, can it?), but rather that they will not be permanently scarred or suffer life-long emotional damage because of the absence of matching sibling pajamas on December 22nd, 2011.
Phew.
So here we are in January, with all that lovely flannel in queue (it's luscious!), a long winter still ahead (once it actually starts), and growing little bodies to cover up in warmth. And well, now that they've been alerted that something was missing, they're all quite intent on reminding me that they would, in fact, love those Jammies, please and thank you.
This weekend, wIth my studio assistant at my side (see above), I started in on the pile. Working from the middle child out (the middles always need an extra boost, right?), Adelaide was first. I used my favorite nightgown pattern - Butterick B4910. It's so slick and, made a little long, they fit for such a long time. Quite simple, too -I can make one in about as much time as my studio assistant is happy with a ball of yarn and chit-chat with Mama (do you see that? Reaching for the yarn over the toy? That's my girl).
The golden fabric is Anna Maria Horner's In The Clearing, and I'm sorry I don't remember the source of the grey and pink polka dots.
Have I shown you my size tag trick? I can't remember if I've shared this here before or not. This girl of mine is not a fan of those annoyingly itchy tags. (I get that.) But I find the tags enormously helpful in the sorting and organizing of clothes to hand on down to the next little one. So... some time ago, I started putting the tags in, but with a little flap of soft fabric over it. So only the flannel touches the skin, but the size tag is still hiding there for me to see.
Soft and cozy flannel nightgowns. Just right for before-dinner chess, late night painting, horse dreaming and staying warm. For the life of me, I can't keep socks or slippers on her feet, but Papa's snowboard boots? Well, that's another story. She's talking about ditching her skis and trading them in for a snowboard. I can see it. Pajamas and all.
(melissab just reminded me of this. Yes!)
