Carolyn pajamas or Carolyn pyjamas?

While I really want to use the latter which, well, just seems more correct to my “Australian” English eyes, I have decided to defer to American spelling, since, well, that’s the way the designer has chosen to label and name her pattern.

So Carolyn Pajamas it is!

And here’s my version of Closet Case’s Carolyn Pajamas!

I have had the Carolyn Pajamas pattern printed, fabric ready to go, for more than a year.

But at that crucial moment when it comes to starting a new project, I just can’t find myself getting excited by the idea of pajamas. I have told myself, “I’ll just make the Carolyn Pajamas after one more project” at least 5-6 times! But when I get to the next project, there’s always something else less-pajama-y calling my name.

I’m fully aware that it makes no logical sense to lack motivation for sewing pajamas. Pajamas cloak my body for more time, overall, than any other garments (hands up if you also put on your pjs the moment you come home from work???).

Yet it somehow didn’t seem like ‘real’ clothes to which I should devote my precious sewing time.

I also had a bit of self-induced project block with these Carolyn Pajamas. I also have in my stash a couple of liberty lawns that I’ve also been thinking would make great pajamas. So I’d had in the back of my mind to batch sew a few pairs of pajamas. But, batch sewing pajamas with all these details is actually a really big undertaking.

It kind of put me off the project entirely!

But then I just kind of told myself to stop thinking too much. I decided to just be kind to myself.

After all, I was creating a totally unnecessary artificial pressure. It’s perfectly fine to just start with just one pair.

One pair of Carolyn Pajamas which actually exists is a hell of a lot more useful than three pairs which exist only in my head.

Ultimately, really, it was #sewcialisolation which gave me the kick in the pants I needed to start this project.

After several weeks stuck inside, those dresses and jumpsuits somehow seemed a little less necessary than before! And these Carolyn Pajamas, well, their appeal just grew and grew!

And, I have to admit that sitting down and cutting out a large and insanely bright project was actually areal mood lifter for me! I should add “cut out something ridiculously bright” to my tips for surviving COVID-19 isolation as a sewist!

And, so the ultimate #sewcialdistancing project was born and here are my luxe Carolyn Pajamas to show for it!

Nani Iro linen and double gauze

So who says that the top and bottom of a pajama set have to match???

Not I indeed!!

I have had these two fabrics in my stash for a while.

The stripe is Nani Iro Kokka Grace double gauze which I purchased from NekoNeko. My Carolyn Pajamas shirt is made from Nani Iro Kokka Encounter linen, which was a gift from lovely sister!

I didn’t have enough of either of them to make an entire pair of Carolyn Pajamas and then I suddenly noticed, as they sat side-by-side in my stash, that the colours actually coordinate well.

In a totally crazy, over the top, kind of way.

I’ve found that I have a few fabrics in my stash which date from a time when I was perhaps a little more open to outrageous colours and prints than I am today. I still love colours and prints but I’ve realised that I don’t always love wearing them. I like them as objects of beauty, rather than clothing on my own body. (I remain insanely jealous of everyone out there who looks and feels great rocking whatever outrageous colours they love best!)

The same goes for the colour turquoise.

This project has given me the realisation that pajamas are the perfect outlet for celebrating fabrics that are maybe just a little too much for my own everyday, but which will bring a smile to my face, every single night I wear them!

On this note, when I excitedly modelled these Carolyn pajamas for my husband, his colour-adverse reaction was “woooahhh, good thing they’ll be worn mostly in the dark!”.

And since I love both linen and double gauze, I figured why not inject a touch of that luxury into my bed-time wear! To be honest, given my linen obsession, I’m not sure why it hadn’t occurred to be earlier to have linen pajamas. My bedsheets are linen, why not my pajamas?

Although – a quick word of advice here. As we all know, not all linen is created equal. If you’re contemplating linen pjs, you want that linen to be as soft and smooth as possible. This linen, although amazingly pretty, is perhaps a tiny bit coarse against the body at the moment, so I’m hoping it softens up relatively quickly!

And finally, for the piping throughout, I have just kept it flat and used linen bias binding from The Fabric Store.

My Carolyn Pajamas

The size chart had me in a size 12 at the bust, 16 at the waist and a 14 at the hips. After checking out the finished garment measurements, I decided to go with the size 14.

Ultimately, if you happen to have a figure which is fuller across the thighs than the hips, like me, I would maybe err on the side of sizing up. I think for my next pair I will sew the pants in a size 16 and grade out the bottom half of the top to size 16. You can see from the back shot that I also need a bit more room in the top around the butt and thighs.

I happen to sleep with one knee out on a right angle from the rest of my body, so plenty of mobility around the thigh in pajamas is a must for me.

This pair of Carolyn pajamas is just OK, but I think I would be more comfy with a tad more space.

The only other minor change I made was that I stretched the top of the pants out considerably in construction (should have stay stitched!), so I ended up having to put a few small darts into the back of the pants to ensure that the pants fit with the waistband.

No biggie!

Constructing the Carolyn Pajamas

Sewing wise, I don’t have a lot to say about these, it was all pretty straightforward. The pants came together very quickly.

The top, with all the piping, obviously takes quite a bit longer. Although, if it’s not your thing, there are also options without all the detailing in the seams which would come together much more readily.

Whilst getting the piping in there at the right position required a bit of patience, I’m so glad to have made the effort.

Every time I look at the piping in the collar and lapel, my heart sings a little!

My rather unscientific method for getting the piping mostly where I wanted it was to mark in the seam line on my pieces, then I used wondertape to place my bias binding at just the right point along that line to have the correct width of visible piping. I then basted that in place before actually sewing any seam lines.

I will confess that I found the instructions for attaching the collar a little mind boggling – a somewhat unusual method is used in the Carolyn pajamas to avoid the need for a back neck facing. I found it much easier to follow the tutorial for this step on Closet Case’s website and would recommend this as compulsory reading to anyone taking on their own pair of Carolyn Pajamas.

What’s in a pair of pajamas?

These Carolyn Pajamas make me happy in troubled times. The colours make me smile. The crazy clash of patterns brighten my day. The linen reminds me of the luxuries I’m grateful to enjoy. All that pretty piping leaves me grateful for the skills I have developed as a sewist and for the fact that I have this lovely indoor hobby to help me through the present times!

So, after a long wait, I’m very happy to have some Carolyn Pyjamas in my wardrobe. I will make more and hopefully it will take me less time to do so this time around!

For the last three weeks of confinement in our apartment, the first thing the 4 year old asks me each morning is “can I have a pajama day today?”

Perhaps, now that I have these Carolyn Pyjamas in my arsenal, I may just be able to say “Yes, let’s ALL have a pajama day!!!!!!”

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.