Normally my kids treat fabric store aisles like racetracks, which is made more annoying by how well behaved they can be in almost any other type of shop situation. Anyway P must have slowed down enough to spy that this was STAR WARS fabric!
I couldn't think of anything to do with novelty printed flannel except more pyjamas. (why do I even have to type novelty printed flannel on my blog? I want to type words like beautiful naturel linen with embroidered brown polka dots as sanae does) Anyway P wanted more pyjamas made of this fabric. I bought what I thought would be enough for more of the Sleepover pyjamas that I've been making. But then, in the next fabric store we came to, in a shabby little box at the bottom of a bookshelf were some out of print paper patterns for the Oliver + S Bedtime Story pyjamas. yay! That to me was a bit like a stamp collector finding one of those penny stamps where the queen's looking the wrong way.
The pattern has lovely, simple pants with binding at the cuffs, and a kimono top with ties. I'd read discussion on the Oliver + S forum of substituting the ties with snaps, and while that seems very practical, this was star wars, ninja pyjama territory and the ties would have to stay. I'm also inclined to sew each pattern as it was intended to be sewn at least once before I start messing around with them.
One minor tweak in the pants construction was to use a flat felled seam at the crotch. I guessed (correctly) that ninja-style star wars pyjamas were going to see a lot of high kicking action and that crotch seam would need some reinforcing!
Happily, the pyjama pants pattern piece is a bit narrower than the Sleepover pants, so both pants legs could be cut from a width of fabric folded. The same size (5T) in the Sleepover pattern is marginally too big to do that. And so, I had far more of this fabric than I could possibly need....
So I made a second pair of pants and a Flashback Skinny T for P's friend Noah who's about to have a birthday. I suspect I may have misremembered which was his favourite of the characters to stick on the front of the T-shirt, but that's my right as an old, dinosaur mum who just doesn't get Star Wars beyond the Return of the Jedi (I was going to say sequel, but that's where it all gets confusing, right? The second prequel perhaps??)
Which left me with about the equivalent of a fat quarter of fabric left. I reached for the trusty Little Things To Sew book and made a drawstring bag:
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| which I didn't smooth flat very well for the photograph |
I used www.myfonts.com to find a font that looked suitable (it's called Stormtrooper!) and made a freezer paper stencil and P painted the lettering. The bag is exactly the right size for a pair of pyjamas. Score!
And here's A photobombing the blogshoot! (appropriately wearing a flashback skinny T with Sleepover pyjama pants)
How cool are these?!? Maybe fabric shopping won't be so boring for the kids next time....
ReplyDeleteThese PJ's are fantastic and you did a great job.
I thought that the front ties and neck edge could be a little awkward to do. Did you find that was the case? I was thinking I might cut the sleeves and legs down on this pattern to make shortie PJ's for the summer and hoped it would be a relatively quick sew.
The front ties are constructed separately and then sewn in as you fold the neckbinding over, so pretty easy really. There's nothing to these pyjamas that's more tricky than sewing binding over a prestitched seam. And for that I cheat and use 1/4" fusible web to hold it n place.
DeleteI was thinking shorty ones for summer too
These are so awesome! I love the homesewn novelty prints for pajamas, though - not sure what else they CAN turn into!!
ReplyDeleteNothing else that I could think of! Thanks
DeleteI have no fabric inhibitions when it comes to pj's - the louder the better! My husband would wear a pair of bottoms made from this fabric in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually really soft fabric. I'd probably wear them too!
DeletePjs are why those sorts of prints exist! They're way cool. Such a generous gift.
ReplyDeleteTHanks. I do hope he likes it. Kids of that age can be pretty forthright about how you got it wrong! I don't mind, but I know his parents would be embarrassed if he dissed my jammies! :)
DeleteThey are so cute! Perfect use of "novelty printed flannel" ;)
ReplyDeleteI love that PJ pattern too, and have made short arm and leg versions for summer.
Thanks, I like the idea of summer ones too.
DeleteWhat is is about fabric store that makes kids turn into sprinters? I cringe a little at the novelty prints too, this is a great use for them! and I'm sure your gift will be well received.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I had a little giggle when you lamented having to type "novelty printed flannel":) Yes, Sanae does seem to sew with the most lovely fabric, doesn't she? But in your case, you thrilled a Star Wars lover to pieces, and he will always remember these pj's fondly. And what a score with the O & S pattern!! Did you get that little heart quickening when you realized what it was? I get that when I find good thrift store scores:) And your gift is so adorable - bag and all! That is one lucky friend of P's!
ReplyDeleteI love the Star Wars jammies! And I totally laughed at the "novelty printed flannel" comment - thanks for the link love! :-)
ReplyDeleteha! this made me laugh. we have star wars jammies in our future, too! jude picked out three different prints!
ReplyDelete