Thinking of everyone

November 18, 2008 by Barbara.

Reid and I went to Fabricland on Sunday to choose some flannelette for Christmas pajamas that Grandma Joyce will be making for the littlest ones. Note that I didn’t say “little” Reid and Dylan would object to being called little now that they are 4 and attend school.

Reid’s first choice was lavender taffetta. I ruled it out on price, warmth and the reaction that I imagined Dylan would have if someone showed him lavender taffetta pajamas. That image made me smile, though. I fell in love with some white flannelette with red snowmen printed on it that made me think of Grandma Joyce’s good brown dishes. Reid wasn’t impressed with the snowmen fabric but did find a Christmasy print on a pink background that met an unspecified criteria. When I asked whether Dylan would like it (not to mention Dylan’s dad), she put it right back and chose some fabric with a red background and primary colour print. Amazingly, the fabric Reid chose was 50% off. She obviously lacks my knack for preferring the most expensive item.  With the price of Reid’s fabric in mind, I wandered back to the table from where the red snowmen were calling to me to look at the price, thinking perhaps Reid could have two new nightgowns. It seems that the love I felt was unrequited given the $18.98/metre price tag. If it loved me back, it would have been on sale, don’t you think? Still, I carried the bolt of fabric around while I hunted for pajama patterns.

Reid has decided, for reasons unknown to me, that she wants a nightgown. She had one when she was about 2 but hasn’t had another since. I don’t wear them myself, having grown up without central heating and all. When looking at patterns, she was able to narrow down her preference to the nightgown that appeared in the pattern envelope that also depicted a night cap. Which she also now needs, of course. We had much more difficulty in finding a simple pattern for pajamas for the boys. It seems that boys under 7 aren’t supposed to wear pajama tops that don’t have buttons. There was a cute pair depicted on a pattern envelope that also had instructions for a nightshirt for a dog. That pattern was out of stock. Max, Zoey and Adam’s dog (who I’ve never seen and whose name has been withheld from me) will have to hope someone makes them bows instead.

Throughout the long pattern search, waiting for the patterns to be pulled and the fabric cut, and while I was in line to pay, Reid was much very well behaved. At certain points, she was displaying more patience than I was feeling. We had taken in a magnetic drawing board which entertained her for a while and the older lady at the pattern table handed Reid some paper and a pencil and talked to her. Reid also looked at the fabric and tried to talk me into purchasing a few other kinds but not in a pushy way. We had a nice time of it and Ken got to watch the Chicago Bears play on tv. I’m not sure he enjoyed himself as much as we did. Poor Bears. Poor Ken.

When Reid showed Ken the patterns, she noticed that the pattern for the boys’ pajamas had a nightgown *and* slippers as well. Immediately, she decided that she wanted the new nightgown. I explained that she could have the other nightgown (which looks easier to make) with its matching nightcap and the slippers from the other pattern envelope. I’m going to have to make a quick stop at another Fabricland to buy the trim for the hats and the soles of the slippers and then get everything sent to Grandma Joyce. She has a lot of sewing ahead of her. Tis the season and all.

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