Pyjama bottoms, but not for me

I don’t often make things for other people. It’s mostly because I’m never quite sure whether I’m just inflicting my hobby on other people. However, my other half has, on occasion, been a willing victim so this is another make for him.

I bought some beautiful brushed cotton tartan fabric when at I was at Sew Brum and decided this would make great pyjama trousers and an ideal Christmas pressie too. I bought 3 metres, which I thought would be adequate for two pairs and we could be a sad couple in matching PJ bottoms, but the fabric width is only just over a metre so I don’t think I’ve bought enough. So, this is just going to be about the one pair of pyjama trousers that I have actually made.

I didn’t use a pattern for this, but took measurements from an existing pair of pyjamas. This would have been a simple enough, except that the well-known department store that made these pyjamas defied convention and there are no outer leg seams, only inner leg seams. Was this the intention when these pyjamas were designed or was this some money-saving thing to save thread and time? Either way, the pyjama legs were weird slightly twisted affair, which I wasn’t going to replicate. My pattern took me longer than expected to make because of this, but when I was happy with it, I cut out my leg pieces. The checks are matched horizontally. I’ve made a best effort to make the setts continuous around the pyjamas. By the way, “sett” is the name given to the repeat of stripes in a tartan design.

I definitely went with the deluxe finish on these, sewing flat felled seams on the inner leg seams and the crotch seams. The hem is hand-finished too. I finished the waist with some 30 mm elastic. My other half informs me that he never likes the flies on pyjamas as he worries about revealing himself when answering the door in the morning to the postman. So the flies were dispensed with for modesty’s sake.

Altogether, these were quite a satisfying make and not too difficult, which was a boon in the run-up to Christmas. Apparently, they are very warm, so I think they have my other half’s approval too.