Carolyn Pajamas Archives

Coziest PJS Ever: Carolyn Pajamas in Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel

12 February 2019 by Heather Lou Leave a Comment

Guys. I know I am basically a broken record around this time every year, but this winter feels particularly brutal. I don’t know if it’s the unpredictable and discombobulating weather changes (it’s a crapshoot between full blizzard or foot deep slush puddles every other week), the endless run of grey, overcast days or just the simple fact that I am single for the first winter in many winters, but I have been struggling. Whether it’s a Vitamin D deficiency or just a mild case of the winter blues, I am doing everything in my power to get through this trying season with my head up, and that involves liberal and generous doses of self-care. And in my mind, winter self-care revolves almost exclusively around the twin concepts of “warm” and “cozy”.

My weekends and evenings are mostly spent at home wrapped in various heated blankets, in a non-stop puppy cuddle puddle with the occasional bath or home cooked comfort meal thrown in for variety. Flannel plays a very big role in this self-imposed hygge lifestyle; I sleep in flannel sheets and wear it whenever possible. Those soft, cozy fibers are like a little hug when facing another bitterly cold dog walk feels as impossible as climbing the Himalayas. Most of my flannel Carolyn pajamas have seen better days (this poor pair is practically threadbare), so I decided it was imperative to make a new pair in the thickest, coziest flannel I could get my hands on. Naturally, I turned to Mammoth flannel from Robert Kaufman. I’ve been wanting to make pjs with this stuff every since making a super warm Archer with it a few years ago (I just now realized I never blogged that shirt, which is too bad since I wear it allllll the time) and it was basically the best decision I’ve ever made. A cute pair of pajamas makes even the hardest winter feel more bearable.

I’m not sure what’s more hilarious: this fabric/piping combo or the fact that I am posing in pajamas at the office. The things I do for you guys.

Anyway, these jam jams are the JAM. Mammoth flannel is super beefy and thick so these are essentially cozy to the power of two, and I love the buffalo check print. I spent way too much time deliberating about what print to go with, but I like the scale of this guy. Robert Kaufman kindly sent this particular fabric to us, but you can also find it in stock here. As for the piping, I’m going through a serious yellow phase at the moment and made it using our piping tutorial and this quilting cotton from Harts Fabric.

The only change I made to the pattern was to install the piping running down the leg rather than around the cuff. You know, like tuxedo pajamas. I also skipped buttons in lieu of pearl snaps, mostly because I didn’t have any buttons in the stash I wanted to use. If my single status ever changes, I foresee a very hilarious tearaway reveal sometime in my future.

I’m also happy to report I made these at home. My little sewing corner has been seeing a lot more action since I reorganized it, and I’ve been trying to sneak in sewing sessions a few times a week. It’s easy to fall in the binge-watching hole when you’re in the winter doldrums but I’ve noticed I feel less guilty about rewatching all of the Gilmore Girls (again) when it’s on my ipad next to my sewing machine. I think I’ve done more recreational sewing in the past few months than I did in the entire previous year simply because it’s more functional and permanent than it was on my dining table.

Needless to say, these pajamas have been in near constant rotation. They even kept me warm on an icy morning walk this weekend – the power of mammoth flannel is mighty (yes I wore my pajamas outside, no I will not apologize).

So… how are you surviving this winter? And what’s the best outfit to do it in?

Details: Carolyn Pajamas in Robert Kaufman Mammoth flannel, yellow piping using this fabric

Hacking a Notched Collar Shirt from our Carolyn PJs

25 October 2018 by Heather Lou Leave a Comment

We’re always brainstorming ways to hack and modify our patterns, and a lot of the time inspiration comes from ready-to-wear. When this adorable striped linen top showed up in an Everlane newsletter (one of the few RTW companies I buy from because of their ethical and transparent manufacturing policies) I actually yelled out loud “WE CAN MAKE THAT WITH CAROLYN!” So that’s just what I did. Herewith, an easy way to mod our Carolyn Pajama top into a simple, modern shirt you can wear outside of bed.

