Christmas Jammies 2019

Merry Christmas! In real life, I’m signed off and spending time with family, but I’m writing this post ahead of time so that I can share my matching family Christmas jammies with you today!! If you’re enjoying this post today, thank you and Merry Christmas! If you’re reading this later on, thanks for being here and I hope this inspires you to make some awesome matching jammies in 2020! Also, Happy New Year either way 🙂

You guys may have noted that I have a total thing for sloths. This love was escalated even further when I found out I was pregnant, and though our daughter’s room is mostly decorated in a nice calming white / grey / green leaves theme, there is also a subtle sloth thing going on. So when I saw this super fun Christmas fabric at JoAnn, I couldn’t possibly pass it up. I calculated how much fabric I would need to make our jammies, and when it came in just slightly under the length of the whole bolt, decided that I might as well have that little extra bit on hand. Never in my life have I considered buying an entire bolt of fabric, but hey – Christmas sloths in tiny hats and scarves. You do what you have to do.

I was pretty certain that I wouldn’t be able to talk my husband into a full top and bottom pajama set, based on his reaction to Christmas jammies in the past. Though he will reluctantly give in because he loves me so much, he didn’t grow up with this tradition and isn’t a huge fan of jammies to begin with. To ease up on him a little, I opted to simply sew him a pajama tee that he could easily pair with the grey or black sweats he wears regularly around the house. I chose a pattern that I knew had worked well for him before, the Ellie & Mac Men’s Basic Tee. Though I feel pretty confident that this one will get minimal wear, I’ll be happy enough just knowing he agreed to match with us for Christmas this year!

For myself, I decided I wanted two different looks. I fell in love with the Patterns for Pirates Naughty Nice Pajamas last year when they were released, but being a brand new mama just did not have the motivation for it at that time! I was excited to sew them up this year, and I chose the long sleeve, cheeky option. I absolutely love how they turned out, and was very surprised how comfortable they are! The pattern is drafted for a height of 5’5”, and recommends adding 1.5” of length throughout the pattern for my height of 5’8”. Of course, in a hurry to make all the jammies, I completely forgot about this and realized it too late! After already wearing this around the house a few times, though, I can report back that I’ve had no issues with the length as is! 

Of note, the cheeky option is, in fact, pretty cheeky so I decided not to showcase the buns here on my blog! Knowing full well that this was likely to be the case, I also sewed up a pair of Ellie & Mac Good Vibes Joggers to wear over – and to keep me warm! In my family, we will all wear our jammies on Christmas Eve as we go to bed, and as we enjoy our coffee and coffee cake together on Christmas morning, so I needed something that would be comfy, cute, and practical – these joggers made the cut. I typically sew a size XS in Ellie & Mac patterns, but decided to size up for these. I made the more fitted version of the joggers, and didn’t want to end up with something more like a cuffed legging, so this seemed like the best option. I opted out of the pocket option, and chose the yoga waistband for pure comfort (and Christmas snack) purpose. The waistband turned out bigger than I anticipated, and in my opinion, it makes the pants look a little saggy and baggy on me. I am going to try these again soon in a slightly sturdier fabric (a knit actually meant for sweats) and with the drawstring waistband, and I am thinking that this will lead to a much better fit! This material, though absolutely precious, does not have the best recovery, so I think fabric choice really does play a role here! If you’re interested in trying these joggers, they are on sale for only $1 today for Wacky Wednesday – as always, I’ve linked them below!!

Lastly, the littlest (and cutest!) member of the family! I had considered mixing and matching a few patterns that I already know and love, but then I came across the Ellie & Mac Grow With Me Pajamas and that was that. There are SO many options with this pattern – top and bottom or nightgown, ruffles (in multiple areas!) or no ruffles, lengthened “grow with me” cuffs or standard pajama cuffs, an optional faux ruffle placket… Not to mention all of the color blocking opportunities! I chose the grow with me set with a bodice ruffle and I LOVE the outcome. These pajamas are so cute on her! Though I doubt that either the top or bottom will still fit her next year, even with the unrolled, lengthened cuffs, I love that this option exists in this pattern. In the end, I had more fabric leftover on that bolt than I anticipated, and I’m thinking that I will be able to make her some new jammies over the next couple of years, and my husband and I can just keep on matching in this set for quite a while.

Are matching (or random!) Christmas jammies a tradition in your family? This was always one of the moments I most looked forward to about Christmas when I was a kid! We would attend a CHristmas Eve church service, followed by dinner at my grandparents’ to celebrate both Christmas Eve and my Mimi’s birthday! At the end of the night, my cousin and I would each get to open one present – Christmas jammies!! We’d scurry upstairs to change into them, then run back downstairs for our final hugs and kisses of the night. I’d watch the skies for Santa all the way home, and set out milk and cookies as soon as we arrived. As a kid, I had a Raffi Christmas cassette that I’d fall asleep to on Christmas Eve, and I remember that wild mix of excitement and anticipation that made me so tired yet far too wired to fall asleep easily. 

I can’t wait to see those same emotions in my sweet girl over the years. She’s not so sure what Christmas means yet, but so far has enjoyed the Christmas tree and the lights on the house. She’s not a fan of Santa – I haven’t heard her scream so loud since she was a tiny newborn! – but I anticipate that might even change by next year! I’ll be spending the rest of the day taking too many pictures and enjoying our time with family. I hope that you all have something similar in store! 🙂

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Pajamas: handmade by me
Pattern: Ellie & Mac – Men’s Basic Tee
Pattern: Ellie & Mac – Good Vibes Joggers
Pattern: Ellie & Mac – Grow with Me Pajamas
Pattern: Patterns for Pirates – Naughty Nice PJs
Fabric: JoAnn – Doodles Juvenile Apparel Fabric – Blue Heather Holiday Sloth
Accent Fabric: JoAnn – Knit Prints Pima Cotton – Red White Thick & Thin Stripe  

Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker / Serger
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)

Though two of the patterns used in this post were generously provided to me by the awesome team at Ellie & Mac, all words and opinions expressed are my own, as always! Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!

• XX Elizabeth