New sleep pants
When I switched over my wardrobe for the seasons I realized I did not have many cotton sleep pants. A few years ago I bought some fabric at Joanns featuring a saying from the tv show, the Office. My DH enjoyed watching the show. I was maybe planning something for him. But I forgot he really does not like his sleep shorts made from cotton, only flannel.
I made a few mistakes on this pair. Maybe I should not sew when sick. Luckily I am just going to sleep in them, not appear on a fashion runway. First error I could have sworn i had the words pointing in the correct orientation when cutting the pants legs. Um…no, the back portion was cut upside down. I realized my mistake before I cut the front of the pant legs.
Moving onto the next error - I usually add pockets to my sleep pants. It is nice if I need to hold a tissue, but really it helps me determine the front from the back. I usually add a pocket that I bind with bias tape. I thought I would be clever this time and simply do a patch pocket on the front with no binding tape. Forgot when cutting that one of the pockets should face the opposite direction so I ended up cutting 3 pocket pieces. I add elastic to the waistband and have never managed to measure the pocket placement correctly so I often end up with a nonusable front pocket. Yep did not place it correctly. The pockets are lovely but completely nonfunctioning. I can barely fit one finger in them.
Error #3 if you are keeping count was the elastic waistband. I have been seeing videos of “new” ways to insert an elastic waistband. I tried one and it was a disaster. For one thing I ended up sewing through the elastic so It would not budge in the waistband. This meant some of it was bunched in strange ways. I had to unpick the seam and just go back to the way I learned eons ago. Sew the waistband but leave an opening to thread in the elastic. Sew the ends of the elastic together after it has been threaded and you check the fit.
Oh I forgot to mention another error. When looking at the fabric I thought I must have washed it based on the fraying I saw on the cut ends. I did not remember ironing it after washing but I was not too worried since I don’t tend to remember every item I have ever ironed. As I was cutting the back leg portion I thought the fabric seemed stiffer than it should. THen i realized it had not been washed prior to cutting. This in case you are wondering is almost a cardinal sin in sewing with cotton. Fabric sometimes shrinks in the washer/dryer. As a sewer you want that to happen prior to cutting out the fabric, not after it has been sewn. Well in for a penny, in for a pound. I had already cut more than half of what I need to make the pants. Maybe if the fabric shrinks it will shrink all around not just on the back leg. If I stopped to wash the fabric half of it would have bene washed and the other half not. Figured might as well see what happens. I should definitely not cut or sew when not feeling well.