The notched collar top is quite on-trend at the moment. In a slightly boxy cut with a cropped hem as we’ve done here, it’s a good choice for high waisted pants, which is basically the only style of pants I wear. I like for my tops to either be tucked in or hit above the hip so the proportion stays flattering. Here’s what we did to our pattern:

First, I removed the waist shaping in the pattern by straightening out the side seam. Next, I cropped the length a few inches (but included enough seam allowance to do a nice beefy 1.5″ inch hem). I cut the sleeve off at the short sleeve mark on the pattern, and then squared off the corners of the collar and lapel.

I used a lovely linen I’ve had in the stash for a while. It’s got a nice graphic stripe and Amy did a great job cutting it out so the stripe is nicely balanced across the collar and sleeve. We also added a split hem at the side seam. This is achieved by leaving a few inches free at the bottom and topstitching the hems in place rather than closed.

This was one of those projects we made in the summer and then plum forgot to photograph till this week, so I’m kicking myself a bit. It’s starting to get quite cold in Montreal already and short sleeves are not my friend again until the spring, but I’m hoping I can still get some wear out of this layered with a cardigan. Here I’m wearing it with my favourite Everlane pants; they have a great cropped pant I have in multiple colours. The wide legged style is similar to our Jenny trousers, but closer fitting in a stretch denim. I got a little burned out on sewing pants this year so it was kind of a relief to find a style I liked that I could feel good about buying.

I’m quite happy with how it turned out, and get a little kick out of using a pajama pattern to make something wearable outside my house. A little notched collar shirt will always have a place in my closet.

Animal Print and Neon Carolyn Pajamas

9 February 2016 by Heather Lou 26 Comments

I speak to you from the Land of Puppy. In LOP, you constantly have stinky treats in your pockets and poop bags at your fingertips. You are smothered with kisses, climbed over like a jungle gym and presented with so many adorable puppy body parts (pink bellies, strokable ears, soft, squishable paws) that it is hard to choose which one to love more at any given time. You are woken up multiple times a night for potty breaks. You are definitely a little sleep deprived, and start feeling a keen empathy for everyone you know with babies. You want a happy, independent dog so you harden our heart just a little to puppy cries, even if inside you’re smothering the desire to wear him in a baby sling 24/7, just to feel that soft puppy fur and little heart beating all day long.

In Land of Puppy, the most important thing in your closet is a pair of warm, flannel pajamas. When it’s 2am and your phone is bleating and the puppy is making full bladder whines, you need to be fast out of bed, down two flights of stairs, and into that cold, snow covered alley so you can sleepily mutter, “Go potty, go potty, go potty” without freezing your (human) tail off.

While I made these cozy Carolyn Pajamas long before Harry came home, I am so grateful for them this week. Even though they have an abstract cat print, I don’t think he minds, as long as he can gnaw on the hem every once and awhile. They were desperately needed, puppy notwithstanding. I am trying to get in the habit of actually keeping my pattern samples in unworn condition, and had been wearing old, imperfect Carolyn muslins around the house. Super inspired by Christine’s use of neon piping on her set of Carolyns, I picked some of this neon yellow stuff up at Pacific Trimming in New York and waited until the right flannel fell into my lap, which happened one day at my wholesaler’s. If you’d like to have a go at neon piping, I found some on Etsy here.

These were my last finished project before I left for France. I wanted something cute to wear in the morning around G’s family, and they came in extremely handy when I had food poisoning. You’ll always be grateful for cozy flannel pajamas when you are lying on the bathroom floor at your father in-laws house, trust me.

The neon makes me so happy! Such a fun way to add definition to the design lines. I’ll definitely be buying more; I’d like to make a few more pairs of Carolyn Pajamas this year, since I suspect I’ll be out in that alley every night for a very long time.

Ps. If you’re not instagram, you may have missed the Harry deluge… you can see my little lovebug here.

Elastic Waistband Finishes

3 March 2015 by Heather Lou 10 Comments

Howdy-ho everybody! Today I want to talk about options for finishing elastic waistbands. I played around with a few options when I was making samples for the Carolyn Pajamas, but obviously you can apply this information to any garment with an elastic waist.

