Temperature Control: A Fight For All Seasons!

Warning:  This post may or may not contain Polish words that are misspelled and used incorrectly.  Also, for the ease of storytelling, much of this post is told through the use of pictures.   

On paper, my husband and I would probably be a horrible match.  We are complete opposites!  I like to read, worry, camp, get muddy, sit on the beach for hours, go on day trips all the time, avoid numbers, and develop new nervous twitches.  My husband will read a magazine but rarely a book, he does not worry, he does not like to camp, mud is not his friend, he will sit on the beach for a couple minutes, likes to go on day trips some of the time, misses taking math classes, and does not have any nervous twitches.  He does sometimes develop an allergy to onions (inside joke.)  On paper we do not mesh but I guess there is something to be said for the cliche that opposites attract.  Our biggest issue is not so much that I have about 715 nervous twitches (what a blog that would be) but that I am always cold and he is always hot!

At the beginning of our marriage this caused some issues.  We have a quilt and in the winter we would add flannel sheets and a puszyna.  That's right, sounds just like it looks.  I know what you are going to say!  What the hell is a puszyna? I said the exact same thing to my husband when he started throwing out all the Polish words on our honeymoon.  Krutka anyone?  This post is not about the end of a loaf of bread so let me get back to temperature control.  Once when he was out of town for work, I took a trip to my parents house and brought back a my super warm and heavy comforter.  It was a dream to sleep under.  My husband did not agree and after one night said the "death comforter" needed to be returned to my parent's house immediately.  I was not happy.  I am always cold.  Our bedroom is an attic in an old bungalow.  We are hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and comfortable in the spring and fall.

Then, one winter, my mom bought us fleece sheets for Christmas.  These sheets are an absolute dream for me.  Kevin was not so excited about gift of fleece.  He thinks they are ridiculous.  Clearly we needed a compromise so we came up with the following schedule.

October 1:  Flannel Sheets
November 1:  Add the puszyna
December 1:  Remove flannel, add fleece sheets
February 1:  Remove fleece, resume flannel
April 1:  Plain old cotton sheets and light weight blanket

Yes, this may seem a bit extreme but this schedule works for us.  If it is 90 degrees or extremely humid out the air conditioning does get turned on but we still fight over this threshold.  Kevin would turn it on as soon as the temp in our house hits about 75 degrees.  Given our different tolerances for hot and cold, our winter sleepwear tends to differ a bit too!

In the winter, Kevin wears to bed what we refer to as shiny shorts.  The rest of the world calls this type of apparel, basketball shorts.  He will also wear a tee-shirt.  I wear fleece pajamas and I have many pairs along with thick fuzzy socks.  Our bedroom is cold and my husband will not let me have the "death comforter" therefore I must dress accordingly.  Since I am branching and out trying new things, I had the following thought:  Why not make flannel pajama pants?!?!

Well, now that I have made the flannel pajama pants, I can think of two reasons why not to make pajama pants.  1.  For about $10 to $12 at Old Navy and Target, I could have been lounging around in new flannel pajama pants a month ago.  2.  Store bought might be a bit more stylish.  However, making the pajama pants was definitely a bonding experience for my mom and I.

When I first took the pattern out of the packet, I thought:  Whoa, this pattern was written in Polish.  I did not understand anything.  I folded the pattern back up and waited for my mom to visit.  When she arrived we spread the pattern and fabric on the big table in the basement.  We tried to figure out the size.  I bought a pattern for small, medium, and large.  I usually wear a medium.  However, according to the package, my measurements peg me at a size 18 which was not included in this packet.  Expletives were flying.  My mom reassured me that sizes on patterns are always wrong and we could go ahead with the medium.  After we cut out the pattern, I held it up to my body.  Can you say enormous?  My mom's response, "You don't want your pajama's too small.  Do you?  I like mine kind of roomy."  No, I do not like my pajamas too small but if we had made the pants completely as is, I could have shared my pajamas with a full grown hippo.  At any rate, we cut the pattern, pinned the pattern, cut the fabric, and left the project for another day.

Mom measuring and checking out the pattern

Mom teaching me all about grain and pattern placement

Today was another day and we once again got started on the pajama pants.  My mom and I had a really interesting conversation about what you do if you don't cut the fabric straight.  Do you continue to sew on the 5/8 marker or do you compensate?  I was not understanding her, she was not understanding me and this resulted in the use of the seam ripper.  The conversation was so inane that I cannot even write a sample for you!  In the end, my mom said, "If you are sewing such an uneven line, you need to stop what you are doing and fix it.  If you can't cut a straight line, call Kevin."  Well, okay then!  Between the two of us, we figured out how to sew those pants.  I really think photojournalism is the best way to tell the rest of the story.

Pinning pants!

Something is not right!  I am just not sure what!

Me:  These pants are huge!
Mom:  You don't want them too snug!
Me:  My crotch is not around my knees!
Mom:  Something is not right!

Mother!  What are you doing back there?

Ah ha!  Front and back and right side out.  Looking a bit better!

Mom giving me a lesson how to sew a curve or crotch!

Waist is not done, nor the hem.  But we are getting there.

Hot stuff!!!  Not!

Working on the waist band

Safety pin stuck in the waistband because it came undone.
Must have McFlurry.

Done!

Snuggly pants, snuggly pillow, clashing patterns.

There...you have it...I tried to make pajama pants.  It is good to try new things.  I think I am going to stick to pillows for now but I might try a skirt at some point.  While there is there is nothing wrong with the pajama pants, I am not going to rush out to buy more fabric to sew more.  I am going to wear them because I am wearing them right now.  Therefore, you know what I am wearing to bed.  All this talk about wearing is wearing me out.  Guess it is time to drag myself up to our drafty bedroom.  Good night!