Fuck Off Bunting.

Pyjamas are very key to my lifestyle.
Integral to weekend morning sport news watching.
Fundamental to post work emotional melting.

So it is a little bonkers that it has taken me so long to make the Closet Case Carolyn PJ’s. Everyone, raves about this pattern and about pretty much every other pattern that the Closet Case team put out. My current pyjama game is a series of mismatched baggy bottoms and T-shirts that Seth would have worn in the O.C.-so having a full matching James-from-the-Snowman-flying-through-the-air, Christmas morning set is very exciting for me.

This pattern comes with options for a short or long sleeve button up top and short or full length pyjama bottoms.
As a pattern with so many options and in a combination of innovation and laziness (the motivation behind all good experiments) I decided to test out Net-printers.
Rather than cut and stick the A4 pdf pages together, they print the A0 pattern and send it in the post. As the full pattern amounted to three A0 pages, this cost me £12. The service was speedy and I’d certainly keep in mind for projects with larger pattern pieces, however at an additional £12, not a luxury I can foot for every pdf pattern make.

As mentioned before, I think PJ’s give license for the kookiest of prints. I spotted this beauty at the Knitting and Stitching show back in March. It’s a cotton from clothworks, but a little lighter than standard quilting weight and I love the British Museum, come junk shop, come Antiques Roadshow vibe.
I knew I wanted to include the piping detail, so in the name of kookiness I bought some neon pink piping for maximum contrast and impact. However after mulling it for a little while, I decided (for once) to pull it back and got some navy satin piping instead.

I decided to sew up the shorts and the short sleeved top. The fabric was narrow so I had to keep that in mind and this is one of the few fabrics I’ve sewn with recently that has directional print, so I had to quiet all my fabric saving, pattern tessellation instincts to ensure everything ran straight.

I think the pattern is beautifully drafted. I loved the diagonal pockets on the shorts and all of the cuffs and pockets are designed to make the inside of the garment neat with encased hems.

I used my invisible zipper foot to deal with the piping and had no problem getting it in thanks to the clear instructions and diagrams. As happens whenever I master a new sewing skill, I now feel that every garment I make should have piping in every seam.

The collar went in easily but I might have used a slightly too heavy interfacing- I am sure this will soften up with wear and only goes the add to the formality of my English gentleman’s PJ outfit.

The top is slightly too long on me, so if I were to make again, I’d shorten in the body. The shorts fit really well to the point where I’d consider using this pattern for summer shorts too!

Anyway, here they are. I wanted to take the stereotypical ‘jumping on the bed’ PJ shot, but I have a memory foam mattress, so bounce is limited. If I find some willing springs I’ll be sure to update.