For me, elastic waistbands always conjure up those scary polyester pants my nana wears. But maybe Nana was onto something; obviously they are comfortable as all hell, and as I’ve put on a few pounds this winter, I’ve found myself with a renewed appreciation for a waistband that stretches with me as opposed to forcing my tummy into knots. For pajama pants, nothing beats an elastic waist. I’m sure some of you out there prefer a drawstring, but when I’m in lazy pajama mode, I can’t bother tying or untying anything.

STANDARD NON-ROLL ELASTIC WAISTBAND

In the instructions for the Carolyn Pajamas, the waistband is finished clean on the inside before you insert your elastic on a safety pin and close it up. By stretching out your elastic after it’s sewn in, it should evenly distribute itself within the waistband. To ensure it doesn’t roll and twist while you’re wearing it (the.worst.), sewing it in place along the side, front and back seams anchors it pretty securely. This is a simple, clean finish, and looks good with quilting cottons and flannels.

GATHERED EDGE WAISTBAND

My pattern calls for 1 1/2″ wide elastic, but this finish works best with 1 – 1 1/4″ elastic. It’s a great solution if you’re working with random stash elastic, or you want a more refined detail. The slightly gathered top edge looks pretty and delicate, and it works well with lighter weight fabrics like silk, voile or rayon challis. I used this aqua challis to make a pair of summer lounge pants I’ll be wearing with tanks and tees on hot days, and I think this waistband looks a little more polished and appropriate for outside the house.

Sew your waistband to the pants as directed in the instructions. Before you insert your elastic, sew a line or two along the top edge to create a narrower channel. In the above example, my elastic was 1″ wide, so I sewed my first line 1/2″ from the top of my waistband, followed by another line 1/8″ away. Insert your elastic as directed, and secure it in place with a few lines of stitching along your center front, center back and side seams to prevent it from rolling.

NARROW ELASTIC CHANNELED WAISTBAND

This is another option for a more sophisticated elastic waistband that reminds me a bit of boxer trunks; rather than using one wide piece of elastic, you sew three channels in the waistband to insert two lengths of much narrower elastic. Since the elastic is so thin, it’s even more forgiving around your tummy. I’m not sure if this would hold up a heavy pair of flannel pajama bottoms very well, but for a pair of lightweight shorts it’s perfect.

In this example, I used 1/4″ wide elastic. I sewed three lines of stitching just a little wider than my elastic , leaving a little gathered edge at the top. Make sure you leave a few inches unsewn at the back so you have a space to insert your safety pin through all the channels. Cut two pieces of elastic the same length, and feed each one through the top and bottom channel. The elastic is more prone to twisting so ensure it is lying flat before you sew your elastic ends together. Close your channels and sew along the side, front and back seams to keep it locked in place.

ELASTIC WAISTBAND FOR KNITS

Finally, if you’re going to make the Carolyn pajamas using a knit, this might be an option to consider. These are my favourite RTW rayon knit pajama pants and I love the waistband on them. Rather than attaching a separate waistband to your pants, the elastic is sewn directly to the top pant edge.

To do this, you’ll need to lengthen the rise of your pants by 1 1/2″-2″ so they don’t sit too low on your body. You’ll want to use 1/2″-3/4″ elastic. Once you know how snug you want your elastic, sew it together in a tube. Divide the tube into even fourths and align with the front, back and side seams so the elastic is evenly distributed. Sew the elastic to the top edge of the pants using a zig zag or serged stitch. Fold the elastic edge under and secure to the pants with a coverstitch or double needle stitch. This creates a slim, comfortable elastic edge for knit fabrics.

Hope you found this helpful. Even the humble elastic waistband can be elevated with the right finish!

Tutorial: Sewing a Notched Collar

20 February 2015 by Heather Lou 5 Comments

Happy Friday everyone! Today we’re going to cover the trickiest bit of sewing for the Carolyn Pajama pattern. Notched collars require a bit of precision but the finished product is sooo worth it. I spent more time refining this detail than I did anything else on this pattern. I wanted to make the sewing process as easy as possible while also eliminating the back neck facing. I hate back neck facings. They never lay flat and often look horrendous. I also played a lot with the angle of the lapels in relation to the collar to reduce some of the snipping you generally have to do when you’re sewing this style and I don’t think it gets much easier than this.

