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:)

Grey Joggers for Alex

The second piece of precut fabric I bought recently, was light double-thread sweatshirt knit. I bought it with joggers for Alex in mind and these have now been made. The fabric, unfortunately, seems not of high quality (perhaps too much polyester content?) and pills lightly, so we'll see how well they'll favour in the long run.

The pattern is an old Schkatulka pattern I had made for him before and of all the jogger patterns I've made for him, he chose this one as the most comfortable.

Pattern: Simple Joggers by Shkatulka

Size: 46 for height 178-183 cm

Fabric: Cotton-polyester double-thread sweatshirt Knit 

Time to make: 1 day

I made the joggers almost identical to his previous Schkatulka joggers, I only changed the pockets to be with slanted entrance opening and not in the side seems. I find such pockets more comfortable, better looking and at the same time easier to sew. Intentionally I added a strip of dark grey to the opening of the pockets, both for interest and to make them a set with the T-shirt i made for him recently.

It was a very easy make, which took me only a day, with the paper pattern already cut and the fit tried and tested. However, for future makes, I think I might make them just a tad shorter, perhaps by 1.5 - 2 cm.

Simple Men's Lounge Pants

Here's the pair of lounge pants I made for my son at the beginning of the month. These have been worn and washed twice and are holding pretty well. The fabric is cotton knit, very easy to work with.

The pattern I cut is from Shkatulka, their simple men's lounge pants, size 46 for height 178-183 cm. The size fit Alex perfectly, I don't remember making any corrections to the length or width of the pattern, I only moved the placement of the pockets to the side seams. Here are a few youtube tutorials on the sewing of the pockets, which I wish I had found before I started sewing the pants :) I spent probably an hour racking my brain over the pockets, watching useless in my case tutorials for inseam pockets in skirts and dresses, until I somehow figured it out. And on the next day, probably based on my previous searches, youtube offered me these Russian videos  for inseam pockets in men's pants - just what I had been looking for.

Pattern: Simple Lounge Pants by Shkatulka

Size: 46 for height 178-183 cm

Fabric: Cotton Knit 

Thread: grey and light blue, polyesther

Time to make: 2 days

I made the waist band separate, sewing it double over a 3.5 cm wide elastic band. Next time I should make the band a bit looser, as Alex noted that what he considered comfortable after a brief testing turned too tight after a day's wear.