project file

I just wanted to share some really simple projects that I've done lately. I haven't had much time for sewing, which is why it took me so long to make, or get around to making, many of these things.

First, I made the older kids summer pajamas. I HATE paying for pajamas, but I probably didn't save much money considering how cheap they have pajamas for sale at the dreaded Walmart. For these I bought a pack of 5 boys white undershirts to use as the tops. Fortunately for me, my kids are the same size so I only had to buy one pack. I dyed some of the shirts, while some I left white, then I appliqued designs from the fabric I made the shorts out of. Again, I only had to use one pattern (which I drew myself) because my kids are the same size. Though I did the hem of Alexis' a little shorter.


Those shirts are supposed to be black, but the dye didn't do the greatest job and I'm too lazy to dye them again. They are pajamas after all, they don't need to look that cute. I made three pairs for Tyler and two for Alexis. Which, of course, she demanded an explanation for. Does "Because." count as an explanation?

I also made Ryan a hooded towel, something I've been meaning to do since he was 2 months old. This is made out of a bath towel and half a matching hand towel. I added a pleat in the back to make it wrap around him a little better, and cut an "R" out of a really cheap washcloth and threw that on the towel too.

And then I attempted to take pictures of him using it, which really didn't go well.


This last project isn't a sewing project and is the one I'm most excited about. Ryan's room has been left mostly undecorated. We had grand plans for putting in a chair rail and painting the bottom half of the room orange, and then unemployment happened and we figured we should save our monies. But then we never got back to doing anything about it until a few months ago when I found this idea on a blog and knew I had to do it.

Jeremy cut the wood out for me and then I sanded and painted it. And then I attempted to nail one little nail in, which convinced him that he should do that part for me. He didn't so much love that, but he loves me so he persevered. And as he told someone yesterday, it was my project, not his, so it didn't have to be perfect. That's how we work around here.

After doing all the hard work of nailing, I thought he'd want to do the fun job of winding the thread around the nails, but he didn't think that sounded like fun. I'm here to tell you, it is FUN! Go make this, I urge you.




And that, among many other things, is what we have been up to lately.