Friday was “Pajama Day” at Lila’s preschool, and stuff like that compels me to sew. I had four days warning, which is plenty of time to make a pair, but here’s the problem with pajamas: there’s pretty much no print that doesn’t work. And having too many options paralyzes me.
I hemmed and hawed over the fabric until Thursday morning, when I saw that Linh had listed Lizzy House’s new line, Catnap. It’s such cute stuff, and the coordinating Jewels and Pearl Bracelets are an added bonus. The Cat Dream print appealed to me right away – it’s just so fun and colorful, and if whimsical weren’t such a dumb word, I’d probably call it that, too. And catnap, cat dream, the cat’s pajamas…I couldn’t resist all the sleeping references. So I picked up some Cat Dream in Linen and Jewels in Peach, traced the Oliver + S Sleepover Pajamas pattern, and mentally prepared myself for a late night of sewing.
I’ve sewn lots of Bedtime Story pajamas, and usually I just make the pants, then sew a little patch to a t-shirt and call it good. But since the Sleepover Pajamas pattern was new to me, I decided to try the whole set.
Lila is in between a 4 and 5 right now, and while it pained me to buy the smaller size range for her, the size 4 turned out to be a great fit. One nice thing about the Sleepover Pajamas is that the pants and sleeves both have cuffs that can be let down, which gives the set a longer life (shown above with pant cuffs let down and sleeve cuffs rolled up). And it’s a unisex pattern, so there’s still a chance I’ll get some use from it after this pair.
And while I love the look of the Bedtime Story‘s kimono style top, I think I actually prefer this style in terms of fit and comfort, since the kimono ties were sometimes tricky to keep closed. Anyway, I was worried she’d reject the top since most of her pjs are knit, but she ended up wearing this ensemble for 48 hours straight! Kinda gross, but we had a lazy weekend. I’ll take it.
I can’t say I’d recommend starting this pattern the night before it’s supposed to be worn – I really enjoy sleep as a general rule, and I only engage in these types of late-night sewing shenanigans a few times a year. But every now and then I like a little challenge, and it feels good to just power through and make something from start to finish. Even if it means you have to finish it off with three orange buttons and one mismatched pink one.
And, as I knew it would, the pattern held upΒ to the high Oliver + S standards: frustration-free sewing with good looking and fitting end results. If you’re going to stay up late, that’s the way to go. It’s crazy (or just poor planning), losing a night’s sleep to send your kid to school in cat pajamas, I know it is. But I’d do it all over again – they’ve already been worn the equivalent of twice, which beats a whole slew of other things I’ve made for her!
Beatiful
these are too cute! i bet she loved wearing them!
such a beauty!!
Not silly at all! I hand sewed the buttons on two pairs of pj’s for my Twins for Pyjama Day during my ultra sound of number 4!
Super dooper cute!
ha, i love it! you totally get the PJ Day prize! π
I love that you stayed up all night to make these for her to wear to school. They are beautiful.
Loved reading your post! I’m inspired to make Jammies now. The best work and most rewarding sewing comes from those ” have to do this project right now” moments. I live for those moments. Super cute pjs, pics and fabric.
they’re just gorgeous! and so pretty on her. Great fabrics, so great!!
The pajamas are so adorable! I love the print that you used. Ditto to the too many options being paralyzing…that’s often the case here.;)
Looks cute and very comfy!
i love these, gail! totally worth the late night! i used this pattern to make jude’s christmas pajamas and i was so happy with it as well. and he too stayed in them for two days! eeeek! it was christmas – we cut him some slack. π I loved the fit of these pajamas and much prefer it to the kimono top, which you’re right, was hard to keep tied. I tried snaps but my kids accidentally ripped them off, pulling so hard to unsnap them.
Gorgeous choice of fabric for pyjamas. They look fantastic.
I LOVE this!!! These are so great, and your girl looks adorable.
The PJs turned out great, Gail! I’m also excited to see that the larger range pattern runs up to a size 12!
So darling! Love how you paired the prints. Good job pulling through for pajama day. Im sure that will be me when I have kids on the night before Halloween!
So lovely! I absolutely love the fabric combo. K’s been begging me to make another pair of pajamas, and this pattern might just be the ticket!
i LOVE these. LOVE. for some reason i didn’t realize catnap was already released and thought everyone on instagram was doing some sort of preview fabric tour or something, ha. i need to pick some of this up NOW. oh also, thanks for the sleepover vs. bedtime story analysis – i’ve never been too drawn too the sleepover but i am now for sure! π
These are beautiful pyjamas. I did the same thing for Pyjama day last year and used the Sleepover pattern too. But with two kids I gave myself a bit more lead out time than you!
Have you seen this book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12269303-the-cat-s-pyjamas
I want to make a pair of pyjamas to match each pair the cat wears!
You have such great style! These are adorable and what a fun print. And nothing wrong with 48 hours in your pajamas- that seems to be my life these days!
Fabulous!
Love the cat print – and yes, Oliver+S patterns are worth a few late night sewing dates π
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