First Project Of The Year Is Done

I did it! My first project of the year is done! I always like to start with something easy after the holiday season. Often I’ll make a t-shirt or something like that. This year I decided to make myself a pair of fun pajamas. I’ve had this fabric (bought at JoAnn Fabrics) for a few years now. The knit fabric for the top was also purchased at JoAnn’s but I don’t remember exactly what it is.

Pajama set donut fabric first project of the year

The Top

For the top, I used one of my tried-and-true patterns . The Angela Wolf Ruched-T pattern is one I have made many times. I’ve never used it for a pj top before. For this version of the top, I made it with long sleeves and the regular neckline.

The Pants

For the pj pants, I used the Sewing And The City Lexington pattern. I have made the night dress before and the short set, but this was the first time using the pattern for the long pants. The only thing I did differently on this pattern was to eliminate the elastic at the hem of the legs.

Angela Wolf ruched-t top
SATC Lexington pj pants

First Project Of The Year Is Done!

Both of these patterns are easy to sew and relatively quick to make. For me, the point of starting with something easy is to get my sew-jo going. Since I start with something easy, I believe it sets me up in the right way for the year.

Making Sleepwear

It’s been a while since I blogged, but I’ve definitely been busy sewing. Most recently, I have been busy making sleepwear. I used a few different patterns that I had in my pattern stash in order to make these garments. Robes for cooler weather and summertime are an essential item for me. And then there’s the new pair of short pjs I made.

Long Robe

The first item in this round of projects is this pink polka dot robe. I was supposed to have made this in the winter, but didn’t get around to it until spring.

The fabric on this one just seems to get softer every time it’s washed. I used a very old, but tried-and-true pattern for this. It’s McCall’s 4320. I have used this pattern many times for pjs and robes.

Short Pajama Set

The next sleepwear project is this short pajama set using the Lexington Pajama pattern from Sewing and the City patterns.

I used rayon challis for this project. The pajamas are very soft and the challis fabric definitely has a nice drape to it. It’s so nice to have some matching pajama sets that look good and make you feel good when you wear them! The pattern for this is a PDF download that has other options as well.

Short Summer Robe

Last, is this short summer robe I made using an old pattern I found in my pattern stash. I didn’t want to use the pattern for the longer robe (the pink) because that’s my TNT for a longer robe. I needed a pattern that I could just cut up and change as needed. So I found Simplicity 9330.

This one is made from a lightweight cotton that I bought locally. It’s a cool and comfortable option for those of us who like to be covered but not overheat in the summer.

If you haven’t tried making sleepwear for yourself, I highly recommend it! It can be a fun project that doesn’t take a lot of fabric (depending on what you’re making), and can also be quickly done. I made that short pj set in a weekend.

Until next time…

The Lexington Nightdress

When I received this fabric from Minerva, I knew right away that it would be perfect for a nightgown or something like that. Then I saw the pattern for the Lexington nightdress and a match was made! The pattern for this make is from Sewing And The City Patterns. It is a downloadable PDF pattern that includes the following:

a short pajama set
a long pajama set
this nightdress/night shirt

The Lexington Nightdress is designed for woven fabrics and could be made from something very luxurious, like silk. It’s described as having a 90’s inspired silhouette that’s feminine and sporty.

The fabric I used was gifted to me by Minerva Fabrics. You can check out my post for this on their site as well here. This is a lightweight cotton that washes and dries well. It’s great for craft projects as well as something like this. The name of the fabric is called “philosophers dreams”. How perfect is that for a nightdress/nightshirt? Quotes from different philosophers are printed on the fabric.

Sewing and the City Lexington nightdress back

I like that this pattern is pretty straightforward and easy to make. I made this in a size based on my measurements. It is a good fit, especially considering it is something that I wouldn’t want to be tight. The only change I made was to move the very last button to the top of the shirt. I made no other changes to the pattern.

Styling the nightdress

But, since I like to style things different ways, I decided to try that with this nightdress/nightshirt as well.

Sewing And The City Lexington nightdress with leggings

This can be worn over a pair of leggings as I did above.

Or you can use it as a cover up for casual loungewear as I did in this photo. In fact, you could make an entire loungewear set with this one pattern (something I might end up doing). I think this pattern is easy enough for a beginner or certainly, an advanced beginner.

Here is a close up of the material:

close up of Minerva fabric for Lexington nightdress

I would definitely recommend this pattern. There are so many options that you can mix and match with the different pieces. And depending on your fabric choices, you can make something really casual or really luxurious.