The Kat's Pyjamas

I've been making pyjamas (and stealth pyjamas).

First up, but B and I loved that Christmas fabric so much that we went back to Goldbrick Fabrics and got more. Whatever I said in the previous post about about fibre content is wrong - it's 75% silk, 20% viscose and 5% elastane. I doubt there's any left but you're welcome to take a look. I made some pyjamas for B, drafting a pattern from Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear. The pattern came out MASSIVE compared to what I'm used to and I was a bit worried. But they turned out okay.

Bringing new dimensions to the idea of "dropped crotch"

I also finally cut into some of my Nani Iro haul from a new set of PJs. It's my standard Butterick B5432. The cord is a bit short and the elastic a bit loose, but I don't really care.

But let's get on to the subject of stealth PJs. Stealth PJs being real clothes (i,e. fit for leaving the house and going about the town conducting your business) that are so comfy that they feel like pyjamas.

The stealth idea being that no one else knows that you know that they think you're wearing actual clothes and you know that they don't know that you think you're wearing pyjamas. Unless you tell them.

Try not to be smug about it.

So these are 2 new versions of Burda 04/2013 #103 - one wintry and one summery.

The first one is wintry. I got the fabric from Emma One Sock's Black Friday sale as brushed viscose. It's double sided and super soft. It's got a bit of loft to it - which means these came out with a more tailored vibe instead of being slouchy. The lining is leftover silk from the Scrap Lace Dress and while I'd have liked to add a longer lining, there wasn't enough fabric. In an effort to stop the knees stretching out over time I underlined them with what was left. This is quite fragile though and I keep sticking my foot through the stitching when putting the trousers on. Oops.

You may recognise both these fabrics from my Vanners Jacket. They saw good duty recently! I barely had enough to make this project.

The second pair of Burda 04/2013 #103 is more summery - a wondrous Liberty lawn (Harkness McNair) which was half price in the online shop. I think these are gorgeous. The lining is the last of the gauze used in my first pair of Burda 04/2013 #103 - and is basically perfect for the job.

I had a heck of a time choosing threads to match!

I switched up the process (don't remember the exact steps) for making this pair and really liked the results (the fly was so much better!) - except that I ended up in a hurry to finish them (so finishing suffered a bit) and (somehow) they came up too small. So I had to let everything out so close to completion! The good news is that they have loosened up a bit with wear as well.

The hems are blind stitched by machine, something which I haven't done in a VERY long time.

Hopefully they all get good wear!

K x

Repairs and refashions

A few quick things today, my blog reader has been suspiciously quiet this week so maybe I'm missing out on "the big sewing blogger vacation" or something. Maybe this'll fill in some gaps if it has been quiet for you too.

I'm not the biggest fan of refashioning, and while I'm in favour of repairing things it's a struggle my laziness in doing so.

Anyway, I recently repaired some M&S socks whose toe seam hadn't quite been closed during manufacturing. This is the first time I sewed a blanket stitch without looking it up beforehand. Tiny victories! I also repaired a jumper B got for Christmas where somehow the side seam had completely come apart. There was a hole from his hip to his bicep! Quick job, but sometimes you just need a kick to actually do it.

I also finally bit the bullet and changed the lining in B's Newcastle cardigan. So now it's probably called Newcastle Revisited Revisited. While the original fuzzy lining was a spectacular novelty, apparently it was uncomfortable and prickly (so it hasn't been worn at all). I also removed the hem band on the Newcastle as B wanted it to be more like the original. Hopefully it'll see some use now.

In a good stashbusting move, I finally used up some voile I got from a trip to Istanbul in 2011. I made a Shape Shape Twist & Drape top again but somehow I've made it the wrong way around. How many times have I made this top? 5? Do I really have an excuse to have done it so wrong? I think...topologically...it's a Mobius Strip...so I'm quite astounded that it seems to be both inside out and upside-down. It's probably going straight in the recycling pile.

Still in my repairs pile is an old pair of PJs I'm not prepared to lose. I just need to patch them up.

Still in my refashion pile is the Drape Drape dress (approx 11 months and counting), an RTW dress from 2010 (sat in the pile since...maybe 2012) and a Primark shirt for copying whose fit has always been awful, but whose cuffs are amazing (but please don't ask me to date this one!). Plus a secret new addition...

Watch this space...

K