Plush Loungewear Set

I made myself a new set of loungewear and I am quite happy about it. It is another part of my 2026 Make Nine pledge, featuring Fabric 11 (asphalt-colored plush) and the remnants of Fabric 12 (brick-colored fleece). I sewed the heck out of these fabrics: two zippered jackets, one pair of joggers, and one hoodie, all from just 3.5m of fabric!

The pants use the same pattern - Burda #135 (11/2012) - that I made earlier this year for Gaby, but I opted for a larger size 36. I made some major modifications: I elongated the crotch by 3 cm from the top (including seam allowance) and the legs by 11 cm from the bottom. I also straightened the leg below the knee to get a nice straight-leg fit .I am thrilled with the result; the fit is much, much better than Burda #117 from 06/2021, which I’ve sewn a few times before. This is now my go-to pattern for straight joggers!

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 36, elongated

Fabric: plush fleece

Time to make: 4 days

My only regret with this set is making the jogger pockets entirely out of the main fabric. I had planned everything carefully, intending to cut one pocket piece from plush and the other from a thin black cotton knit. However, it was late in the evening after work when I started sewing, and I accidentally attached the plush piece to the front instead of the lining.

I only noticed the mistake after the pocket was fully assembled. I made a calculated choice: instead of undoing the seams—a nightmare since this plush frays like crazy and hates being unstitched—I decided to just cut two more fleece pieces. It’s not a dealbreaker, but the pockets are a bit thicker than I’d like. Next time, I’ll remember: the best combination for fleece or plush is one piece of main fabric and one piece of thin lining. Trust me, I know from experience!

After the joggers and jackets, I still had some large remnants left, so I decided to make a matching hoodie. This little project took so much effort - measuring, browsing patterns, and Googling colorblock inspiration. I’d wake up with one image in my head only to scrap it and replace it with another!  In the end the choice fell on Burda #103 (01/2017), which I've already made once for myself, out of sweatshirt fleece remnants.

Pattern: Burda #103 01/2017

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: plush fleece, polar fleece

Time to make: actual sewing - two days

I chose the pattern, as raglan sweaters suit color blocking exceptionally well. Besides I know the pattern and my "Page" hoodie, with its relaxed fit, is still one of my most favourite winter wears. 

The hoodie is hemmed with a mirror piece of fabric on the inside; the polar fleece front is hemmed with polar, and the plush back with plush. Yes, I am that pedantic!

For the hood lining, I originally cut a blue polyester piece left over from my zippered jacket. However, I realized I preferred the feel of the brick-colored fleece against my skin. I gathered all my scraps and played a little "fabric Tetris" - one side of the hood lining is made of two pieces, and the other of three! The seams are hidden inside, the look is consistent, and I am so proud of myself for pulling it off. (And don't worry, the blue lining was used in my next project, so nothing went to waste!)

My overall impression - I am so glad I made this hoodie happen, never underestimate the potential of fabric scraps - you just might find an entire hoodie in there:)

Kopitoto 2026

While Friday and Saturday were rainy, Sunday promised pleasant winter temperatures and even a bit of sunshine. For our hike this week we chose the circular route from Zlatnite mostove to Kopitoto and then back along an alternative trail by Boyanska river and Momina skala.

We also tried a new transportation strategy for getting to Zlatnite Mostove on a winter weekend: we left the car in a parking lot in Boyana and took the bus the rest of the way. The plan worked perfectly, and we already have other ideas for hiking this part of the mountain using public transport.

Contrary to our expectations of sunshine and hiking above the clouds, the mid-altitude trails on Vitosha weren't quite high enough; the sun remained hidden behind the cloud cover for the entire duration of our hike. 

The bus to Zlatnite was full of tourists and plenty of young families with children, enjoying some sledding on the slopes of the meadows nearby.

Hike info:

Date: 08 February 2026 

Destination: peak Kopitoto (1345 m)

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 9.5 km

Elevation gain: 140 m

Total duration (plus picnic): about 2 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The trail to Kopitoto is fairly easy, with ups and downs altitude-wise, but the soft snow and patches of ice turned the hike into a substantial work out for our legs.

A view to Lulin mountain across the way:

Kopitoto TV tower

While some parts of Sofia enjoyed partially sunny weather, the clouds clung to the mountain

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, socks, dark grey longsleeve, blue longsleeve, Burda grey hoodie, cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte sweater, brown hat, socks

On peak Kopitoto

We had our traditional tortillas and hot herbal tea on "our" meadow with a view to Sofia. During our short picnic the cloud cover thickened even further.

The Boyanska river

I tried my new gloves with conductive fingertips for the first time on this hike - they worked just fine and i was able to take photos on my phone without taking the gloves off. The weather was mild and the gloves were warm enough. For colder weather, however, I'll need my much more solid winter gloves.

The section of the forest between Momina skala and Zlatnite  has been recently updated with bird feeders — some of which were quite ingenious!

All in all, we are very satisfied with our hike and the combination of private and public transport for access to the higher mountain and will definitely use this method again, especially in winter.

Brick Sinclair Journey Jacket for Gaby

The piece of brick-colored fleece I bought last year turned out to be large enough for not one, but two raglan jackets. I didn't see a need to search for a different pattern. While brick is my favorite color, I knew I didn't need two identical jackets for myself, even if they were different cuts. The simpler and more logical decision was to use the same pattern to make a second jacket for Gaby. 

Pattern: Sinclair Journey Zip Up Raglan Hoodie

Size: Petite (152-160 cm) 4 S with added 2.5 cm to the sleeve length

Fabric: polar fleece; lining - polyester jersey

Time to make: 10 days

A small difference from my own jacket is that I didn't add the extra 1 cm to the upper part of the sleeve. Gaby is a bit slimmer than I am and prefers tailored clothes, so the original size should fit her well. Otherwise, the jacket is a complete repetition of my own. 