If you’re piping your pajamas, you’ll want to start by sewing it to your lapel facings and top collar piece (check in with this tutorial if you need help with that). With that out of the way, sew your under collar pieces together and press flat. On the top collar, sew a line of stay-stitching that extends just past the shoulder notches.

This area will be pressed up along the stay stitch line. Clip into that seam allowance without cutting your stitching to help you do so.

Pin the top and under collar right sides together, matching notches. Sew all the way around from circle marking to circle marking. Once finished, notch around the curves and grade your seams to reduce bulk.

Turn everything right side out and give it a good press.

Your shirt should be assembled along the shoulder seam. Stay stitch around the neckline to the circle markings. Pin the under-collar along the neckline, matching notches and markings.

When you start sewing, make sure you start at that circle mark, and sew over the seam of the collar. Sew all the way around.

In order to eliminate that back neck facing, we are going to conceal the neck seam under our top collar. To do this, snip through the shirt and under collar on either side of the seam to just before your stitching.

Press the back neck seam up. Pin your top collar along this seam, matching your shoulder notches up.

Sew along that folded seam to secure the top collar to the back of the neck, about 1/8″ from the edge. Then baste the raw edges of the top collar on the left and right to the under-collar and shirt.

Now to attach the lapel facings! With the right side of the shirt facing you, lay the facing face down along the lapel.

At the circle mark, we want a nice clean joint between the lapel piping and the collar piping. To do this, take the free edge of the piping on the lapel and turn it at a 90 degree angle so it’s sitting next to the collar piping.

Pin the facing to the lapel and collar, matching all your notches and markings. Make sure your facing extends past the shoulder seam by at least 1/2″.

I like to sew a quick pass of basting stitches where the collar meets the lapel, just to make sure everything is meeting up nicely. Once you’re sure it is, sew along this entire edge, from hem to shoulder seam. Now, because we are sewing a convex curve to a concave one at the neckline, you have to be careful as you’re sewing that everything is lined up correctly and you’re sewing it flat. If not, you may see something like this:

I just rip out those few stitches, flatten out that seam and sew it again. This could be avoided by snipping into the seam allowance along the shirt but I never bother. The curve is gentle enough that you don’t really need to.

Now that the facing is attached, grade all your seams and trim the piping down.

Flip everything right side out and give it a good press. Fold the raw seam allowance of your facing under along the shoulders.

On the right side of the shirt, pin that shoulder facing seam into place and stitch in the ditch to secure it.

Once both facings are sewn and everything is attached, it’s time to do a line of topstitching along the entire edge to lock all those seams in place. Before doing that, I like to finish the bottom hem. Sew the facing to the hem of the shirt at 5/8″ and trim the corner. This way, when you flip everything right side out and topstitch, that corner gets secured as well.

I try and topstitch about 1/8″ from the edge. Using a medium-short stitch length is best since you have some corners to get around (I forgot to change my stitch length here so do as I say, and not as I do). An edge stitch foot is really handy here if you have one. I do my topstitching on the facing side since you really want to make sure you’re sewing a nice line around the collar and lapel. Make sure while you’re stitching that the layer underneath is laying nice and flat. When you get to the corner where the lapel and collar meet, leave you needle down before turning your work.

And that’s it! Hopefully this clarifies this part of the process if you were struggling with the notched collar. It gets easier with every pass, promise.

Next week I’ll be sharing some additional waistband finishes for your bottoms. Have a great weekend!

Tutorial: Sewing Knit Piping

18 February 2015 by Heather Lou 12 Comments

The Carolyn Pajama pattern is designed for woven fabrics but I think it could totally work with knits. I haven’t had time to whip a pair up (hoping to do that in the next month or so), but in the meantime I thought I’d share a little info on piping knit fabrics for those of you renegades who are planning on making your Carolyns in stretch fabric. If you go that route, be mindful of sizing. Because the top is supposed to be loose fitting, you can probably cut in your size. The pants should probably fit a little closer to the body so I would suggest going down a size or two. If anyone makes this up please let me know how it goes!

There is markedly little information online or in any of my books about piping knits. Crafting a Rainbow has used elastic for piping, but I wanted to experiment with using a knit fabric. I mocked up a Carolyn collar with a drapey lightweight cotton lycra in two colours to see how it worked. In this example I’m using flat folded piping, but you could also experiment with adding a cord.

