Difficulty level: EASY

Pattern

McCalls M4650 (girls sizes medium 7-8 to xl 14-16). Almost any pajama pant pattern will work. Look for ones that have an all-elastic waist.

Materials

2 ½ yards fabric
matching thread
½ inch elastic, a little longer than your waist measurement

Suggested fabrics: lightweight rayons, cottons, batiks

SBDF fabric used:

Blue Crush  rayon batik, $12.95 yard

Other SBDF fabrics to consider:

Pembroke, Hamilton, Salt Marsh Plaid, Lulu, Plisse Trio, Botannical Blocks,

Moss Rose, Tour de France, Waterfall, and all our batiks

The batik rack at Sawyer Brook always looks good to me. I love the rich colors and soft fabrics and thought my middle school aged daughter would too. She needed a super easy project this fall, one that would fit into a busy homework and sports schedule. We decided on pajama bottoms because there are only four pieces and a little elastic. She always wears the bottoms with purchased t-shirts or camisoles, so we didn’t worry about making a matching top.

Although this project is fast, Rachel accomplished it over a couple of weeks, working in small chunks of time. I helped her out with some of the more mundane jobs, so it was really a joint effort.
We decided that it wasn’t really important that she sew the entire project by herself. I wanted her to enjoy herself and end up with something pretty and comfortable.

Tip! Preparing Your Fabric:

Prepare your fabric!  Don’t skip this important step when you’re in a hurry.  You will live to regret that decision when your finished project comes out of the washer less than what it was when it went in!!! The best rule of thumb  is to pre-treat your fabric the same way you plan to care for the finished garment.  Usually that’s washing and drying at home.  We suggest you wash the fabric and dry it completely to encourage shrinkage at this stage of the project, rather than later.  If you plan to dry clean your finished garment, make sure you have a reliable business that is accustomed to preparing fabric for custom sewers.  I once visited a new establishment and asked for fabric to be pre-shrunk.  The owner looked at me horrified and said No, no, we do not shrink the fabric!!”  I knew they had no experience with tailors J

Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you are getting frustrated or tired of working on something. A mom, grandmother or other sewing friend can often step in and help you over the rough spots so it becomes fun again.

To help Rachel, I washed and dried the fabric first. Then I pinned it out. She cut it out one night after dinner, wound a bobbin and threaded the sewing machine. While she went and did some homework, I pinned the fronts to the backs on the inner leg and outer leg. During a study break she came up and sewed the four straight seams.

A couple of days later, Rachel finished those seams on my serger. Then I pinned the crotch and she sewed that seam and finished the edge.

For the elastic casing, I folded over the top edge one inch and pressed it. Then on a Saturday she serged the edge and stitched it down, leaving an opening for the elastic. To easily identify the back from the front, she folded a small piece of ribbon and stitched it so it hung down beyond the casing near the center back seam. She cut the elastic to a comfortable waist circumference and threaded it through the casing and stitched the ends together.

I marked the hem and stitched it for her one evening after dinner.

She loves her new pajama bottoms!

Carole