Favorite PJ Pants Recreated!

If the term "Castaway" or "Shipwrecked" has been used in describing your sleep attire... Mama, it's time to retire those favorite tattered PJ pants. There was recently an intervention at our house, in which my husband "kindly" suggested I use my fancy sewing machine to sew the knee-high tear up the leg of my PJ pants. As if I would actually use my sewing machine for something practical like mending clothing. But I was devastated to think of tossing these babies. They are made of angel wings and baby eyelashes. They have to be. They are so comfy. So, inspired by Jaime's How to Sew Pants! post, I set out to recreate the best PJ pants in the world. Aaargh Matey, mission accomplished.

Click here to get the full scoop on How to Make PJ Pants.

And as always, leave a comment on this or any post this week, and you could win that Tacky Pack of Aleene's glue pictured up on the left.


Grab those beloved, horrendous bottoms. They are going to be your pattern. My pants have an adorable contrasting waistband and tie. I will also show you how to do that but feel free to recreate your own favorite pants exactly. These things are important.


hahahah!

You will also need these things...
• Pattern tracing material (My mother-in-law calls it "Do-Sew")
• 2-3 yards fabric for pants. I'm tall and giantly pregnant. I needed 3. My fabric was some light-as-air vintage cotton/poly that my mom gifted to me.
• 1/2 yd contrast fabric for belt and waist lining. This is Alexander Henry Fashionista Caitie Green/Grey (You can also use ribbon or bias tape for your belt. Whatever you prefer.)
• 1/2" - 3/4" elastic for waist, depending on how hard you want to work to get it through.
• Basic sewing gear.

1. Wash and iron your fabric.

2. Turn your pattern pants inside-out and fold in half, first with a front side up. Lay the pattern racing material on top and trace the outline of your pants. Make sure the waist is extended to it's maximum width. Add a 1/2" seam all the way around outline and a 2" seam at the bottom hem. Depending on how you plan to finish your top seam, you may want more seam allowance. See Jaime's How to Sew Pants! post for additional options.




3. Fold your PJ pants the other way so the back side is facing up and trace. Your back-side might not lay flat. Mine didn't. (That roomy bum is probably why I love them so.) In that case, lay one edge flat, trace, pin the center of the pant leg to the pattern tracing material, roll pant leg so other edge is flat and trace. Make sense? Again, make sure your waist is stretched out. Add 1/2" all around and 2" at the bottom. Cut out pattern pieces.


4. If you need to strategize how your pattern fits on your fabric, best to trace a second pattern for each side so you have two opposite fronts and two opposite backs. Remember that if you have a patterned fabric, like stripes, your pieces all have to face the same way.



5. Cut two opposite fronts and two opposite backs from your fabric.

6. Align the outer leg of a front and back with right-sides-facing and sew with a straight stitch all the way up leg with 1/2" seam. Either trim edge with pinking shears, serge or sew with a zig-zag/overlock along edge of fabric.



7. Align inner seam of leg, starting at top, and pin down leg. It's ok if your bottom is hem is a little uneven, we will trim that later. Sew all the way down inner leg with 1/2" seam. Serge, overlock/zig-zag or trim edge with pinking shears. Repeat step 6&7 for other leg.


8. Align crotch (ewww) of two legs and pin all the way up front and back.


(use coaster so as not to ruin brand new sewing table)

9. Sew all the way around leaving 1/2" seam. Serge, overlock/zig-zag or trim edge with pinking shears.



10. Look! You made pants! Now to finish the top. This is what I did to duplicate my favorite pants. I love the way this waist looks!

11. Cut 2.75" strips of your second fabric. Enough to go all the way around the waist of your pants plus a 1/2" seam at each end. Sew strips together to meet your necessary length.



12. With right-side-facing, pin your waist band fabric to the waist of your pants lining up the top edges.


13. When you get all the way around, pin the fabric together and trim, leaving 1/2" seam. Straight stitch.



14. Sew all the way around top edge leaving 1/2" seam. Back-stitch at beginning and end.

15. Turn your waist lining up and fold the edge in 1/4" and iron.


16. Fold fabric in and iron top seam.


17. Now we are going to make the outer casing for the belt. I used my handy bias tape maker. I cut strips of fabric 1 7/8" wide, sewed them together end to end (enough to go around the waist of my pants (1" down from top seam) plus 2") and ran it through the bias tape maker to make a 1" strip with seams top and bottom.


18. At one end, I trimmed the end with a zig-zag, opened the seam, tucked the end in 1" and refolded the sides.




19. Start with end of belt casing 1/2" from center/front seam and start pinning, aligning bottom edge of belt casing with bottom edge of inner lining. Get these as close as possible but if you have to error, have the casing a smidge above the inner lining so that you are sure to sew all layers in the next step.


20. When you get around to the other side, finish the other end as you did in step 18 so that it ends 1/2" from center seam.



21. Beginning on the bottom edge of the casing, stitch as close to the edge as you can along entire length with a few backward stitches at the beginning and end. Make sure you are sewing through the inner waist lining bottom edge as well.



22. Repeat Step 21 on top edge of casing as well.


23. For my belt, I used two layers of 3/4" single-fold bias tape (two yards in length, 4 yards total) and sewed them together. However, you can use ribbon or even just sew 1/2" double-fold bias tape down the seam. As long as you end up with a 2 yd belt between 1/2" and 3/4" wide.

24. I folded the ends of the belt fabric in like gift corners before sewing as shown below and then sewed around all four sides of belt (2 short & 2 long.)




25. Attach a safety pin to the end of your belt and work it through the casing. Try to keep it from flipping/rolling. 3/4" is a tight squeeze but does work.



26. Cut a length of elastic to comfortably fit your pant's waist. Now attach the safety pin to one end of the elastic and, entering from the gap in the inside front seam, work the elastic around the pocket in the inner lining.


27. Once the elastic is pulled through, sew the two ends of elastic together nice and secure!! Distribute elastic evenly around waist.


Now to hem the bottoms.

28. Trim the edge so that each leg (and both together) are even.

29. With pants inside-out, fold edge over 1/2" and iron.


30. Fold edge over 1 1/2" more and iron again.


31. Starting at inseam, sew around very edge of hem seam with a few back stitches at beginning and end. Repeat steps 29-30 for other leg.


You did it! You recreated a masterpiece! Now wear those babies with pride! Just not to the grocery store. But that's another intervention for another day.