ABOUT ME

I am Angela and I love to sew. I started sewing as a child and by the time I was a teenager I was wearing the very latest fashions to go out in. All me-made. I am passionate about reducing the amount of textiles sent to landfill, and encourage you to repurpose fabrics and clothes I started this blog in order to have a way in which to pass on my gained knowledge, and my professional knowledge to you, Sewing is empowering, you can save money by making items, make money by selling then, You can pass your knowledge on to others. What is there not to love? Interestingly I am a direct descendant of the Flemish weavers who came over to England in the 1300's. I find that fascinating especially as most of my family from as far back as I can trace are somehow involved in the manufacturing of fabric . . I have a degree in tailoring with a special interest in WW2 fashion.

Tuesday 20 October 2020

Pyjamas and lounge wear

All about our favourite clothes to relax in - pyjamas and lounge wear 



I love pyjamas don't you? They are so wonderful for relaxing in after a hard day working at the sewing machine. They are something which, at least in my case, are the garments I spend least on yet I love them so much.
I decided to address this immediately and kit myself out in PJs made only in premium cotton.



The pattern is straightforward and you can choose design features which appeal to you. The tops have optional pockets but I left them off. You have a choice of sleeve length and there are shorts as well as trousers.



These three  fabrics were actually from Seasalt but they are no longer in stock. You will want to choose your own colours anyway so may I suggest either a. Cotton lawn or a cotton Voile.
Cotton Lawn
Cotton Voile
Both of these come in a wide range of colours, designs and prices





The pattern is by McCalls McCalls 8056




The pattern has a lot of variations and I made each garment different from the others in some way, so I will discuss each one in turn.

The Robe



The Robe is very easy to sew, there is a choice of two lengths and I chose the shorter one.
Basically there are two fronts, a back and the sleeves which are easy to sew. Either use a French seam or an over-locked edge
There is a band which goes all the way around the front edge.


Some decorative top stitching is required and to keep it the same distance all the way round , I used this foot.The stitch in the ditch foot the blade part of it sits against the edge of the fabric making it easy to stitch close to the edge. You could also use a
patchwork foot.
Please contact Jaycotts for help in choosing the right foot for your make of machine


This is the foot in use. It's not a necessary purchase just nice to have.



The pattern has a belt but no belt loops! I made some using this turning set Prym turning set


This set is inexpensive but it is one of my favourite gadgets. There are three sets , and each is used to turn different sizes of tubes of fabric the right way out. Great for belt loops, button loops, tie closures and much more!

In addition to the belt loops I was enjoying myself so much that I made a hanging loop too.
If you don't have one of these sets, don't worry a good old fashioned large safety pin does the job.



A totally different look to my usual ancient fleece robe!

The yellow and blue pyjamas 




This fabric is beautiful and goes with the blue robe extremely well.
I  made the trousers 7/8 length and used the shortest sleeve pattern.

To add interest I made some bias binding and used it to edge the sleeves and pants.


Ignore the fact that it mentions fusible binding, it makes ordinary bindings,you have the option of making it fusible by adding a fusible web. 




To make the Bias Binding I used the
There is actually a post I wrote which shows how to use it, so take a look The adjustable Bias Binding Foot


It adds a pretty edge don't you think. Watch the video to learn more




I tied the buttons in with the binding by making self covered button's in my blue fabric. They are so easy to make and I make a lot of them so it's worth having supplies in.


They come in various sizes Self cover Buttons

And here is how to make them





I'm really happy with these. The fabric is very lightweight and feels luxurious.


The floral pyjamas



Made very simply with elbow length sleeves and long tapered pants.
The fabric is beautiful isn't it.




The pattern also has wider pants and a different style top but I haven't used them yet 




Pretty Flamingo pyjamas 



 This was the first pair I made in delightful flamingo print lawn. The fabric is such fun. Long sleeves this time.
You will find all sorts of bird printed fabrics, including flamingos here, Bird printed Cotton Fabric





PARROTS LOUNGE WEAR 


Two pairs of PJ's with birds on!



For this lounge wear set I chose a slightly heavier cotton this time in a parrot print. Same link as previous.



 These are more for sitting around in rather than sleeping in but who knows!




I hope that you found this post useful, I appreciate that it is not a full tutorial but I have plenty of other lingerie posts on this blog for you to read.
The point of this blog was to demonstrate how many different looks can be made from the one pattern- and there are still more variations to make.

Patterns are expensive, they all need using more than once.

I am thoroughly delighted with my new posh PJs . 
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Happy sewing

Angela
SewAngelicThreads