Ruffled PJs and Nutta Fabric

Today I have two different tours to tell you about and I couldn’t be more excited about sharing them with you.  When I was first approached I didn’t realize the days were the same, but what a happy mistake; the two pair perfectly.  They are the Nutta Fabric Shop Tour and the Ruffled PJs Holiday Tour.  Let’s start with the fabric…. cause everything starts with the fabric, right? hehe.

My friend Shino (remember she hosted the Sew Japanese series?) was living in the US when I first “met” her online.  I am so thankful to have met her because she really gave me the nudge I needed to jump into japanese pattern sewing, which I adore.  Since that time she has moved her family back to Japan and having access to amazing japanese fabrics, she has opened an online fabric shop.  The shop is called Nutta Fabric and you can find it here on Etsy.

via instagram

She sent me two fabrics of my choice and knowing I’d be making some holiday pjs I went straight for the flannel.  The wine red plaid is pretty much the softest flannel I’ve ever touched.  I absolutely need to buy more.  In the description she mentions that it’s lighter and softer than other flannels, but I just can’t believe the feel of it.  It’s so cozy and even though it’s light-weight, I am convinced it will keep Bean super warm at night.

The second fabric I chose mainly so it would coordinate with the flannel.  I was looking for a knit because I wanted to use knit for the bodice of the pjs (more on those in just a minute, I promise!), but when I saw this wine red double knit I knew I had to have it.  Now you all know about my obsession with double gauze right?  I think that double knit might be right up there now.  Like the flannel, this double knit blew me away with its softness.  It has a lot of stretch, but seems to have great recovery so it’ll be useful in lots of clothing items.  The stitches that keep the knits together (to make it double knit) look almost like sparkles on the wine red side.  The other side of this reversible fabric is a slightly off-white-almost-grey color that is equally as lovely.

So before I tell you about the sale parts of the tours, let’s jump to the Ruffled PJs for a minute.  You guys….. I love this pattern.  I’ll be honest, I don’t sew the top of the Ruffled PJs as often as I should, but those PJ bottoms are my absolute favorite woven pj pants pattern.  I don’t do a lot of funky fabrics for Bean’s clothes, but when it comes to pajamas I let her pick out some character or whatever crazy thing she’s into at the moment fabrics.  Hence the sugar skull pants, hehe.

I helped pattern test this Once Upon a Sewing Machine pattern when it came out originally, and I’m happy to say I’ve come back to it time and time again.  The two ladies (mother/daughter team) from OUSM are super nice and I feel lucky to call them friends, but more importantly they are great designers.  Donna was a professional seamstress in her early married years and I can tell you from experience that the more you sew, the more you know.  Her years of sewing skills/knowledge have been passed down to Rachel who is no slouch herself.  I am always impressed with the fit of the clothes she sews for herself, which you know is WAY more difficult that fitting clothes for our little ones.

Okay, let’s get to the good stuff.  I made a few changes to the top this time around, but nothing too crazy.  I omitted the extra ruffle at the waist as I was afraid the knit would pull too much with the bulk of the flannel.  I did use some 1/4″ elastic stretched slightly and sewn directly to the bodice/skirt seam to keep the flannel gathers neat and I love how it turned out.  The original pattern also calls for a back button or snap placket, but with the double knit fabric I decided to make it seamless in the center back.  All I did was slide the back bodice pattern piece about an inch off the edge of the fold of the fabric at the center back and cut the rest of the pattern piece the same.  I knew the double knit had lots of stretch so I didn’t worry too much about being exact about it.  I also didn’t line the bodice.  I mean the knit is DOUBLE KNIT already, hehe.  So I just turned over the neckline and topstitched it in place.

The only other change was to leave the sleeves with just a hem instead of the elastic.  I liked the idea of bell sleeves to wrap herself up in at night.  That must be a thing with me, cause I did it with the nightgown the other day too, hehe.  I just think being able to kind of pull your hands in the sleeves is super cozy.  The pants I left exactly as is.  I love them and wouldn’t change a thing!

Nutta Fabric is having a sale through the end of the tour which is December 8 so use the coupon code THANKS20 to save 20% off everything in the shop.  I think I’m going to use the code to grab some of this gorgeous fabric before it’s gone!  And Once Upon a Sewing Machine is selling the Ruffled PJ pattern for only $5 until the 6th, no coupon needed.  Seriously guys, at $5 I feel like even if you only have boys the pattern is worth it in the bottoms alone.  Lastly, Nutta is running a giveaway during the tour, so be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway