Did you know it is illegal to fish in your pajamas in Chicago, Illinois?  At least that’s what the internet says. Have you ever googled the history of pajamas?  Do it. It’s interesting. Pajamas are something I have rarely given much thought to and have always kind of taken for granted that they are just there in my wardrobe.  

Cue that, and not too long ago the realization that somewhere along the way, I have run out of pajamas.  Not all that great considering I spend a fair amount of time at night running outside to take care of a puppy.  (Ok, he’s a year old, but still, you get the idea.) So let’s list what I need in a pajama:

• Cotton or natural fibers.

• Something that can transition between seasons- tank top, shorts for the summer, pants for the winter.

• For the pants, ideally, something with a tapered leg that ends at the ankle.  Soggy hems and mashed up pants in boots are two ends of the spectrum I’m looking to avoid.

• Pockets, because pockets.

• Appropriately covered so if i have to run outside to get my dog, I won’t accidently flash the neighbors.

After wandering through the internet for a while, and much debate, I’ve settled on the Fifi Pajama and the Hudson Pant.  Both are super cute and indie favorites! The Fifi Pajamas look like the perfect summer set. The Hudson should be exactly what I want, especially in flannel.  These two patterns together check all my pajama dream boxes. Let’s sew this.

Fifi Pajamas:

Fabrics selected:  Quilting cottons - I have several random fabrics in my stash that have never found a quilting project for one reason or another. Two are florals- because there are never enough florals and the third is a cut of fabric I dyed with avocado pits.  (super awesome project in case you’re interested, and whoever would have thought avocados= such a beautiful dusky pink!)

Sewing the Fifi Pajamas were so easy.  The pattern is super cute and it was fun to try out the bias cut.  The quilting cottons are a little stiff, but my hope is that they will become softer with wear as cottons tend to do.  The Fifi top was a super stash buster for me as at least one of the florals I had never really found a home for in a project, but as a top I love it. I added an 1” to the top length, which is a pretty standard modification for me. The next time I might add a little to waistband to accommodate a wider elastic, but that’s a personal preference.  Such a fun little pattern!

Also, the Fifi top turned out to be great for layering!  I have worn them quite frequently as layers or during the super hot summer days!

Hudson Pant:  

Fabrics selected: Again some cotton flannels, one is a plaid and the other is kind of a christmas flannel.  I also have a heavy knit fabric left over from my t-shirt challenge. It was a bit heavy for my preferred t-shirt weight, and I think I’ll use it as a wearable muslin as it has close to the right amount of stretch.

Side note:  Have you checked out the instagram hacks of the Hudson Pant?  Ah-mazing. I think I could wear the Hudson Pant for everything.  Maybe that will be a future monthly challenge?

After sewing the Hudson’s, I definitely understand why these are indie favorites.  The first Hudson’s I made out of the heavy knit. I didn’t pay attention to the directions and realized part way through that it was a ⅜” seam allowance, my bad, so they are probably a little smaller than the pattern’s intended finished garment size but they still fit great!  The knit pair is turning into my go to yoga workout pant!

For the plaid pair, I decided to try plaid matching while watching a zombie movie to keep myself sane.  Not great for the plaid matching, but good for a zombie movie. (Let’s just say I can’t sit through one of those.)  One slight problem, but let’s hope it’s not noticeable! Maybe next time no zombie movies with plaid matching. So I can’t say I was super focused, but I was happy with the results.  I was so excited about these, I wore them to work the next day. Let’s hope no one noticed!

They fit pretty well!  I went up two sizes, since the fabric has no stretch and I wanted to use a bigger seam allowance.  I also left off the cuffs and just hemmed the bottom.

The last one was the reindeer flannel.  This one I went up two sizes, but used the ⅜” seam allowance.  They are a little bigger, which might be nice for the Christmas holidays and all the cookies!  All in all, I think I liked the fit of the plaid ones best for future non-stretch pairs!

So pajamas in review:  Fifi and Hudson’s for the win! Cross that one off the list. I do have to say, the Lakeside Pajama by Grainline Studio looks super cute, so maybe I’ll try those a little later on.  The back detail looks cute, and the shorts also look like they have a good workout potential. But maybe for another day!

Have you tried the Fifi, Hudson, or the Lakeside Pajama?  What’s your favorite pajama pattern?