Loungewear

Lounging In Style

What’s all this? Pyjamas!? Yes I’m trying something a little different to break me out of my sewing funk.

Pyjamas1 almondrock

I’ve joined the Minerva Blogger Network and I’m really excited to share what I’ve sewn.

For my first project I wanted to indulge myself with a little bit of luxury. My eyes lit up when I saw this beautiful bird-print satin on Minerva’s website. I decided fancy-pants satin pyjamas had to happen and I really hope you’re inspired to make these too.

I chose the McCalls 6659 sleepwear pattern as it’s designed for silks and satins, plus it has the classic pyjama-style I was keen on. Ignoring the samples the model is wearing (which hurt my eyeballs) I could see brilliant possibilities in the line drawings.

Mccalls6659envelope

There are different sleeve lengths and hem styles to choose from for the shirt, as well as an optional patch pocket and instructions for adding piping. For the bottoms you can pick between shorts, a standard wider leg or a slim leg version.  McCalls suggest the slim leg variation could double as pyjama-style trousers – in case you’re eager to get in on that trend.

Pyjamas2 almondrock

My finished pyjamas are a hybrid of view C and D for the shirt and view G for the bottoms. I was very tempted to make the dressing gown but resisted in the end – maybe another day.

The piping came from my stash as I wanted to pick out some of the details of the shirt and the cuffs of the bottoms.

For the basic construction I used French seams over 99% of the top and bottoms – I only serged the crotch seam and the armholes, and that’s because I was being too lazy to French seam them as well!  I used a very fine needle with polyester thread and a small stitch length.

Pyjamas3 almondrock

Finally I added a little bow instead of the tie front as I think it’s a little sweeter.

My kit is available to buy here! And if you hadn’t noticed, the pattern is also available on the Minverva website separately here.

I know Satin can be a little intimidating but I’ve put together some further information about how to work with the fabric. A lot of the points apply to silk and other slippery fabrics, so please take a look!

P1060019

If the idea of working with Satin still scares you, I’d suggest picking up a copy of this pattern and some lovely lightweight cotton lawn like this or if you’re feeling daring some of this, which will work just as well but give you a bit more control.

(41) Comments

  1. What a sweet set! These look so luxe! Congratulations on being part of the Minerva network- so exciting!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! The Mood network has inspired so many people. Hope I can even come vaguely close with my Minerva makes.

  2. Absolutely adorable and yet so elegant that I would totally wear this out shopping! I, as you may know, love all things bird. And, how exciting that you are blogging for Minerva, congrats!! I just purchased a pattern recently, New Look Project Runway Workroom 6161 which is very similar to yours (my local fabric shoppe had patterns on for $1.00 last week, WHAT???). I am going to sew mine up for sure using your tips in the next post and, seriously contemplating getting this fabric, even though I’m on the Stashbusting diet.

    1. almondrock says:

      Heehee it’s great fabric so I say indulge. I juat had a look at the PR pattern and its cute! Thanks for the lovely comments about my attempt.

  3. Love them, look good 🙂

    Hannah.
    http://surfjewels.tumblr.com/

    1. almondrock says:

      Thanks Hannah! And thanks for sharing your site for me to follow. Some very cute dresses on there!

  4. beebeesvintagedress says:

    Seriously cute! Congratulations on joining the Minerva Network!

    1. almondrock says:

      Yay thanks! Very glad to join you!

  5. Excuse the pun… you’ve kicked the others out of the bed with your first Minerva Network make! So cute and you thought about all the little details too.

    1. almondrock says:

      Heehee I LOVE a good pun. Thanks so much.

    2. almondrock says:

      No one could accuse me of falling asleep on the job (heheheh pun-tastic)

  6. These are super cute jammies! I’d love to sew me up a pair of satin for the spring.

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! You totally should. A gal with your skills would have no trouble!

  7. Loving the pjs! Great work on the piping… I’ve made note of this pattern, will have to see if I can hunt one down – it’s fabulous 🙂

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I personally think this one was drafted very well but sure others would achieve the same look!

  8. Ooh, congratulations on joining the network! These PJs are seriously cute as well!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! So glad they’ve gone down well. I was very nervous!

  9. Very cute! But I am really disappointed you didn’t use the exact same fabric as the pattern envelope…

    1. almondrock says:

      Bwahaha! If only they stocked it at my fabric store I’m sure I would have 😉

  10. These are lovely. And welcome!

    1. almondrock says:

      Aww thanks! So glad to be joining you on the Network.

  11. Your PJs look amazing! I love the piping detail!!!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much!

  12. This is absolutely adorable! I love the print! Great job!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! Isn’t it pretty. Can’t believe it took me so long to wear bird print

  13. These are amazing Amy, I love them! I especially like the piping detail, but generally I just want them! And I don’t even ever really wear button up pyjamas. They look perfect for lounging round the house on a lazy day 🙂 and congrats on joining the Minerva network!

    1. almondrock says:

      Aww thanks! I’m really pleased everyone loves them as much as I do!

  14. Cute! I love your fabric choice, so sweet. I have a similar McCalls pj pattern, although much much older. It seems to be timeless!
    Congrats on being a Minerva Network sewist too!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I agree button up pjs are timeless. Think you’ll make your pattern up?

      1. I have made it a few times over the years but have never blogged them 🙂
        PS looking forward to meeting you on Monday

  15. What a great looking finish. I love your fabric choice.
    Congratulations on joining the Minerva Crafts bloggers network. I am one too! Isn’t it great to be able to indulge yourself in products?

    1. almondrock says:

      Yay for us! It’s great. This fabric made me swoon. Looking forward to your next make!

  16. These are SO chic! Love them! There is something about that piping around the collar that makes me so happy!
    One day I will be brave enough to sew with satin, you are the inspiration!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I think you could tackle it. You’ve got the right mindset not to agonise over wrangling satin.

      1. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I need to get out of my sewing comfort zone!

  17. Oooh, I adore these! What a great pattern choice and the fabric is lovely too. I’m quite intimidated by satin but your pjs are very inspiring.

  18. 【楽天市場】山善(YAMAZEN) グラファイトヒーター(900/450W 2段階切替式 首振り機能…

    見つけライトアップ しかし私は知らない、私はそれらのすべてが表示…

  19. […] notched collar as the two pieces of the collar stay separate. I’m comparing this collar to my satin pjs and my Simplicity 1880 shirtdresses. This actually makes it much easier to manipulate and achieve a […]

  20. Hi, these look brilliant! Can I ask you what sewing machine you use and how it fairs working with tricky fabrics?

    1. almondrock says:

      Hello! I have a Toyota jeans machine (manual machine from argos) and a computerised Janome SMD4000 – Both handle fine fabrics well but the important thing is my Toyota doesn’t have adjustable speed length – small stitches are good for fine fabrics. Another good thing to check is how big the needle plate opening is – smaller the better so your fabric doesn’t get pulled in as you sew. A good sharp needle us the crucial bit though. Hope that helps!

  21. […] pattern is McCall’s 6659 which I made once before here. Again this is views C and G. The fabric was a gift from Katy Jones during my first week at […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.