My Cupboard of Dreams and Some New Pyjama Trousers

Earlier this month I signed up for Sew My Stash with Jo from Stuff Jo Has Made. I think I have quite a sizeable stash compared to Jo... I am very easily tempted by a nice piece of fabric but I always have an idea about what I will make when I buy something. Here are just a few of the fabrics that I have in my stash.

I feel very lucky that my husband, Mr Stitch on the Line, has picked up some useful DIY skills over the years and has recently retired. Lots of jobs that needed doing in our house are being done and one of these jobs was putting up some shelves in the spare wardrobe to accommodate my fabric collection and the camping equipment.

In this cupboard I sort my fabric pieces into three categories. All of the fabric on the top shelf is woven, the fabric on the lower shelf is knitted. By folding and stacking the pieces I can easily see what I have so that I don't loose track of what I have bought. 

The third shelf contains the remnants of things I have made previously rolled into neat bundles, a box of knitting wool and a box of sheer fabrics that won't sit in a pile, but keep rolling off the shelf if I shack them.

I think of this cupboard as my "Cupboard of Dreams". Each piece of fabric has potential. Some are practical and some are just beautiful. Some are warm for winter and some are cool for summer. I have plans for everything but these plans are fluid and that is where the dreams come in. Dressmaking is a hobby that I do for pleasure so it needs to be fun - and it is.

Having shown you my stash I felt inspired to find some nice fabric to make new pyjama trousers. The old RTW pyjamas that I had last autumn were so well worn that they were ready to fall into shreds in the bed if I wore them again so I had a rummage through the woven section of my stash to find two vintage sheets that I bought a while ago with a view to making new pyjamas. 

I also have a pattern for pyjamas in my collection so I didn't need to buy anything to complete this project. The pattern I chose was Simplicity 2481. The recommended fabrics include Gingham, laundered cotton and Chambray which seemed close enough to my soft sheeting.

I was only looking for a pattern for the trousers to begin with. I like to wear a jersey pyjama top and already have some T-shirts that will fit the bill. Making 2 pairs of pyjama trousers for the autumn was a nice quick project. 

I made the first pair using the lilac fabric and chose a medium size which seemed closest to my measurements. I stitched the inside and outside leg seams with french seams and overlocked the crotch seam to give a neat finish inside. I chose not to add the patch pocket to the trouser leg. I never understand the point of having a pocket in your pyjamas, especially when it is halfway down your leg where you can't reach it!

I sewed these trousers together quickly and now that they are finished I do think they are a bit big. I thought about making some adjustments but I had sewn French seams and couldn't face unpicking them. These are only pyjama trousers after all. I had to cut quite a lot off the top and bottom of the trousers, which I put down to me begin only 5ft  4 inches tall. This is a unisex pattern which you could be using to make trousers for someone much taller than me.

Because these were rather loose fitting I made my second pair in the smaller size and I am much happier with the fit, but both pairs are comfortable and will get lots of wear. I love the vintage floral fabric, especially the aqua and green colour. 

I have added a little innovation of my own. I always find it difficult to tell which way round to wear home made pyjama trousers. They don't have a label in the back to help you like shop bought clothes. I have sewn a loop of ribbon into the back of my waistband which will serve two purposes. Firstly, it makes it very easy for me to find the back and secondly it will be also useful on holiday. I can hang my pyjama trousers up by this loop in the camp site showers and there will be no danger of them falling off the hook onto the wet floor.

Do you make any additions to the things that you make that you can share? I am learning so much since I started to read sewing blogs and it is great to be able to share in this way.