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How To Make Your Own Pyjamas: Part 2

How To Make Your Own Pyjamas: Part 2

by | Dec 2, 2021 | Tutorials

Make your own Pyjama Bottoms Tutorial Part 2 Banner

Boring Legal Bit: If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewed here

Hello Seam-Stars! Thanks for joining me again for the second post in our “Make your own Pyjama Bottoms” series

Yesterday’s post gave you instructions on how to make your pyjama bottom pattern. If you’ve not done that yet – you need to hop over and make your pattern pieces – otherwise this post won’t make any sense at all!

Don’t be daunted… there are videos and everything!

In this post we’re going to talk about the fabrics you can use to make your own pyjama bottoms, as well as a sewing tutorial on how to sew them up once you have created your pattern…

Supplies you will need:

 

    Sewing Kit You Will Need:

    Choosing fabric to make pyjama bottoms

    You can use a number of different fabrics to make PJs… In our sewing tutorial we’ve used flannel fabric – and for good reason… It’s a perfect fabric choice! But not the only one…

    Firstly, think about the fabric weight you’d like – you can both use lightweight or slightly heavier weight fabrics when making pyjamas – the season will determine the best choice for your garment.

    We would definitely recommend natural, breathable fabrics over manmade fabrics for PJS. The exception here is manmade fleece which would be a good choice in very cold weather.

    Here are our top picks for fabrics suitable for pyjamas

     

    1. Flannel fabric: We LOVE flannel fabric for making pyjamas… It would be our first choice. It’s soft, warm, cosy, an easy sew & breathable – perfect for PJs! If you’re not really sure what flannel fabric is then check out our Fabric Guide To Flannel for the full low down
    2. Quilting cotton: There’s a mind boggling choice of funky designs available in quilting cotton so you can make a garment that’s really bespoke & individual. It’s easy & stable to sew, as well as being breathable. The only downer might be the drape with some quilt cottons – some brands can be a little stiff.
    3. Jersey – Really comfy for PJ bottoms as they stretch when you do… if you know what I mean 😉 Natural fibre jersey is the best choice. Stretch fabric does require a little special handling and a stretch or ballpoint needle is required.
    4. Cotton lawn : Cotton lawn would make a great fabric choice for PJs – it’s lighter weight than regular quilting cotton & better suited for summer PJs. Soft, stable, better drape & breathable. Read our Guide To Cotton Lawn for more info about this fave fabric.
    5. Viscose: if you’re after something that has loads of drape & will result in a floaty pair of PJs then viscose is a good choice BUT viscose is rather slippery to sew. If you’re a beginner Seam-Star you would be best off trying one of the other fabric choices first to save swear words. Read our viscose tips and you can decide if it’s for you…
    6. Fleece: The season has to be right for fleece fabric pyjamas. Most (but not all) fleece is made from polyester and if you wear fleece in bed when it’s too warm you’re going to end up “glowing” in your new bottoms! Read all about fleece fabric here

    Disclaimer: A note on sleepwear for children – We don’t advise making children’s nightwear, unless you source specially treated, fire resistant textiles. Many fabrics do not meet the fire retardancy requirements to be safe for children’s nightwear required under UK law

    So once you’ve decided what fabric you’d like, you need to make sure you have all the supplies!

    Sewing your pyjama bottoms

    Important Notes:

    • 1cm /  ⅜” seam allowance throughout, unless directed.
    • Prepare your fabrics as per manufacturer’s care advice.
    • For steps using machine sewing, straight stitch, backstitching at the start & end using stitch length 2.5 unless otherwise stated.
    • We have used an overlocker to finish the seams & prevent fraying, but you can refer to this post if you do not have an overlocker for alternative seam finishing methods.
    • RST = Right Sides Together.
    • WST = Wrong Sides Together.
    • Read through the instructions fully before starting.

    Cutting Your fabrics & notions

    Cut out your prepared paper pattern, including the seam allowances.

    You may wish to transfer the paper pattern to manilla template card for easier tracing or if you think you will make multiple pairs of pyjamas.

    Alternatively trace the final pattern pieces more neatly & boldly on a fresh piece of pattern paper if your original pattern is a little scruffy.

