Its Pajama Time!

I spent the day outside cutting out flannel pajamas.  That might seem like a strange thing to you, but it has become quite common for me to do things like that so no one around here ever even notices any more.  Anyway, I have a cupboard out in my studio filled to bursting with flannel fabrics, and I would like to have some of that space for other things (I am thinking that the screens for my screen printing system might fit in there).  I know the boys are both going to need new winter pajamas this year so I figured I would just cut them all out now and get them out of the way.  I make the boys new pajamas every summer, and since their pajamas seem to last them about two years, I alternate between summer pajamas one year and winter ones the next.  So far it has worked well.  This year is flannel.  I couldn't find the pattern I used the last couple of years, but I have several, so I just picked a different one, it is easier, but wastes a lot more fabric.  So as I have been cutting out the pieces for their pajamas I have been cutting the leftover pieces into 6 1/2" strips.  And I have been doing some creative piecing on the pajamas as well since there wasn't always enough of the fabric to make a whole set of pajamas, some have different sleeves, and I don't think any of the pants match the shirts, but the boys will love them and that is all that matters.  They will all be finished with rib knit cuffs and collars so they will still for a couple of years.

I got six and a half sets cut out today, and I put things "away" so that it will be relatively easy to get back to it after I finish the mail tomorrow.  I set up in the back yard today because I knew it was going to get hot, and I can stay in the shade most of the day out back.  A couple of years ago I figured out that I could cut out the pajama pieces with my big rotary cutter, so I covered my outdoor work table with cutting mats and went to work.  My husband still gives me funny looks when I take all of my cans of tuna fish outside, but they work great to weigh down the tissue paper patterns (especially when it is breezy!) and I can just zip around each piece with the rotary, mark the notches that I need, and then throw the piece into the stack.  No pins, no scissors, no problem!  I don't worry about precision, close enough is good enough, they are kids pajamas after all, and its not like any body else will ever see them.

I will probably spend another day cutting flannel, that should give me at least two empty shelves, and then I will have to dig out the boxes with knit fabrics so I can find the rib knit that I need.  I really am trying to get rid of as much fabric as I can.  I literally have thousands of yards of all different types of fabrics and it is taking over my whole world.  So I am trying to sell it on eBay (the stuff that people might actually be willing to pay for anyway), and use the rest of it in as many ways as possible.

I really want to move back to my home town, the sooner the better as far as I am concerned.  But I am NOT looking forward to moving all of that fabric, or all the other crap we have either for that matter.  So the more of it I get rid of, or use, the less i have to move (don't fuck with my logic on this one, I know if I just turn it into other stuff that we keep I still have to move it, so don't remind me!).  Mostly I would really like to be able to work in my studio again, and right now I can barely turn around in there!  That was what started me cutting the pajamas today, I went out to try to re-organize and clean up a little and decide it would be easier to put things away if there was less stuff in there.  I still have lots of stuff I need to get listed on eBay that is being stored out there too, maybe now that I have finished my husbands latest project he will give me a little time off from his stuff to work on my own.  Some how I doubt that, but a girl can dream...

In the mean time, I will have a couple more empty shelves in my cupboard and the boys will each have several new sets of pajamas for whenever it cools off again.  And I will have more flannel blocks ready for the next time I am ready to sew them together.  I didn't really need more of those, but I will use them, eventually, and they take up less space than the uncut fabric.  At any rate, at least I am keeping busy, and even sort of being productive, so I call it a good day, now I just have to haul the serger into the house to sew these things together!