Silk Pajamas or New Pantsuit?: Butterick 6296 and Vogue 9217

Silk pajamas have been on my wish-list for a very long time. Now, I'm thinking these might be too fancy for sleepwear.

The top was made with Butterick 6296, a Lisette design. This has view A's hem length with view B's long sleeves that have been shortened a wee bit for a better personal fit. The back has an extended yoke that I adapted after reading Kathryn Brenne's silk pajama article from Vogue Sewing magazine.

The buttons are vintage (circa 1970s), recycled and were found in the stash waiting for a project that calls for green buttons.

The pants were created with Vogue 9217, a Kathryn Brenne design. Even though these were not designed as pajama bottoms, I find this design to be perfect for the occasion. The hem design was changed to eliminate the curved side slits.  The pockets were also eliminated only because I ran out of this one-way designed fabric.

Sadly, they are currently a little snug. I would like to blame it on the fact that I left off the pockets but to be completely honest it's because I gained some weight. Recovering from a sprained ankle didn't help with trying to get my Fitbit steps in and the extra pounds off. Hopefully, the pants will fit better in the next few weeks. And then I can decide if these pieces will become my new pajamas or a pantsuit.  

The fabric is an embroidered silk that I found a few years back at the home décor department at the local Fabricland store. I will admit there was some apprehension in cutting into this gorgeous piece of cloth and in the end I'm grateful that this project turned out and that I did take that first cut. Prior to hitting the cutting table, it was pretreated with a tumble on the delicate cycles and a gentle steam pressing. Just in case there might be additional shrinkage, this garment will be strictly hand-washed in the future.

In order to avoid any fusible interfacing bubbling, I opted for sew-in interfacing. It was worth all the extra time to sit and hand sew the facing and collar pieces. Plus too, I don't think the fusible interfacing would have worked over the bulkiness of the embroidered areas. I know the delicate nature of silk, these garments will likely not withstand the wear and tear of let's say flannel pj's but I can tell you I will enjoy wearing these fancy pj's until the day they will need to be repaired or replaced.

The Stats

Fabric:  3.5 metres (147 cm width)

Interfacing:  0.75 metres Pellon® Lightweight Sew-in Interfacing

Elastic:  1 metre (2.5 cm width), recyled

Buttons:  5 vintage buttons

Patterns:  Butterick 6296 (top) and Vogue 9217 (pants)

Additional Supplies & Tools:  Pins, pin cushions, cutting table, bar stool, scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, measuring gauge, iron, ironing board, clapper, hand sewing needle, thread clippers, tweezers, sewing machine, serger, threads, sewing machine needle, walking foot, buttonhole foot, screwdriver, cutting board, buttonhole cutter, hammer, sleeve ham, safety pins, ice packs, ankle brace and many, many breaks.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!