The Psychedelic Crossword Pajamas

Who needs drugs when you can find fabric like this?  

In my defense....no, no...I have no defense.  Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this fabric; all I remember is that I'd had it up to here looking for a good quality, non-juvenile flannel for cold night PJ's.  Maybe I had reached the stage when I actually wanted drugs (no, kids...I don't go there.   anymore.)   Not only did I buy some fabric, I bought Five. Yards.  of the stuff.  (it must have been cheap) And I needed flannel jammies.  So dangit, with 5 yards of it, I was going to make jammies with it!

The pattern - Simplicity 2823:

I actually bought this pattern to make jammies for my darling Mumsy, because it seemed like something that would be easy to get on and off for her without dealing with buttons.   I didn't review it because the only thing I used from the original pattern was the neckline, since her body required so many alterations.  

For my version, I didn't bother tracing the pattern like I usually do; I just cut the original tissue - the 99 cents for a pattern I probably wasn't going to use again didn't warrant any special preservation.  So, even though this was, technically, the second time I had made this pattern, I didn't realize until I had the pattern tissue cut out that the shoulders in the size Small dropped halfway to my elbows!   Linebacker PJ's, anyone?  And I don't know WHO the pants were designed for, but I added about 2" to the height at the back waist, and dropped about 3" to the front.....way bizarre, that was.   I barely remember what all of the other alterations were, but I think it's fair to say that I either added or subtracted from every.  single.  seam.   For a set of loose-fitting pajamas???  Clearly this pattern was not designed for my body!

Once it was all done, I ended up folding over the front placket, essentially removing another 2" from the center front.  This was mainly because I wanted more chest coverage in a winter flannel jammies than the pattern covered.   I also just sewed up the placket - no need at all for buttons, and the top is still easy to get on over the head.

The end result?  Jammies that make me smile and giggle, and when the lights go out the psychedelic aspect doesn't matter any more so they won't keep me awake, and best of all, they do what they're supposed to and keep me comfortably warm.  :)

And the kitty approves too :)

Coming Soon.....a project I'm really having fun with, and learning a lot in the process.   Here's a sneak peek: