Hey y’all, welcome to January! I realize we’re a week into the new year, but my kids FINALLY went back to school so I present the first new tutorial of the year – how to make shirred waist pajamas with elastic thread.
In addition to showing you a different way to make pajama waistbands, I’m showcasing some fabric from my friends at Simple Simon and Company’s newest line, Shine Bright. When Elizabeth & Liz asked me to sew something with their fabric, they asked me to think of a woman “whose light shines” and then use their fabric to sew something for that woman.
Well, the first ones that came to mind were my sisters in law. Growing up, I often asked my parents for a sister, and I remember being bitterly disappointed to find out each time my siblings were born and they were brothers (sorry brothers!). Though I may have wished them away growing up, I love my adult brothers now, and I especially love that they both did a good job in finding the only sisters I’ll get – my sisters in law.
This sister in law is particularly close, since we live 5 minutes from each other and our kids go to the same school. She’s an awesome mom to my two nieces, and with the benefit of being neighbors as well as relatives, we help each other out a LOT. She’s been a big supporter of my blog, my sewing, and my family always, and I’m so glad my brother brought this girl who shines so bright into our lives.
My original idea was to make her pajama pants, but then I didn’t ask for enough of this “You Are” print (totally my fault; I forgot to account for the directional print) so I made her shorts using my Barton Shorts pattern and then made matching pajamas for my niece. This girl has been a great big sister to the new baby who got a huge amount of attention last year, and I thought she’d like a mommy & me look just for her (and not the baby).
A close up of the print shows the “You Are” in gold, and then we had fun finding words hidden in the rest of the letters, including smart, extraordinary, noble, strong and amazing. Great words for both these women!
Want to make these pajama pants? Start with making (or buying) the pattern as shown here EXCEPT you need to add the waistband amount to the top of the pattern. So if you wanted a 1 inch waistband, you’d add 1 inch to the top of the pants pattern.
Sew up the pants as shown in that post except for the waistband. What you’ll want to do first on the waistband is finish the raw edge with a rolled hem. I’ve got a video below on how to create a rolled hem, and there’s more information in this post.
Next, you’ll use elastic thread to shirr the fabric to create the waistband. I sewed 5 rows of shirring, but you can make more or less rows depending on your preference. I’ve got a video below.
There’s even more information and another project to try this technique with in this post.