Stash busting: Flannel Pajamas, OOP Simplicity 6851 and OOP Simplicity 5490

The first project off the sewing machine this year, a flannel pajama set, will be gifted.  

Vintage and out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 6851 is a slip and robe pattern.  The robe pattern is the inspiration for the pajama top.  The pattern has shoulder darts, front bodice darts, front pockets and a 3/4 length bell sleeve.  The robe was shortened more than eight inches to just below the bottom of the pocket placement.  The sleeves were narrowed and I intended to lengthen them but forgot to do so.  Oops.  The cuff pattern piece from Butterick 6296 added some length to the sleeve.  

OOP Simplicity 2372 is a coordinates pattern which includes patterns for a dress, jacket, top, pants and skirt.  Since, the elastic-waist, pull-on pants worked well in the past, the pants pattern was used for the pajama bottoms.  The top part of the pants pattern pieces, just above the waistline marking, were shortened an inch and the waistband pattern piece from OOP Vogue 9217 was added.  

Sewing Techniques, Tips and Tricks

This one-way printed cotton flannel fabric from Fabricland required some attention prior to the cutting stage.  Cotton typically shrinks at about a 4% rate so first pre-shrinking was in order.  Pre-shrink your fabric in the manner that you plan to wash the finished project.  This fabric was pre-washed in the washing machine and dried in the dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam pressing.  

Flannel and flannelette fabrics have a nap.  This nap give flannel it's soft hand and makes it a warmer fabric--perfect for Canadian winter sleepwear.  One-way design fabrics require some special attention when laying out your pattern pieces.  Considering that this is a one-way printed fabric with a nap, laying all the pieces in the same direction is important to the overall feel and look of the project.  When working with these characteristics, a little extra fabric is recommended above what is listed on the pattern envelope.  

Invest in a buttonhole cutter.  It removes the risk of accidently cutting beyond the buttonhole stitches with scissors, thread clippers or a seam ripper.  

This project has four darts and since the project is made with flannel it was the perfect opportunity to use Nancy Zieman's technique.  Instead of leaving a long strand of upper and lower threads at the dart's point for tying.  Zieman's methods requires to keep stitching and creating a chain and then lift the presser foot up, readjust the position of the needle just above the dart's point within the fold of the fabric and sew a few stitches, backstitching or using your lock stitch feature.  

Cotton fabric or muslin can be substituted for store bought interfacing.  

Project Details

Seams:  2.6 straight stitch

Top-stitching:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  5 metres

Interfacing:  0.8 metres

Buttons:  4 - 1" buttons

Elastic:  1 metre 

Patterns:  OOP Simplicity 6851 and OOP Simplicity 2372, additional pieces from OOP Vogue 9217 and Butterick 6296.  

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, iron, ironing board, measuring tape, scissors, measuring gauge, ruler, tailor's chaulk, pins, pin cushions, Janome sewing machine, screwdriver, lint brushes, tweezers, mini vacuum, walking foot, buttonhole foot, threads, thread clippers, Janome serger, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, safety pins, cutting board, button hole cutter, hammer and coffee.   

Sew What Makes You Happy!