Sewing...

I've tried to knit. I really have. For whatever reason, despite my dying urge to knit, I have flunked the course. I have started to sew. I started small: 6 Christmas stockings. I grew up with the standard red felt with white felt trim. I wanted something heirloomy. They were pretty easy - it seems hard to mess up a stocking. I downloaded a pattern from Martha Stewart. Eli chose the fabric. I spent a few days on them, even added some felt and jingle bells to a couple. After printing out the pattern, I enlarged it by simply drawing around it incorporating a two inch gap. I don't own a sewing machine, so I hand sew everything. It's as relaxing, I suppose, as knitting is for some. I honestly don't know what I'd do with a sewing machine. I like the simplistic process of hand sewing.
Then, I got the brilliant idea to make matching pajama bottoms for the boys. I initially wanted to make them for the whole family, but the husband does not wear pajama bottoms. Again, Eli picked out the fabric and I made fleece pajama bottoms for all the boys. After scouring the internet for patterns, I found that many people suggested to use a pair of bottoms I already have and create a pattern that way. I would have never thought of it. Also, I wouldn't have thought to fold the pants in half, so you get the curve of the crotch/bum...I would have traced out the pants by lying them flat. I love this thing called the Interweb. The blueprint savvy husband quickly pointed out what I was doing wrong when i went to pin the pattern together. Again, I was very confused to find that one piece of fabric on the other looked just like a pillow. The husband pointed out that I needed to pin the top half together, one piece of fabric on the other, then pick it up and grab each side of one panel and pin those together and repeat for the other, making two legs. I would have never figured that out alone... All the information on the web, and my mother, suggested using a safety pin to thread the elastic through the waistband. I don't own a safety pin. So, I craftily attached the end of the elastic to a chopstick with two pins. It worked and I love the results, don't you?