With the summer of 2021 fading, it's time to share some news with you.
Several months ago, when there was still snow on the ground, I reached the point where I had a decision to make.  My oldest son outgrew my own size range, and I realized that I would need to choose whether I would size up my patterns just for personal use... or take the step into a fully expanding and updating my entire pattern collection.  

This has been a difficult decision to make.  When I started this design journey back in 2014, I had preschoolers at home.  Over the past 7.5 years, our family's story has gone through some unexpected twists and turns. I'm proud of how I've grown as a designer over these years, and grateful to those who have supported and encouraged me through the ups and downs... but I remain a very small, independent designer.  Deciding whether or not I am capable of taking on the challenges of expanding my size range and all that that entails... that's a really big ask.   Deciding if I can and if I truly want to do this has really taken getting honest with myself.

I have decided.  My kids are growing up... and so will Pollywoggles. 
But if I'm being real, then I want to take this one opportunity to also share some of why this decision has been hard, and what I think this expansion will look like.  Walking this road... it's going to happen one step at a time.

With less than a month until Christmas, our family has started getting some of our favorite traditions ready.  Decorations are coming out, we're choosing recipes for holiday goodies, and we're getting our countdown Advent Calendars ready.  

One of the most anticipated Christmas advent traditions in our house is our nightly selection of story books.  When our teeth are brushed and our favorite Pjs are on (those being Simcoe PJs, of course!), 24 of our favorite picture books are waiting to be read.  For the past 4 years, we've collected a selection of seasonal stories that touch our hearts, and we read one together every night from December 1st until Christmas Eve.  Each night, one child chooses a book... but which story it is is always a surprise!  Every book has been wrapped in it's very own fabric bag (and no peeking allowed!).  

This is the time of year when I want to sew ALL the pajamas!  Flannel and fleece are both on sale and our family has already seen the first snow flurries of the season outside our windows.  I know other people are also thinking about sewing up Christmas pajamas for their families, and I got thinking 'Hey, wouldn't it be great if someone made a huge list of PJ patterns so people could browse through to find the perfect one?'  Then I realized... I'm someone!  I already had a pretty big list of pattern options I liked for my own family, all I needed to do was organize it and find more.  So... the pajama pattern hunt began...

My list grew from big... to huge... to EPIC!  In this post, you will find over 80 patterns for the whole family in every style and fabric you could hope for!  Pajama party time!

~~~ Updated September 22, 2020, with MORE PJs patterns released within the last year! ~~~

Ah, the wonders of bias tape!  Perfectly coordinated clean edges flowing smoothly around curves and adding that perfect finished touch.  What is it that makes bias tape such an ideal alternative to a turned hem, and how can you make your own so that it is truly a perfect pairing with your project?  Read on, my sewing friend, because homemade bias tape may just become one of your new favorite things!

One of the things I enjoy about designing is the ability to take inspiration from something you see and figure out a way to use it for your own vision of a pattern.  I was recently inspired to use color-blocking and buttons to create a new Muskoka tunic.  I wanted to give you a closer look and share some tips on how you might do something similar.