Hello everyone, I’m Jessamy from jessamybmakes. It is officially the time of the year when we all have gifts on the brain. I have to be honest here and confess that I am not one of those people who gets all my holiday shopping done in July. If you are anything like me, you may be looking for some awesome handmade gifts that can still be sewn up in plenty of time for gifting! Enter the classic holiday pajama set.
Today I’m sharing how I used two Blank Slate patterns, the Rivage Raglan and the Barton Shorts, to make a comfy holiday pajama set. (aff links) Now, full disclosure, I made this set as a gift to myself. However, both the Rivage Raglan and the Barton Shorts are relaxed fit garments that are perfect for gifting to others. They require little to no fitting, so as long as you have a general idea of size, you will be able to sew them up without a worry.
I used this amazing Dana Cotton Modal from Imagine Gnats for the Rivage Raglan. If you haven’t tried this fabric yet, you must! It is amazingly soft and easy to sew with. The Rivage Raglan shirt has a wide neckline, and longer sleeves, which make the perfect comfy pajama shirt. I don’t like anything tight around my neck while trying to sleep, so this is a pattern is a perfect fit. Another benefit of sewing with knits is you can leave them unhemmed! Saving you even more time in the construction phase, but still giving you a finish nice enough for gifting.
If your gift list is long, I would suggest sewing these in batches. You’d be surprised how fast you can put together one shirt, so why not 5? (Or just do what I did and sew them all up for yourself, I won’t tell!)
For the Barton Shorts I used a cozy brushed flannel that I’ve been holding onto for quite a while. The Barton Shorts pattern includes two different views, with a short and long length option for both. I think it took me longer to decide on what view to make, than it did to actually sew up the shorts! I finally decided to go with the longer length hemmed version. This view sews up slightly faster than the lace trimmed version. I love how these look with an added faux tie. To add the ribbon tie I simply added two button holes centered on the waistband piece. After finishing the shorts, I threaded the ribbon through the buttonholes and tied a bow. You could also add an actual drawstring here, which would allow your recipient to adjust the tightness of the waist if they needed.
You may think of pants when you think winter pajamas, which I’m all for lounging around in. However, when it comes to actually sleeping, I prefer shorts. This set has quickly become my new favorite pajamas. I’m now trying to decide how many sets I can sew up before it is time to exchange gifts!
Get the patterns here: Rivage Raglan and Barton Shorts (aff links)