If you want the exposed piping to be 1/8″, you’ll want to cut parallel strips from selvedge to selvedge, approximately 1 1/2″ wide. Most knit fabric is 56-60″ wide, more than enough to pipe even the longest details in this pattern. You’ll interface everything as indicated in the instructions, but please use an interfacing designed for stretch fabrics. Using the same technique I showed you for piping woven fabric on Monday, you’ll want to line up your seams with your sewing plate, being careful as you sew around the curves. Normally, we use a zig zag stitch when sewing knits. However, these seams need to be stable, and zig-zagging around tight curves is tricky, so I think using a straight stitch is fine. As long as you’re not tugging or aggressively pulling on the fabric I don’t think you’ll have to worry about popping stitches.

Try not to stretch the flat piping as you sew. Around tight corners, keep your needle down and raise your pressure foot as you turn slowly, dropping the foot after you’ve shaped the piping.

Notch your corners around the curves to get the piping to lay flat.

After you sew your second piece on top, you will have to aggressively grade the seams since it will be quite thick. The finished product looks quite nice though! I’m super curious to see how this looks in a finished garment.

Hope that helps anyone wanting to experiment with knit fabric!

Tutorial: How to Sew Piping

16 February 2015 by Heather Lou 1 Comment

Alrighty then. On Friday I showed you a method for making bias tape and piping. Today we’re going to look at how to actually sew it in. I had never worked with piping before I started working on this pattern and I was nervous about it at first, but I’ve learned a few tricks that will hopefully make it a little easier for you.

STARTING THE PIPING

You can pin the piping into place before you get started, but if the actual tape is narrower than your seam allowance (like with store bought piping, for example) it can be tricky to get it lined up properly. I much prefer to just pin the start of the piping and then sew slowly and carefully, guiding the piping into place while I’m sewing.

If you’re using a piping foot, for the first round leave your needle in center position and look at the seam allowance guide on your machine while you sew. Keep the edge of the fabric lined up with the 5/8″ mark, and guide the piping along through the rounded profile of the foot. This is the easiest way. You can zip along pretty quickly since you’re not fussing too much with the location of the piping. It’s being held in place by the foot.

If you’re using a zipper foot, you have to put your needle position all the way to the left. This will change your seam allowance. Sew a sample row with the needle in that position and measure the line. Your seam allowance is more than 5/8″ so you’ll have to keep that in mind when you’re sewing. Line up your fabric edge with a different mark on your plate so you’re actually sewing 5/8″. Hope that makes sense!

SEWING PIPING IN THE ROUND

It’s fairly simple to sew piping in flat, for example along the pocket. You just sew the piping in, trim the edges and Bob’s your uncle. However, for the pants and shirt cuffs you need to sew piping “in the round”. This means the piping will overlap at the seam. Here is the best way to do that so the piping stays nice and slim and you don’t have any bulky butted edges.

Pin your piping into place so that it starts about an inch before your seam. Start sewing near the seam line.

Sew all the way around. Stop sewing about an inch before the piping starts.

Trim your piping. You want it to extend past the seam line so you have room to fold it under. Seam rip the stitching on the piping so you can access the cord within. Trim that cord so it butts against the start of the piping.

Fold the piping bias tape under so that it lines up with the seam of the sleeve or pant.

I just use my fingers to hold it in place when I finish sewing this seam to secure.

SEWING PIPING ALONG CURVES

The trickiest part of sewing the Carolyn Pajamas is probably attaching the piping to the notched collar and lapel. These are some pretty tight corners and it takes a little fancy fingerwork to do it well. Here is where the storebought piping is your friend…. since it’s narrower it stretches around the corner better than wider piping.

I pin it into place just to get started and then start sewing at the machine. It really helps to have a piping foot here to help anchor the piping in place.

Use a short stitch length, especially around corners. Sew slowly and carefully, keeping your seam allowance lined up on your plate, letting the piping be guided through the foot. At tight curves, to make sure the piping is turning properly, keep your needle down and raise the pressure foot so you can turn your work with your fingers. You may need to nudge the piping into place a little.

If your piping tape is too wide and getting in the way, you can notch it or trim it down a little.

