Cozy Holiday Pajamas to Sew, Give and Enjoy

One of my favorite holiday traditions is spending all day Christmas day in my pajamas! For many years Christmas Day at our house has been off limits to visitors— is all about enjoying the day, munching/snacking and lounging in our pj’s watching movies or playing games that were under the tree. Since cozy lounge wear and pajamas plays such a key role this time of year, between Christmas and the cold winter days, I thought I would share one of my favorite patterns and a few tips for sewing your own this holiday season.

Pajamas and pillow cases are two of my favorite things to sew! Not only are they relatively easy, they also get used ALL the time and then normal wardrobe rules don’t apply. There are so many fun designs and colors that I would never wear out of the house but put them on an adorable set of pajama or a cute pillow case and I am in! Last Christmas I shared my go-to pillow case tutorial, so this year I thought I would sew up a couple new pajamas sets to help get you inspired. Since it’s release a couple of years ago, my favorite pj pattern is Closet Case’s Carolyn Pajamas— a modern take on a classic button-up pajama set. I love the fit and the kind of retro look and Heather makes construction a delight with her clear, detailed instructions. I sewed up my first set a while back in a soft cotton lawn and they are so comfy and cool, I wear them all the time! For this season’s set I decided to try a thick cotton jersey. I know the pattern doesn’t call for a knit but we recently got some left over fabrics from the Bedhead (RTW designer) so I thought I would create my own (less expensive) version of their adorable pajamas.

Even though I was using a knit, I decided to keep everything the same on the pattern. I didn’t size down or make any changes, I merely swapped out the fabric type. This plan worked perfectly! Construction I think may have been even easier as knits are a bit more forgiving with easing. My pajamas are the perfect fit, loose but still stylish and over the top comfortable! I highly recommend it! Oh my gosh it is like being wrapped in those cozy t-shirt sheets but even warmer!

I decided to pipe this set in a fun emerald rayon jersey to bring out the pop of color in the butterfly wings. Although I did cheat a little bit— I cut 1-1/2″ strips, folded them in half and included this in each seam. So much faster and didn’t add all the bulk the traditional piping can add. I questioned the color choice as first but it turned out to be the perfect complement.

I couldn’t stop at one new set of pajamas so I added another pair of Carolyn pants to my sewing list along with a matching jersey knit top. For this set I was mostly inspired by the fabric— these fun metallic starts were just too cute to pass up. I used some silver metallic for the piping accent as well as on the neckline on a basic black Hemlock tee. To tie things together I used the pocket pattern from the Carolyn top and added that to my black tee for an extra pop of the fun print. A really quick sew and almost as cute as my jersey floral Carolyn set!

Hopefully both of these have inspired you to sew your own pajamas this season, and not just for yourself! Pajamas and lounge wear make amazing gifts for the holidays. They are typically very forgiving with their relaxed fit and let’s face it, the comfier the better, right! You can also make each piece unique to the person you are gifting them to or make matching pjs for the whole family. The options are endless— with fun prints, bright colors and different fabrics types to choose from you can’t go wrong! For my next pair I’m thinking flannel…

There is still plenty of time to sew up a few pieces for the holidays and here are a couple of tips to make it fast and painless.

• Assembly line sewing is your friend! Get everything cut out and then put the machines to work. This will save time reading directions between steps and let you get everything done in about the same amount of time it would have taken to sew one set.
• Pick a neutral thread. Save yourself from changing threads by picking something neutral for both the machine and serger. Lucky for me black was a perfect choice!
• Be sure to label all of your pieces with the size or who it is for. That way if you are sewing multiple garments in the same fabric you won’t get mixed up.
• Want another time saver? Skip the piping and just hem the pants. This will save you a couple more fussy steps and they still look great!

In the shop we put together a fun collection of fabrics and patterns perfect for holiday lounge wear sewing! Be sure to check it out— lots of unusual knits, cozy French terry, sweatshirt fleece and a few other surprises. Take a look HERE.

Now time to get sewing! The holidays will be here before you know it!

~Michelle