Beginning Christmas Gifts: Pajama Pants

Last weekend Sam took the kids to the park (I’m sure it had nothing to do with my eye rolling when he proposed to go for a long run alone) and I had an hour to sew.

I started the kids’ Christmas jammies.  The surprise was already spoiled when SweetP found the fabric, dragged it into the hallway, wrapped herself in it, and began shouting, “My jammies!  My jammies!”  But the fact of the jammies won’t be spoiled.

When my sewing machine is cooperating (let’s say that’s about 60% of the time), it takes me about an hour and a half to make 4 pairs of (very plain) pajama pants.

Here’s a mini-tutorial.

1. Wash and dry your fabric.  If you’re a stickler, iron it flat.  If “good enough” is good enough, skip the ironing.

1. Take your child’s pants and fold them inside-out, with one leg inside the other.

2. Fold your fabric and put the outside of the pants leg on the fold.  Cut around the pants with about half an inch extra on the new fabric for your seam allowance on the inseam.  Cut two inches above the waist and below the hem (longer if your child is growing, so you can let down the hem.)  Cut two of this shape.  (It’s easier if you cut the second from the first, instead of from the pants, so you can match the shape exactly.)

3.With the fabric INSIDE OUT, sew the inseam (from the crotch to the ankle) on each leg (but do it one leg at a time.)

4. Turn one leg right side out and tuck it in the inside-out leg, matching the crotch seam and waistband exactly.  Pin the seam from waistband, down through the crotch, to the waistband again.

5. Sew the right sides together, from the center of the FRONT of the waistband, down between the legs, and up the BACK of the waistband.

6. Pull the pants wrong-side out (but legs apart.)

7. Fold down the waistband 1/2 inch, then another 2 inches.  Sew this down except for 2 inches (so you can put the elastic in.)

8. Fold up the hem 1/2 inch, then another inch (or more, if you cut room to grow.)  Sew this down.

9.  Measure your child’s waist.  Cut the elastic one inch longer, then with a safety pin, slide the elastic into the waistband.  Overlap it by one inch, and sew the elastic.  Now sew down the last two inches of waistband.

10. Turn right side out.  Voila!