In an earlier post, I mentioned my punk rock summer pj’s and how much I love them. In fact, they’re my favorite pajamas of all time. It’s not just that I love the classic style of this particular pattern, with the collared button-up top, the pockets, and the contrast piping. It’s also not just that I made them myself, to my exact measurements and specifications, with my own two hands. Not even that they look so fucking cool. It’s that they are so darn comfortable!
It all started a little over a year ago. We were living in the San Francisco Bay Area and it was summertime. I had bought the fabric almost on a whim. I don’t normally go for animal prints but something about this fabric just looked so punk. I had also never worked with cotton double gauze and I was keen to give it a go. I knew immediately what I would make: a punk rock summer pajama set. Yeah!
The pattern, as mentioned in the previous post, is the Carolyn pajamas by Closet Core Patterns. The punk rock pj’s were actually my third set of Carolyn pajamas. I love the classic look of this pattern. (I still dream of splurging and making myself a set out of a beautiful, luxurious silk charmeuse. One day…) The first set I made were summer pj’s (by which I mean short sleeve top and shorts, lightweight fabric) and the second set were winter pajamas (i.e., long sleeve top and pants, flannel). I used a cheerful lemon yellow cotton voile for that first summer set, and a warm and cozy aqua colored flannel with a snowflake print for the winter ones. My original plan was to make another summer set with the leopard print cotton double gauze and another winter set out out of plaid flannel. I didn’t have quite enough of the flannel to make it work, so I just made the summer pj’s.
For the first two Carolyn pajama sets I made, I used the paper pattern in the original 0-20 size range. By the time I made my punk rock summer pj’s, Closet Core had released a pdf version in extended size range 14-32. My measurements fall in the overlap between the two ranges, and I probably could have stayed with the 0-20 range and it would have been fine. However, being somewhat voluptuous, I was curious what the difference in fit would be. I decided to go ahead and give the 14-32 range a try. According to the Closet Core website, this range caters to more of a pear shape. I’m hourglass rather than pear-shaped and I have found that curvy/plus size patterns seem to work best for me on top for my boobs, while straight size patterns work fine for me on the bottom. I went back and forth over whether to take in the top a bit at the waist and hips or whether to just leave it because they’re fucking pajamas and who cares if they’re a little bit oversized – they are supposed to be comfy!! 😂
I made a muslin to assess the fit – problem solved. I was afraid that the top would be a bit tent-like, but you know what? It wasn’t. The fit is slightly oversized but that’s how I want it to fit. That being said, I did make a few adjustments:
- The collar stood out farther from my neck than I like. I took it in by an inch. (I had thought about putting a small box pleat on the back piece at the collar seam but decided against it. It would have been such a tiny pleat; I think it would be better for it to be a big pleat if there was going to be a pleat.)
- The bust dart was too high. My bust apex is lower when I’m not wearing a bra. I didn’t want to lower the dart though, I thought I’d rotate it instead. Then, when I researched it, I discovered that rotating a dart means rotating it from the apex point and not from the legs, as I had been thinking. Anyway, I moved the apex down by an inch or so.
- I raised the armscye just a smidge for a bit more mobility / ease of movement; I move around and my arms are all over the place when I sleep. A half inch did the trick.
- I actually liked the length on this so I didn’t shorten it, like I did for the previous two sets.
- There was bit of puffiness at the lower back area, and I thought about doing a swayback adjustment. However, the back is one piece cut on the fold, not two pieces, so a swayback adjustment would mess that up. I looked at it again and honestly? The slight puff at the back was fine. They’re pj’s; I don’t need them to be super fitted. I like the loose comfy fit; it feels cozy to me.
All in all, this was a satisfying sew. I generally took my time but I did mess up the hem slightly at the center front where it joins the facing, which resulted in a hemline that is just a smidge too short at the center front and looks a just little bit too long just on either side of the center front – oops! I don’t think most people would notice unless I pointed it out to them, though (so I won’t 😜).
This was my first make using cotton double gauze but it definitely won’t be my last. It was so easy to sew and is so comfortable to wear; these pajamas feel soft and nice against my skin. I was concerned that maybe I would feel too warm as the double gauze, while light, is thicker than the cotton voile I used for my first set of summer pj’s. I felt cool enough, did not overheat, and was comfortable all night. I’ve also worn these pj’s in the fall, and to my surprise they also keep me cozy when the weather is a bit cool. They’re just perfect.
The basics in summary:
- Pattern: Carolyn pajamas by Closet Core Patterns, View C (short sleeve top and shorts)
- Size: Top, size 16 from the 14-32 range; bottoms, size 18 from the 0-20 range
- Fabric: Leopard print double gauze from Stonemountain & Daughter
- Notions: Berry pink piping and buttons from my button jar
- Project Start/Finish Dates: Started on 3 July 2022 with assembling the pattern. Finished 13 August 2022 with the buttons.
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