I made the same gathered tall collar, leaving it soft and pliable without any stabilizer. If I ever make a jacket out of this type of fleece again, I might try a very light knit interfacing on the collar, hem, and cuffs; I feel they need just a little more structure. 

The lining for Gaby’s jacket is a polyester knit from my stash, this time in black. Apart from adding an extra layer of warmth and hiding the raw seams, the lining makes the jacket much more wearable. This fleece is quite 'sticky,' and trying to pull the jacket on over other clothes without a lining was problematic.

I attached the lining by leaving a large opening at the bottom and a smaller opening in one of the sleeves. This made it easy to pull the jacket right-side out through the bottom gap and then close that gap through the sleeve. I closed the final opening manually with a slip stitch, which is invisible but easily accessible if repairs are ever needed.

This time, I also remembered to secure the lining away from the zipper—I wish I had done that for mine! I’m not going back to fix my own, but I'll remember this for the future to avoid catching the fabric in the zipper teeth. 

This is another project for my "Make Nine" effort this year to sew from my stash: fabric 12 from the list, plus the black lining I bought three years ago for another fleece jacket. So far so good on the stash reduction!  :)

Boyana - Tihiya Kut 2026

This week’s hike took us back to Vitosha. Starting again from Boyana, we headed in the opposite direction this time.

The Boyana - Tihiya kut trail is part of the low altitude circuit on Vitosha and surprisingly, we had never walked it before. After traversing it today, I have to say—perhaps there was a reason for that. While there’s nothing inherently "wrong" with the path, it runs quite close to the city and the road to Zlatnite Mostove. The constant hum of cars and buses nearby gave it a more urban vibe than I prefer. For now, I don't think we’ll be repeating this specific route any time soon..

The forecasts for today specifically for Boyana promised a mild and partially sunny day. The meteorologists couldn't have been more wrong. As we approached the trailhead, the sun hid behind the clouds and we entered into thick fog, that clung to the forest for the entire duration of the hike.

Hike info:

Date: 31 January 2026

Destination: Tihiya kut

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 10.5 km

Elevation gain: 270 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda green longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, Burda grey hoodie, socks

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blue blouse, socks, hat, gloves, snood, buff

We spotted a couple of nuthatches working laboriously on the bark of the trees near the trail

The further we walked, the denser the fog became.

We stopped for a picnic of tortillas and hot herbal tea in a gazebo near Tihiya Kut. While we ate, two young girls on horseback passed by.

As we headed back toward Boyana and the car, the visibility dropped to just a few meters.

The temperature dipped as well, giving me the perfect chance to test the new buff I made from fabric scraps just last night. Pretty satisfied with it, kept my neck perfectly warm and toasty.

About a kilometer from the finish, the mist turned into a steady rain. So much for that "sunny" weather :) But the snowdrops and hellebores are starting to peek through the soil already, spring can't be so far, only a month or two away :)

Brick Sinclair Journey Jacket for Myself

Although I haven't posted about sewing for a while, I've been very active this month,  I just need to catch up on photographing everything I’ve created.

Here is one of them -  a fully lined Sinclair Journey Raglan Jacket and my second Make Nine for 2026 - this is fabric 12.

I had over 2 m of thin polar fleece in this gorgeous brick shade that I picked up last year. The moment I saw it I knew I had to have it, as this is my most favourite color and, if I do say so myself, it’s very complementary to my complexion (which explains why my wardrobe is full of it!)

The pattern I chose for the jacket is a true-and-tried raglan pattern, that I've already made three times - twice for Gaby and once for myself. Although the Sinclair Journey pattern has several versions, I chose to make a complete repeat of the Andean jacket I made for myself over a year ago. It is my go-to zip-up, I wear it all the time and I've been planning to make another one out of polar fleece for ages, so the choice of the pattern was the easiest part. 

The mods I made to the pattern are more or less identical to that for my Andean jacket. I added 2.5 cm to the length of the sleeve and I also added 1 cm to the width of the sleeve. I find Sinclair patterns a bit too snug, I prefer my jackets to have some ease, as I wear them over blouses and sweaters. 

Pattern: Sinclair Journey Zip Up Raglan Hoodie

Size: Petite (152-160 cm) 4 S with added 2.5 cm to the sleeve length

Fabric: polar fleece; lining - polyester jersey

Time to make: 10 days

 

My major modification is the collar, which I designed based on the half-hood, provided in the pattern. As my polar fleece is very pliable and thin, the collar does not stand up firm as in my previous jacket, but I didn't want to risk adding fusible to it and ruining its softness.  

The jacket closes with a zipper up to the end of the collar, which can be worn as a shawl / turtleneck collar, providing protection for the neck in cold weather. 

I opted for welt pockets again, securing the inner pocket bags to the hem and zipper for stability.

As this jacket is a part of my Make Nine effort to use up my fabric stash, I lined the jacket with a navy blue polyester jersey I already had. In combination with the blue blouse, blue jeans and blue hat of my present outfit, all self- made, I find the blue lining a happy serendipity, as it compliments the brick color of the fleece perfectly, adding depth and contrast. 

Despite the lightweight fleece fabric, the lining makes this jacket surprisingly warm. It’s the perfect mid-layer for winter or a standalone second layer for spring and autumn. I am thrilled with how it turned out!

Bonus: Because I’m a very economical cutter, I managed to squeeze an almost identical jacket for Gaby out of the remaining fabric. Stay tuned for more on that soon!