PJ party - Tofino style

When I was reviewing my handmade PJ's situation a few weeks ago, I must say, it wasn't very encouraging. One pair that I made last year is still in circulation, but the other pair has been sent off for textile recycling, tragically pimpled beyond belief. Just as I was gearing myself up to think about making a new pair, Karen announced her PJ sewalong. Hoorah, just the boot up the arse I needed. I bought the pattern - Sewaholic Tofino -  chose the fabric, sewed them up..... And? They're a fine, classy pair of PJ bottoms, that's what. 

Size wise, I started with a Sewaholic size 10 waist, tapering down to a size 6 at the hips. My waist is actually a size 8 but I didn't want these trousers to be tight - they're designed for lounging after all. And my style of lounging doesn't involve any holding in of the stomach. At all.  By shortening the leg length by about four inches, I was also able to squeeze these out of two metres of fabric rather than the three yards the pattern advises - yes! The fabric I used is a lovely, duck-egg coloured quilting cotton which has a nice, crisp medium weight, perfect for PJ bottoms. I nabbed it at a blogger meet up in Walthamstow a couple of months ago, courtesy of Tilly - thanks Tilly!

The pattern instructions are perfectly clear, but for this make, I didn't bother with the instructions, preferring to see each step explained in glorious technicolour by Karen as part of the sewalong. If you're new to sewing and fancy an easy beginner project, then you should really have a look at her PJ sewalong posts - they're a great resource. 

My PJ bottoms sewed together without a hitch, but I really, really wish I'd left the piping off. The lesson I learnt here is that not all piping is created equally. I bought piped bias binding which is absolutely fine if you want a lovely piped edge on your cushion. Not quite so good on a pair of PJ bottoms. It's way too thick for starters - oh how I wish I'd bought some that was a bit finer and more delicate looking. This point was rammed home when I was trying the trousers on, and they kept reminding me of something. Then my son came home from school in his PE kit and the penny dropped. Yes, with their thick, white piping, my PJ's have more than a whiff of tracksuit bottoms about them....

Showing off his tracksuit bottoms - through the medium of street dance

Never mind eh?! Even though they make me look like Sporty Spice, they fill a gap in my PJ wardrobe and are infinitely classier looking than my other pairs. So instead of jumping on my bed today, I thought I'd lounge around in my boudoir, feeling classy.

Welcome everyone - and in a final effort to crank up the raciness factor of this post, you'll see I'm reading Mr Alan Bennett in bed. Grrr!!