March 5, 2015

POSH PAISLEY PAJAMAS

Oh boy - is it the weekend yet? With spring right around the corner (we get an extra hour of daylight this weekend!!!) - I've got clothing for warmer weather on my mind... But it is still cold out, and I have new cozy PJs to prove it.

I've never been much of a pajama set person before (my usual winter bedtime uniform this year has been a sweatshirt and Hudsons) - but I've officially become a convert! I totally want 5 more pairs of Carolyn Pajamas - so chic! So fancy! Plus... if I'm being honest - they still mix and match quite nicely with sweatshirts and Hudsons :D

These pajamas also make me feel like a rich old man smoking a cigar... in a good way! This is mostly due to fabric choice though... on to the details!

Pattern: Closet Case Carolyn Pajamas
Size: 12 (top) / 14 (bottom)
Modifications: Shortened waistband - see below
Fabric: Rayon challis from Angel Textiles, piping and buttons from Joann's

In keeping with her record of releasing patterns that seem to fill an indie pattern/my wardrobe gap (hello Ginger jeans!), Heather Lou released the Carolyn Pajamas pattern about a month ago, and I snatched it right up. I had no specific fabric in mind, but knew I wanted to use rayon - because rayon is the best fabric ever. On a trip to the garment district, I picked up 4 yards of this royal blue/orange/white/black paisley print - and I was lucky enough to snag some silk for my next pair.


For sizing, I match about a 12 in Closet Case Patterns, but I went with my hip measurement on the pants, which put me closer to a 14 (better to have a looser fit while sleeping). The top is a straight 12, but I may shorten the shoulder seams a bit on the next pair, as they seem slightly boxy. I love the feminine shape of the top (the pattern cuts in a lot at the waist which is great), and the pants are about as flattering as pajama pants can be.

I sewed everything up basically as instructed - and I have to say, I really think Heather Lou did a bang up job with this pattern. The instructions are really easy to follow, and her notched collar tutorial is a humongous help. Plus - it's two garments in one (or really 4 or even 6 depending how you look at it)!


This pattern uses facings to create the notched collar - something that I usually hate, but is absolutely necessary in this pattern. Heather Lou does eliminate the back facing, though - which is awesome. I also dislike using fusible interfacing, so I used some voile and a glue stick, ala Tasia from Sewaholic here. And to be real with you - I used an Elmer's disappearing purple washable glue stick, rather than a "fabric" glue stick. This worked out pretty well, but after washing - I did need to iron out the facings (they got quite wrinkly - this probably would've happened with fusible too). But, how incredibly posh to have to iron your pajamas! ;)


I elected to use store bought piping, rather than homemade, and I'll probably just keep doing that out of laziness on future pairs. Multiple people have mentioned using a piping foot to apply the piping, but I found that my edge stitching foot worked pretty well.



The only change I really made to this pattern was shorten the waistband because I only had 1" elastic on hand. Heather Lou has some other suggestions for waistbands here, but I don't mind the more narrow waistband. I will say I might've made the elastic a bit loose though...

My next plans are to make a silk short sleeve/shorts version for spring and summer, as well as potentially a knit pair (I have a ton of knit yardage from trips to the garment district). And I think it would be cool to try to make an actual shirt from this pattern (did anyone see the new Named pattern that looks pretty similar?).
 

14 comments:

  1. These look awesome! You did a great job - your collar looks amazing! I love the colours!
    I used interfacing on my shirt and it's so stiff - next time I might try your glue trick. I totally want to make a regular shirt from this pattern too! I thought exactly the same thing when I saw the new Named patterns. I'm trying to decide if I would pipe it though. Can't wait to see your silk ones!

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  2. These are gorgeous, so posh and glamorous! The piping looks lovely.

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  3. Oh my, so posh! Beautiful detailing and such lovely top stitching!

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  4. These looks so great!! Love the piping and your fabric choiceI Putting this pattern on my to-sew list for later in the year. =)

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  5. Thanks, Heather! I think the glue stick method is here to stay for me (plus you can get like 30 of them for $11 on Amazon - or something ridiculous like that) - and I definitely recommend using voile. On a recent failed shirtdress (I didn't tell you that I screwed up 3 different ones!) - I used a muslin fabric and it was too thick... the voile works nicely though!


    And I agree - a non-piped version of this would probably look more like a regular shirt (and a cute one), than PJs.

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  6. Thank you, Sarah! My edge stitching foot is a complete lifesaver for top stitching - and now piping too!

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  7. Thank you!! The piping is really the best part!

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  8. Thanks!! I can't believe how loud the fabric is, but I love it too! And you definitely should give this a go!

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  9. These make me so happy. They are so Versace in the best possible way. You should be lounging around a pool in South Beach ;)

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  10. Thank you so much, Heather Lou!! I'm glad I decided to go a bit outside my comfort zone with the fabric - I love the result! (and it's such a great pattern, too!!!)

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  11. You really look like a rich old man, in the best possible way! These are so luxe and in rayon challis, I bet they're insanely comfortable! I've been cheaping out on making these (they take so much fabric and I don't have enough yardage in my stash), but my pajamas are all in terrible shape, so I'm pretty tempted to give these a try!

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  12. Thank you!! It really is a pain to need so much fabric, but it's soooo worth it. I luckily found silk that was fairly inexpensive in the garment district for the next pair, but I'm just doing the short sleeve/shorts version so I can keep the cost down. Luckily this rayon was only $2/yard!

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  13. $2/yd?! Wow! I wish I'd known how to sew when I lived in LA!

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  14. yeah i know! the silk was $5... and it's legit (I got three different silks too at those prices). If you're in LA again - I can show you where to get literally pounds of fabric on the cheap!

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