Continue sewing, leaving the needle down and raising your pressure foot to adjust as much as you need to. It’s not a race. I use my left hand hand to guide the piping in place.

When you’re done, the piping will be curling at the edges. Just notch it so it lays flat.

SEWING THE SECOND PASS OF STITCHING

This is where having a piping foot is helpful. If you can shift your needle over even 1/16″, you can be sure that your first line of stitching will not be visible when you turn everything right side out. Moving your needle over a little also means your piping will be as a narrow as possible. It’s helpful to have the first stitched line facing you so you can make sure you’re sewing next to it.

With a zipper foot, you just have to try and sew directly on the original line of stitching. Chances are your piping will be a little bit wider than when using a piping foot, as you can see below. It’s a subtle difference, but the example on the left was sewn with a piping foot while the example on the right was sewn with a zipper foot.

And that’s it for today! I was going to cover sewing knit piping as well but this post is too long as is. I’ll be back Wednesday to cover piping with knits.

How To Make Bias Tape and Piping

13 February 2015 by Heather Lou 26 Comments

Howdy folks! I know there are approximately eighty bajillion bias tape tutorials out there but I want to show you how to make your own piping for the Carolyn Pajamas or bias tape to finish your Cielo top/dress. You can certainly use the store-bought cotton/poly stuff but keep in mind that it can be a) expensive b) stiff and tricky to sew around curves and c) limiting in terms of colours. Most of us have boxes, bags, cupboards, Rubbermaids, bunkers, panic rooms and closets stuffed with scraps so making your own bias tape and/or piping is a great way to use up the fabric you feel too guilty to throw away. This method allows you to make a ton of yardage with only a 1/2 yard of fabric so it feels a bit like magic. So without further ado let’s wave our wand and make a bunch of bias tape!

How to Make Bias Tape // Closet Case Patterns

Supplies

At least half a yard of fabric
A marking tool
A quilting ruler
Scissors
Pins

You can make bias tape with any woven fabric, but I am partial to lightweight cottons and silk. Silk is obviously a little bit more fiddly to work with, but it creates a really luxurious detail.

Start by truing the edges of your fabric. I just snip into the selvedge, rip along the cross-grain, and then press and steam to reduce distortion along the ripped edges. Cut off the selvedges of your fabric as well.

Fold the top corner of your fabric down and align it against the bottom edge so you make a big folded triangle.

Get your scissors in there and trim off this triangle. I hold my left-hand flat on the fabric as I’m cutting to prevent it from shifting.

Now move that wedge to the left side of your fabric. You’re basically making a parallelogram. Remember algebra? Yeah, me either.

Pin the two straight edges right sides together and sew. Press the seam open.

With your quilting ruler and chalk, draw lines parallel to the angled edge, equal distance apart. If you want the seam allowance of your piping to match the 5/8″ seam allowance of the pattern, you’ll need to experiment with a scrap of fabric and your piping cord to see how wide those lines should be. In this example I cut the strips 1 1/2″ wide.

Once all your lines are drawn, mark the seam allowance along the top and bottom edges. I marked 1/2″. This line helps you match everything up when you sew the edges together.

Now, with the right sides together, fold the fabric up. Match the end of the first strip with the second strip along with the seam allowance. You want to cut one continuous line of fabric, so by doing this you are essentially creating a spiral.

Try to match up all of your drawn lines along the entire seam. It feels a little awkward while you’re pinning but you will eventually pin the fabric into a tube. Sew along your pinned line until you have something like this:

Press your seams flat, and start cutting along your chalk lines. You should be able to make one crazy long strip of bias tape. I made over 9 yards of bias tape using a half yard of fabric, so the yield is pretty good!

If you just want bias tape you are now done! You can wind it onto an empty thread spool for easy storage or if you are making piping you can continue with the following steps.

How to Make Bias Tape Video

MAKING PIPING

Now that you have your bias tape ready, you have two choices. If you don’t want to insert the cord or prefer the look of flat piping, you can simply press this bias tape in half and use it along all of your seams. I think a 1/8″ exposed edge looks great with flat piping, but you can go a little wider. Just keep in mind that the wider it is, the trickier it is to sew along tight curves.

