and for his tenth birthday...

...Jasper requested all-in-one dragon pyjamas. Now that's the kind of challenge I like!

His original concept sketches were a touch more ambitious,

 but he's genuinely thrilled with the end result and so am I. (Scroll on down for details.)

He was simply jumping out of his skin to be reaching double digits and had been counting down the days for a month or so. He's always been a very intense, jump-out-of-his-skin in excitement kind of chap. He was a 'surprise' baby; Charlie was only five months old when we discovered I was pregnant again. Jasper has such an insistent, vibrant energy about him that it seems as if he willed himself into existence.

And yes, he just about burst a few capillaries over these Skylanders Wii game characters he wanted (moderation in all things, ya know), and  this awesome huge book that Andy found him, about all that fossil-rock-dinosaur kind of stuff he adores.

 He sang along to his own 'Happy Birthday' over a carrot cake Charlie volunteered to bake for him.

 Charlie also made him a fabulous card... from an eleven year old to a ten year old, check it out:

And so, some more about the pyjamas.

Pattern: Kwik Sew 3714
Highly recommended and there's even an adult version of this pattern... everyone else in the family is eyeing these enviously. I stuffed about with the placket for a while but it was my fault, due to some dodgy tracing. The sizing was spot-on for Jasper. There's meant to be some elastic at the back waist inside a casing but I decided it didn't need it. There are even pockets!

Fabric: Cotton sateen with a little spandex, from Spotlight.
I was not totally sure about the texture because we were hoping for something more snuggly but Jasper and I were sold on the dragon-esque print. In fact it sewed like a dream and is lovely and soft with a little stretch across the width. Jasper designed and cut the wings from some orange velour from my stash. I zigzagged them on using the walking foot. Collar and cuffs are some cotton knit ribbing from the stash.

He'd wanted a separate tail but when I suggested an applique version like the wings, he was very happy. Original plans for a hood were discarded. He was, in fact, far more flexible with his artistic vision for these than I expected.

 Feet are meant to be a non-slip 'grip' kind of thing which I didn't have. I substituted scraps of polar fleece which are warm but a bit slippery.
The finished pyjamas are reportedly very comfy and have even passed the bouncing-on-trampoline test.

Happy birthday to our wonderful Jasper. It's a privilege to share this wild ride with you.

- (Mama) Jane x