    Cutting Out:

    From The Flannel Fabric Cut: 

    1 x Mirrored Pair of trouser fronts from your prepared pattern

    1 x Mirrored Pair of trouser backs from your prepared pattern

    1 x Length of elastic that fits your waist measurement

    Sewing together the pyjama bottoms
    1. Place one front leg & one back leg RST . Pin down the long outer edge & sew. Overlock/ seam finish as desired (check out our post here for more info on seam finishing without an overlocker).

    2. Then, with RST, pin down the lower inner leg, not including the crotch & sew this together. Overlock/finish as desired.

    You should now have two legs sewn at the side seams

    3. Line up the trousers along the crotch RST. Match the centre seams and pin in place all along the crotch seam.

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    4. Sew along the crotch seam, and overlock/finish as desired.

    5. Press up the hem allowance first 0.5cm, then 1.5cm

     

    6. Hem by hand or by machine using a straight stitch. Repeat for both legs.

    7. Press the waistband casing over by 0.5cm, then 2.5cm

    8. Pin and stitch in place, leaving a 5cm gap to insert your elastic.

    9. Insert your elastic, guiding it using the safety pin secured to one end.

    10. Zig zag stitch the two ends of the elastic together, and slip this joined end into the elastic casing.

    11. Sew the remainder of the casing channel closed, being careful not to catch the elastic.

    12. If you want to add a decorative bow, cut a length of ribbon approximately 60/70cm long. Fold over the ends and stitch in place.

    13. Mark the midpoint. Pin this to the centre front seam on your waistband. Stitch in place.

    14. Tie in a bow!

    And you’re finished, well done!

    If you make a pair of trousers please let us know if the comments!

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    Create Your Own Pyjama Sewing Pattern: Part 1

    Create Your Own Pyjama Sewing Pattern: Part 1

    by | Dec 1, 2021 | My Makes

    We all have that perfect pair of pyjama bottoms – just the right combination of comfiness, cosiness & enough room to account for a mini tea & biscuit feast on an evening! You could try to find a sewing pattern to recreate them, or you can follow our tutorial to create your own pyjama sewing pattern to exactly replicate your favourite PJs!

    And the best part is this tutorial can be used to make any size pyjama bottoms. Sewing these is straight forward and definitely possible for a beginner…

    Create your own pyjama sewing pattern

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    This is a two part tutorial

    • This post will take you through how to create your pyjama sewing pattern
    • The second post in this series will take your through the best pyjama fabric choices & a tutorial on how to sew the pyjama bottoms up
    Make your own pyjama bottoms

    Boring Legal Bit: If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewed here

    Skill level : Beginner

    Approximate sewing time to draft sewing pattern for pyjama bottoms AND sew your pyjama bottoms : A long afternoon

    Sew your own pyjama bottoms

    To draft your pyjama bottom sewing pattern you will need

     

    For fabric requirements & notions requirements are in the next post!

    Creating your pyjama bottom pattern

     

    Prepare to trace your pyjama bottoms

    1.Turn the pyjama bottoms inside out.

    2. Put your hand through the bottom hole of one leg, and take the bottom hole of the other leg, pulling it through so that one leg is inside the other.

    Prepare to trace your pyjama bottoms

    3. Flatten and smooth out the trouser legs as much as possible, so that the bottom holes of each leg align.

    Tracing the back leg for your pyjama sewing pattern

     

    We’re going to create two pattern pieces for your pyjama bottom pattern – a front leg and a back leg.

    4. Lay your pyjama bottoms as flat as possible on the paper, with the back leg of the pyjama bottoms on the paper. Make sure the long side seam is flat on the paper. You will be able to see the inner leg seam.

    5. Trace along the bottom and the long side seam up to the waistband, marking the corner of the waistband when you reach it. Roll the fabric away from the long side seam, so that the inner seam is flat to the paper. You need to do this as the back leg is wider than the front leg and you need to get the full width.

    6. Now trace along the inner seam. You may need to adjust the seam as you go. As you go up the leg towards the crotch it gets a lot wider, so you might need to roll the fabric and adjust more to make it lie flat to the paper.

    7. With the fabric rolled away from the side seam, when you reach the crotch apex only trace a little up. Do not trace any further up to the waistband yet. Watch our video below to help

    8. Line up the edge of the waistband with the corner of the waistband you drew earlier. Press down firmly with your fingers to hold it in place. 

