Have you ever made a pair of trousers, pants or shorts?

If you have never dared to make yourself a pair of trousers, shorts or pants before because you are concerned about getting the fitting right, then how about having a go at making a pair of pyjamas with an elasticated waist. It’s an easy way to have a go at making pants.

As you know I’ve been exploring sewing different garments from gingham fabric throughout the entire month of April as a chance to explore this versatile fabric. I like so many things about it, the budget price for one and the fact that is does not have a right or wrong side and it both washes and irons very easily. I have had some style issues with using the Gingham fabric though because of it’s long association with children’s wear and country interiors, especially the pale, lighter and more pastel shades of gingham check. I used the small pink check to sew the shirt with the ¾ sleeves at the beginning of the month, you can’t go wrong with a checked shirt, and I like the way it turned out with the bright pink buttons down the front. My favourite make of the month has to be the black gingham dress which I completed last week. I think that the black check almost looks like a summer version of hounds tooth fabric. It has certainly convinced me that adults can wear this fabric and style it in a smart and elegant way.

So after all the fun of gingham month I need a rest (from the checked stuff, not from sewing) so I have made myself this pair of pink, large check pyjama bottoms to relax in!

This was the perfect opportunity for me to use my fancy embroidery stitches on my sewing machine, to embellish the pocket edges.

The pattern I’ve used for these gingham pyjamas is an amalgamation of two patterns which have merged together over time into my own pants pattern. It is part Burda, from one of the magazines, and part New Look. I also think that it is probably not a conventional size anymore but my own personal size instead. I love it when that happens with a pattern, when it becomes your own and you can rely on it and come back to visit it over and over for different makes, changing it for the season or for it’s use.

I enjoyed the challenge of pattern matching.

This is the first time that I have chosen to make sleepwear from this block. In the past I have used it for lightweight summer pants with both slim and wide legs, just altering the taper of the width of the leg but always keeping the pattern top the same so that the fit around the body is right.