Handmade Sleepwear for my Boys.

Seems like everyone who sews makes sleepwear for their kiddos at Christmas. I opted to make some, too. But I didn’t use  Christmas theme fabric since I sort of dislike seeing Christmas theme PJ’s in April.




I used flannel from JoAnn fabric. And I LOVE how they turned out. The boys love them, too. Note: I will probably not purchase flannel at JoAnn’s again. The flannel is already looking a bit worn after two (!) washes. Bummer. Maybe more expensive flannel would hold up better? I’m open to trying some next year.


I love making PJ’s, but it’s hard to justify the time spent per pair when you can buy PJ’s for so little at the store. (Especially since I’ve discovered Gymboree and their sale racks.) 



I used Shwin and Shwin’s free pj pattern. I extended the legs and arms like she suggests for my older child, who is into a size 6 and is extremely tall and slim. This pattern was extremely easy to follow—I don’t use a lot of patterns. But I’ve found the printable ones from online are exponentially easier to follow than ones from books or paper patterns.


I made facings for the cuffs and hem of the pj shirts. I did this because I forgot to cut the shirt longer for my size 6 child and was afraid it would be too short if I hemmed it as it was.
My 3-year old’s pj pants are really too long, but he’s growing, too. He’s a little more normal in the width department for his age/size.



I added the cuff facing since I thought the sleeves would be too long and we could roll them back, then roll them down as the boys grew. Turns out, the cuffs already fit just fine in the rolled down position.


I’d been saving the large blue buttons for a special project. I made these pjs and knew this was the perfect project to use them. I only had three so I spaced them out accordingly.

In addition to the pjs, I made a fleece bathrobe for my oldest. I used part of my bathrobe tutorial to make the robe (mostly for drafting the pattern) but since I have a serger now, I did not line the robe. I just serged the seams (which was unnecessary since it is fleece and won’t fray) but seemed nicer.



He loves fire trucks. Fabric is from Hobby Lobby. (Love that store, wish there was one a little closer to where we live!)



Sorry for the awful pictures taken at night with artificial lighting, but this way I can share pictures of what I made for Christmas before May. Sorry about the shoes and clutter, but that’s my life. I need to figure out a shoe storage solution!



I did line the hood. Now that I see picture of my oldest son wearing the robe, it would have been good to try and match the pattern a bit. Live and learn.



I love making things for my boys. I have so many ideas. I am seeing the need to purchase quality fabrics. Normally I go for frugality over function. But I want the items I make for my oldest to last through all three boys.

Also, now that I have a serger and have been using patterns, items are fitting the boys better than when I was trying to make my own patterns.

The littlest guy in my family didn’t get any handmade pjs for Christmas. The pattern didn’t come in his size and since he can’t hand them down to anyone, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to the effort of making them.

I made all these items way in advance of Christmas. That was good since the entire week prior to Christmas, everyone was sick (except me!) Which was good since I took care of all the sick men in my family.