If you prefer the rounded edge of piping, there are two ways you can insert the cord in the tape.

SEWING PIPING USING A ZIPPER FOOT

Pop your zipper foot on your machine. Fold the bias tape over your cord and place it on your machine with cord to the left of the foot. Have your needle as far left as possible. Sew along the length.

My problem with this method is that there is a limit to how close you can sew to the cord depending on the width of your zipper foot. Your exposed piped edge will be on the wider side, and since you can’t adjust needle position there is a chance you’ll see overlapping lines of stitching. But there’s a better way!

USING A PIPING FOOT

I made a few Carolyn muslins with a zipper foot and it was fine, but I was much happier when I bought a specialty piping foot. As you know, Bernina feet are expensive and I didn’t want to wait a week for one to arrive. Instead, I went to a sewing supply store and bought a cheap low-shank piping foot for around $5 to use on my old Singer. You can find a similar one on Amazon here. The key to this foot is making sure it has a wide opening for your needle so you can adjust your needle position a little. A foot with a small hole will work but won’t let you sew really close to the edge of your piping.

The channel in the foot holds the piping in place so you don’t have to fiddle much with it. It makes sewing much easier and faster. Just keep an eye on your fabric and seam allowance and try to sew the piping as consistently as possible.

And that’s it! In an hour or two, you can make yards and yards of piping in whatever fabric you want. I told you it was magic!

Fabric Choices for the Carolyn Pajamas

11 February 2015 by Heather Lou 25 Comments

Hola amigas! This week I shared some Ryan Gosling approved pajama styling inspiration. Today I’m going deep into the trenches to find some sweet fabrics for your Carolyn Pajamas. From flannel to silk, you’re covered.

SWEET SILK

If you go the silk route, your Carolyns will be decidedly fancy. Balking at the cost? Silk pajamas don’t sell for less than $400 and can go as high as $1000. You’re technically saving money and investing in comfort. Also? Treat yo’ self.

Carolyn Pajama Fabric3 — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

PLAIDS & CHECKS

These fabrics can go from “cozy winter chalet” to “preppy Nantucket beach rental”. Choose your own adventure!

plaid and check fabric — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

NOVELTY FLANNELS

For a more casual “I’m not getting off the couch until I finish I finish all 5 seasons of the Good Wife” (aka every night of the week for me), a fun print in a cozy flannel is pretty much the best. Also, I found YUMMY SUSHI FLANNEL. Buffy fans, rejoice.

Carolyn Pajama Fabric1 — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

LIGHTWEIGHT RAYON & COTTON

Silky, soft and super breathable, Carolyns made from any of these would be amazing for warmer climates and spring and summer nights.

Carolyn Pajama Fabric4 — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Pajama Dressing and Inspiration

9 February 2015 by Heather Lou 20 Comments

Hey girl. Hope you’re doing well. Are we supposed to be over Ryan Gosling now? Because never. The man knows how to rock a pajama shirt like nobody’s business. Navy washed silk never looked more alluring.

Baby Duck fawning aside, today I wanted to share some of my Carolyn Pajama research with you. I looked at a lot of images when I was developing this pattern, and I love how many different looks you can get from one style. It’s really an iconic garment, and I think a good pair is as key to any well-rounded wardrobe as a white button-down shirt or a pair of jeans.

PAJAMA DRESSING

A beautifully made pair of pajamas does not have to be relegated to the house. With the right styling, they look super chic and confidant worn on the street. I tend to overuse the word “insouciant” but I’m not sure what is more effortlessly glamorous than wearing silk “sleepwear” for a night on the town.

PRINTED AND NOVELTY PAJAMAS

Since you can use such a wide variety of fabrics for this pattern, you really have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a fun print. I’d love to see some made from Liberty Lawn and exuberantly printed silk. I’m hoping you’ll use this as an opportunity to have fun stuff in the quilting and flannel section of the fabric store.

silk pajamas and printed pajamas — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

CLASSIC PAJAMAS

As much fun as a crazy printed pajama can be, I also love the simplicity and timelessness of a classic tailored set. A fine quality cotton shirting, chambray, solid coloured crepe or charmeuse paired with that crisp piping detail? Perfection. What about lengthening the hem of the top for a classic nightgown? I also love the idea of adding a monogram to the front pocket; nothing says luxury like a monogram. This retailer has a DIY monogram feature if you’d like to play with a a design.

classic tailored pajamas — Sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Hope this gets your Carolyn Pajama juices flowing!