    9. Stretch the waistband out so the fabric is flat against the paper, and not gathered. Hold the centre seam of the waistband in place on the opposite side where you have already marked a corner and trace the edge of the waistband.

    10. Release the waistband. Line up the centre seam of your waistband with the line you just traced on the edge of the waistband and make a mark down the centre seam.

    11. Line up the crotch of your pyjama bottoms on your traced line and finish tracing the curve from where you initially marked

    12. Once you have traced around your pyjamas it is likely that your line will be a little wonky! If you have a French Curve, now’s the time to grab it. You are going to neaten up your drawn lines and smooth out your curves.

    One side of the French Curve will be straight, and the other has a variable shaped curve which will fit most curves of any dressmaking pattern. It’s a useful tool to have in your sewing arsenal for pattern alterations – just move the curved edge up and down until you have a curve that best matches your drawn line.

    If you don’t have a French Curve – just eye up smoothing out your curves and use your ruler on the straight edges.

    Now label this piece ‘Back’ and don’t forget to add seam allowances before use. See the note on seam allowances further down the post

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    Tracing the front leg for your pyjama sewing pattern

     

    Now we’re going to create a pattern piece for the front leg using the same method….

    13. Turn the pyjama bottoms over and again lay them as flat as possible on the paper, but with the front leg of the pyjama bottoms on the paper. Make sure the long side seam is flat on the paper. Make sure the inner leg seam is hidden under the fabric of the leg.

    14. Trace along the bottom and the long side seam up to the waistband.

    15. Keeping the fabric in place with your hand, lift the folded fabric edge so that the inner side seam is showing. Trace along the inner side seam, adjusting a few cm at a time until you reach the crotch.

    16. As with the back of the leg, line up the waistband with the corner you marked, and stretch the waistband out so the fabric is flat against the paper, and not gathered. Hold the centre seam of the waistband in place on the opposite side and trace down the edge of the waistband.

    17. Release the waistband. Line up the centre seam of your waistband with the line you just traced on the edge of the waistband and make a mark down the centre seam. 

    18. Line up the crotch of your pyjama bottoms on your traced line, and finish tracing the curve from where you initially marked.

    19. Label this piece ‘Front’ and don’t forget to add seam allowances before use. See the note on seam allowances further down the post

    Creating the waistband

    We are creating a casing style waistband – this is where you create a casing and thread the elastic through your casing channel:

    You need to measure the width of the elastic, add 0.5cm / ¼” to create a generous casing,  and add another 0.5cm / ¼” to fold under. In this case we are using 2cm / ¾” wide elastic. Draw a line parallel to, and 3cm / 1 ¼” from the top waist of your pattern.

    Now we want to make the lines you’ve traced a bit clearer and smoother. Use your French curve or ruler to smooth out your traced line. Check out the seam allowance video below for how to use the French Curve.

    Adding Seam Allowances To Your Pyjama Bottom Pattern

    Measure the seam allowance on your original pyjama bottoms. You can either copy and apply this seam allowance, or use a standard 1cm / ⅜” seam allowance to keep things simple (this is what we did)

    You need to apply your seam allowance to the side seams, inner leg seams and crotch curves.

    Use your ruler or French Curve for this making little dashes or dots 1cm/ 3/8″ from your smoothed out traced line. Please note: In this video we got carried away adding 3/8″ seam allowance and added that on to the waist when we should have added the waistband (just in case you were wondering why yours was different!)

    For the hem, you will need a deeper seam allowance. Decide how wide you would like your hem to be, and add another 0.5cm / ¼” to this measurement. For this sample we used a 1.5cm ⅝” hem, and added 0.5cm / ¼”, which will get folded under to enclose the raw edge. You need to add a line parallel to the hemline, 2cm / ¾” from the bottom leg.

    Mark on your pattern pieces the same allowance and hem allowance

    Cut around your pattern pieces on the drawn seam allowance line.

    Mark on your pattern pieces the same allowance and hem allowance

     

    You should now have a front and back leg pattern pieces. Well done!

    Now it’s time to sew up your pyjama bottoms… See the part 2 of this tutorial here for fabric choices & sewing info

    Make your own pyjama bottoms tutorial part 2

    Check out the next post in this series!

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    Create your own pyjama sewing pattern

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