Sewing city PJs

Today’s lesson for the class: you may love the fabric – it may be calling you like a siren – but sometimes you should walk on by.

In life, I do not wear a lot of bright or patterned clothes. When I do, my rule is always: there can only be one. So, à la Highlander, I might wear a silvery print skirt, but with a black top and black shoes. A floral print t-shirt, with plain navy trousers. You get the picture; basically a neutral, quite simple style.

So when I had a moment in Fabrics Galore a couple of years ago, and impulse-bought a mint green cotton fabric with a pink cityscape border print, the fabric was destined to sit in my stash without a purpose. I regularly got it out, lovingly laid it across the floor and sought inspiration. I was thinking a shift dress perhaps? or a skirt?

Then earlier this week, I realised that what it really needed to be was pyjamas. I needed some light summery PJs for a hot holiday ahead of us – and as a woman who prefers neutral colours to wear out-of-the-house, maybe I could make some silly, happy jams?

Spoiler alert: they are indeed, pretty silly.

The pyjama trousers are from the Tilly & the Buttons ‘Love at First Stitch‘ book – the Margot pattern. Not my first rodeo with this pattern (I have three others for me, and at least four pairs made for my children and nieces). I made up a size 5 with no adjustments other than switching out the ribbon tie at the waist for some elastic – because my tumble dryer unthreads ribbon waist ties (that are securely knotted together six times) instantly but conversely creates complex and impossible-to-unknot macrame out of my tights.

Just as a side note, and because my husband claims that he reads my blog, Tilly has a new book out, called Stretch, which would make an excellent birthday present for a sewist who has made such good use out of the first Tilly book. Just sayin’.

The pyjama top is the Grainline Lakeside pyjamas. I made the pattern up last summer (the top and the cute shorts) in a grey floral, and love the tulip shaped back.

It is a pattern that requires someone who enjoys (or can tolerate) making bias binding, which fortunately I don’t mind when I’m in the mood. I was also using a lovely Liberty cotton leftover piece, which took to being bias binding beautifully. 

What else to say about this make? At the end of the day, nothing can really avoid the fact that I look like a bit of a clown. I could try mix–and-matching using the Highlander rule: trousers with plain t-shirt or top with some plain shorts? But hey, we’re talking pyjamas here, and if you can’t be a bit of a clown while lazing around on a weekend morning at home with your children, when can you?

The learning for me though must be that I am not a person for novelty fabrics. In future I will do my best to admire, send it my love in the store and then walk past without purchasing to the solid colour, jersey section where I will try to feel the same passion about some teal-green ponte. No really, I will. I can do this ….

In other news, one of my besties gifted me yesterday some cotton fabric printed with Japanese ladies in a line along the border. What do you think – a panelled circle skirt?

I know, I’m a lost cause!