Doctor T Designs

So this post is a bit late because really these are the last sewing projects of 2016, not the first projects of 2017.  Though, technically, since they were made for a New Year’s pajama party, I guess they could work for both designations?

I’ve made my BS-06-2011-114A pajama pants so often that at this point they are probably my most sewn TNT pattern.  I even used my pattern to make a set for my sister, though our crotch depths are radically different, as I discovered after trying to be lazy.  It meant redoing the waistband on her purple stripe PJs, but not a major hassle.  Not too much else to report on that account, though I did add some snazzy details with my (*cough*new*cough*) embroidery machine.

My sister and I have become quite the Doctor Who fans – her embellishment is of the 9th Doctor, and mine reads: Trust Me, I’m The Doctor.  Mine also features a fun science nerd print, which I love, and her print is a lovely bold stripe.  For all of these PJs I finished the edges with my serger and stitched the main seams on my sewing machine.  This was a 3-machine effort, despite being a fairly simple project.

To make things slightly more interesting, I made men’s PJs for the first time.  Being on a tight schedule (and being incredibly lazy) I didn’t change much construction-wise from the women’s pattern, though I did bother to trace out an actual man’s pant from Burda, since I figured it would be a much better fit in the hips.  I’m pretty happy with how they turned out:

Here is my official Pattern Review:

Pattern Description: Man’s pajama pants.

Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 48-56.  I had to grade down to a 44/46 from the 48.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  I didn’t use them.  I pretty much made the men’s PJs the same way I usually make my own PJs.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  Pretty much.  I mean, PJs.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  Likes: Burda drafts very differently for men and women’s pants, which makes the fit really nice with minimal adjustments.  (Unlike certain other unisex patterns I could think of.)  Dislikes: None, really.  I didn’t feel like doing a open/button fly front because I was being lazy, so I didn’t bother.

Fabric used:  Printed cotton flannel from Jo-Ann fabrics.  The request for “really cool” pajamas came in about 5 days before the New Year’s pajama party, so I didn’t have a lot of time to be picky.  I’ve used this type of fabric a lot in the past, and I like it because it is often a fun print and really warm, though I find it doesn’t hold up the best to repeated washings.  For around the house PJs it isn’t too bad though.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I added pockets, because I always put pockets in my own PJs and I love them.  I also omitted the open fly front and the drawstring on the pants, and did an elastic waistband instead.  I had to scale down the sizing a bit, but otherwise I made no changes.  I did use my embroidery machine to add a bit of an embellishment to the front of the pants too.  The only thing I wish I would have done differently is use green instead of blue for the lightsaber design because it would have shown up better on the fabric.

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I will probably sew this again, especially since the fit turned out really nice.  Maybe in a thinner weight fabric for spring/summer, though this heavier weight fabric was perfect for the chilly New Year’s temperatures.  I would definitely recommend this pattern – it is a great fitting, fast-sewing pajama pattern.

Conclusion:  Good pattern.  Nothing flashy, but the draft is good and the results were much appreciated by the recipient.  My fabric choice has led to this particular make being called the “space-jams,” which I’m perfectly ok with.  It also let my play with some of the features on my fairly new embroidery machine, which was fun and educational.  Overall nothing too complicated or difficult, with good fitting and good results.  If you need to make men’s pajamas and have this issue, I highly recommend this pattern.