teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip

Wednesday 14 January 2015

The Pyjama Game


I'm looking to teach a pyjama pant class this year so I wanted to find a good, reasonably priced pattern that I could use with students.  
My friend, Amy, who orders all the books, notions and other goodies for us at The City Quilter suggested this book, Sew Easy Pajama Pants by Cindy Taylor Oates which comes in around the $15 price mark.


I tested the pattern by making these two pairs of pyjama pants, one for my daughter, Flicky and one for my dil, Katie.


Fabrics:
Eucalyptus in Jade from the Pretty Potent collection by Anna Maria Horner for Free Spirit (and yes, I cut the fabric upside down! :( )
 Riddles and Rhymes Cloud collection by Tina Givens for Free Spirit


I made up one pair extra small and the other as a small.  The pattern is straightforward and easy but I was immediately concerned about the length from the waist to the crotch as the finished pants are supposed to sit on the hips rather than the waist.  Flicky, I knew, would be very happy with this fit but I wanted a higher waist for Katie so I adjusted the pattern for one pair adding an extra inch to the length in this area.


From the paper pattern I could see the leg length would be a perfect fit for me but I'm only 5' 2" - not a problem for Katie but Flicky is 5' 8" and likes extra length in her pyjama leg so I added extra inches to the length of her pants too.


I gave the girls their pj pants for Christmas, they were as eager to get into them as I was to see the fit on each of them.  I can report that both pairs fitted perfectly.  They both have enough ease in them but not too much so the pant fit isn't baggy, which is just how they like them.


I like the pattern, the price and design and it'll be great in class to be able to cover ways to lengthen and adapt patterns to get the correct fit.  The finished pants were a hit with my girls and there's no better recommendation than that!!!

What do you call yours: pyjamas, pajamas, jammies, pjs or do you have another word for them?


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21 comments:

  1. We call the Pajardies...your Pajardie bottoms are very lovely

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  2. Pyjamas - and yours look great. It's important to have enough width without being baggy. Sometimes when I'm talking to the kids I'll call them jimmi jams. No idea where the term came from, but must be something from my childhood.

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  3. These are lovely. I just traced an old Simplicity pattern in three sizes for my sewing club. They all needed to be adjusted as they were huge in the hips and legs. Next time, I will take apart a pair of old, commercially made pajama bottoms and use them for a template. No one wants to drown in their pajamas!

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  4. Love your Pyjama pants Chrissie. I would not have even noticed that the fabric was upside down if you had not mentioned it. They look very comfy. We call them Jim Jams here. Reminds me of a great Ad we had on telly here a few years back about eating Tim Tams in your Jim Jams :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09FbccZZ6YU

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  5. I've always used the term pajamas. It is my understanding the term pyjamas is the British spelling of pajamas.

    That is a great book to use for a beginner class. I actually have that book myself and when I bought my machine in 2003, it's the one the Viking store used for the class teaching different finishing techniques and more with our machines. The pattern is very easy to understand so your students should have a lot of fun making theirs because of the ease in understanding the pattern as it's written so well.

    I should pull my book down because it seems to me we were given a little cheat sheet for some reason and if I am correct, mine would be inside that book. Now it will probably bug me so I'll have to pull the book down to see what it was.

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  6. Pajamas or pjs. I love these. fun gifts for sure.

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  7. I've always wanted to know how to make these because I would love if my whole family had cute matching ones!! :) Thanks for sharing! I would love if you linked this up to Totally Terrific Tuesdays thats live right now! I hope to see you there!
    Sharon
    herorganizedchaos.com

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  8. Gotta love some homemade jammie pants! I'm planning to make a family set for Christmas next year in cozy flannel (if I can find just the right print!). I use a Simplicity pattern that I've had forever. It's only got a couple seams (inner leg & crotch), so it's very quick!

    P.S. I would definitely go with pyjamas... but then again, I'm Canadian and we have lots of unusual spellings!

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  9. jammies....and I love yours!! Great gifts, I may have to treat myself too!!

    Nini~

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  10. Those are great pyjama pants...it's so hard to fine good ones that fit right in a store! Making them yourself is a great idea!!!!

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  11. I love them! They are adorable.

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  12. no way!! I have my first pj fabric sitting on the cutting table waiting for a good, easy, newbie pattern!! I cannot wait to get started! XX!

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  13. I've been wanting to make some pajamas for such a long time! Seeing this post makes me want to make them for the whole family. I need to buy this book! Thank you for sharing this.

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  14. Cute jammies. It's great to hear how you altered the pattern and why... and that it worked out perfectly for each girl. www.quiltartbymegan.com

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  15. Oh my goodness, those are SO cute!!! Thanks for joining us at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again next week!

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    Replies
    1. Just wanted to let you know that this post is one of our features over at the #HomeMattersParty this week! Check it out at: http://theroadtodomestication.com/2015/02/06/home-matters-linky-party-23/

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  16. Popping over from Celtic Stitches' New to Me party - your jammies are very pretty!! I need to make some of those for my kids - I should have done it for Christmas, but time got away from me :D

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  17. Now those look comfy! Great job.

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