I’ve been meaning to try a few projects from Amy Butler’s In Stitches book for some time. Last week, I was feeling the need for a quick project that would give me some instant gratification. The lounge pants looked like just the project to fit the bill. While sewing pants is extremely challenging, sewing pajama pants is super easy. Amy’s pattern provides you with the top part of the pattern and requires you to draft out the legs of the pants. Easy. I decided to go with some Amy Butler fabric, the print is called Nouveau Trees. I have a particular fondness for the pink and green combination, it reminds me of my childhood bedroom.

The sewing is very simple. It took me about an hour, perhaps less. I omitted adding trim to the bottom and opted to use some of the cute embroidery stitches on the Bernina Artista to hem the pants. As I was sewing, I thought about how these would make a really nice gift. It wouldn’t be hard at all to make several pairs quite quickly, once you had them all cut out.

The pants are really cozy, perfect for these chilly nights and mornings. From what I’ve read online, most people doubt the extreme wideness of the legs as they are making the pants and then fall in love with them once they are done. This happened to me too, they just seemed ridiculously wide. Now, I love them. On that note though, the next time I make these pants (there will definitely be at least a couple more pairs), I will try slimming down the leg a couple inches, now that I know my sizing.

There are a bunch of other projects I’m planning on doing from this book – the bedside organizer and the kimono robe are on the top of the list. If you need a fun, simple project that you can wear, this is it. You’ll be so happy when you’re wearing your new lounge pants in bed watching episodes of Gossip Girl in the dark.

Happy Long Weekend!

I’ve been meaning to cut some Hydrangea flowers from the garden and put them in my room. I finally cut a tiny bloom off this morning. I did a bit of research to find out the best way to make them last longer. I used the hot water method. I’m curious to see how long I can make the bloom last by repeating this on a daily basis. I’ll let you know.

This particular Hydrangea blooms either pink or blue depending on the pH of your soil. My soil is obviously alkaline. I’m thinking about adding some coffee grounds or peat moss to try to get some blue blooms next year.

I do have a real soft spot for pink though. Did you know that a specific shade of pink, Baker Miller Pink, has been found to lower your heart rate and is used in prison holding cells to calm down prisoners?

I’m in love with this planter posted on You Grow Girl. {via whip up}