Ah, our fashionista 9 year old. This is the girl who spends her time designing clothes and house plans, and setting out different outfits, just in case. Most of the outfits consist of clothes that are her size, maternity clothes she pinched from my pile, and clothes that should have long since been handed down to her sisters (after all, short sweaters are definitely "in"). But she's in a bit of a conundrum: she likes her pajamas roomy. Last week, no longer able to keep the all of these collected clothes from falling out of their cupboard, she finally gave in. I opened the bedroom door to find a stack from her in front of the 7 year old's bed, and another stack for the 4 year old (literally, size 4 -- she really really really holds out on passing things down the line).
And in return I put together some new pajama pants for her. These are flannel, and the other pair are fleece, both from the superb
Hart's Fabric. Having no actual pajama pants pattern (and not having sewn with patterns for years anyway), I took the one pair she had that still fit, and laid it down on the double-folded fabric (inside leg seam on the cutting edge, outside of the leg on the fold). I cut through all four layers at the same time, leaving about 1 1/2 inches on the top and edges, and 3 or 4 inches at the bottom. My serger is out of commission for the moment, so I put the pants together with french seams (which are probably far more comfortable for pajamas anyway). I ironed down 1/4 inch on top, then folded it over another inch (for 3/4 inch elastic), and sewed a casing for the waistband, leaving an inch open to thread the elastic through. No-roll elastic is great for pajama pants, seeing as the kid in them is doing plenty of rolling through the night. I did the same thing for the hem -- 1/4 inch ironed fold, and then a 2 or 3 inch hem. This way, if she has another growth spurt before she parts with these pants, I can at least let the hems down a little and give them longer life.
Ah, our fashionista 9 year old. This is the girl who spends her time designing clothes and house plans, and setting out different outfits, just in case. Most of the outfits consist of clothes that are her size, maternity clothes she pinched from my pile, and clothes that should have long since been handed down to her sisters (after all, short sweaters are definitely "in"). But she's in a bit of a conundrum: she likes her pajamas roomy. Last week, no longer able to keep the all of these collected clothes from falling out of their cupboard, she finally gave in. I opened the bedroom door to find a stack from her in front of the 7 year old's bed, and another stack for the 4 year old (literally, size 4 -- she really really really holds out on passing things down the line).
And in return I put together some new pajama pants for her. These are flannel, and the other pair are fleece, both from the superb Hart's Fabric. Having no actual pajama pants pattern (and not having sewn with patterns for years anyway), I took the one pair she had that still fit, and laid it down on the double-folded fabric (inside leg seam on the cutting edge, outside of the leg on the fold). I cut through all four layers at the same time, leaving about 1 1/2 inches on the top and edges, and 3 or 4 inches at the bottom. My serger is out of commission for the moment, so I put the pants together with french seams (which are probably far more comfortable for pajamas anyway). I ironed down 1/4 inch on top, then folded it over another inch (for 3/4 inch elastic), and sewed a casing for the waistband, leaving an inch open to thread the elastic through. No-roll elastic is great for pajama pants, seeing as the kid in them is doing plenty of rolling through the night. I did the same thing for the hem -- 1/4 inch ironed fold, and then a 2 or 3 inch hem. This way, if she has another growth spurt before she parts with these pants, I can at least let the hems down a little and give them longer life.
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