Introducing: The Carolyn Pajama Pattern

4 February 2015 by Heather Lou 127 Comments

Hello everyone! I’m super excited today because I finally get to share my latest pattern with you; meet the Carolyn Pajamas! I’ve been planning this design for some time because once again, I simply couldn’t find what I was looking for when I wanted to sew some elegant pjs. The only patterns I could find were boxy and unisex (UNISEX!) and I’m a firm believer that practical and elegant need not be mutually exclusive. I was tired of wearing ratty old pjs around the house and decided if I was going to work at home in pajamas all day, they better be beautiful pajamas.

The Carolyn Pajama Pattern is designed for chic lounging, and is thoughtfully tailored with a modern, figure flattering cut. The top features a classic notched collar, curved hem and breast pocket. It includes a short cuffed sleeve, a long cuffed sleeve, and a regular long sleeve option. For a matching set, you can choose between a straight legged pant (with or without cuff) or a cuffed short. Both pants and shorts feature an elasticized waist, pockets and a faux fly.

The fit is slim but relaxed. I was aiming for something comfortable, but still chic enough to wear outside the house if sewn in a beautiful silk or cotton. The top can also function as a blouse in the right fabric; I think it would look super lovely in a lightweight silk with jeans and heels.

If you’ve never sewn with piping before, this pattern is a great introduction. Adding some contrasting colour to the collar and cuffs makes these pajamas feel super luxurious and expensive. Here is View B in washed silk and cream piping (let me tell you – you haven’t lived until you’ve hung around your house on a Sunday afternoon in head to toe silk):

I am especially happy with the fit of the pants. They’re not your typical baggy pjs, and I’m planning on sewing up a few pairs in lightweight fabrics to wear in the spring with t-shirts for running around town.

If piping isn’t your jam, you can also make Carolyn straight up without cuffs. Here is View A in plaid flannel:

I experimented with a lot of fabrics with this pattern, and one of my favorites for a lightweight summer set is rayon challis. I can’t wait till it’s warm enough to run around in these babies:

The Carolyn Pajamas Pattern can be sewn in a variety of light-weight wovens, depending on the effect you want. Soft cotton flannel has a classic cozy vibe, silk charmeuse and crepe turn the luxury knob up to 11, and in a soft drapier fabric like double gauze, voile or challis they are perfect for the summer. I don’t generally use quilting cottons for apparel sewing, but a few of my testers made them up in crazy adorable prints and they looked great. It’s the perfect excuse to go nuts with novelty prints.

A few pieces of business:

I’ve added one smaller size to the my range after a few requests. All future Closet Core patterns will now span from size 0-18. Additionally, for the first time, I won’t be offering a full-blown sewalong for this pattern, for a few reasons. One, I think they make non-sewalongers want to poke their eyes out, and two, I laboured over the instructions and think taking a lot of step by step pictures is probably redundant. Having said that, I do have a few supplementary posts planned. I’ll be showing you how to sew a notched collar if you’ve never done one before. I’m also going to help you make and insert piping, along with a few posts on styling inspiration, fabric selection and elastic waistband finishes.

Oh, and one more thing – I’m hosting a PAJAMA PARTY in a month and I’d love for you to participate! I’ve rounded up some really generous gifts from a lot of great sponsors to giveaway at the end…. but more on that later this week.

Finally, a huge, universe spanning hug goes to my muse for this pattern, Carolyn. If you read Handmade by Carolyn, you’re probably also in awe of this titian haired Aussie beauty. She’s one of the most inspiring makers I know, and her incredible skills and imagination never cease to delight me. She’s also been an amazingly supportive “big sister” over the last few years and I wanted to design something that suited her Katharine Hepburn grace. The pajamas she made during testing really blew my mind, as per usual.

So that about sums it up for today! Hope you like the new pattern; it’s currently on sale in my shop here, and as usual it’s available in copyshop and print at home format. Can’t wait to hear what you guys think!