Wardrobe Wednesday: Sleepy Samurai

Shortly after I made this, I attempted to adapt the pattern for Violet.  I failed and became convinced that I needed to find an appropriately sized pattern, because I am not very good at grading (that's fancy talk for making a pattern bigger or smaller).  I remembered seeing some pajamas by Oliver + S lurking about on the crafty blogs, but the pattern cost $15.95.  Generally, I don't buy a pattern unless Jo-Ann has a $.99 sale, so I balked at making the purchase.  Unfortunately, no one else made a pattern for kimono style pj's.  After a few days of thinking about it, I bought the pattern from Oliver + S.  Their patterns come in two sizes; 6M-3T and 4-8.  Since I was paying approximately $15 more than is my custom, I decided that I better get the bigger sizes, so that I could get more use out if it.  You know, because no matter how many times I buy a pattern, I always convince myself that I'm going to use it like a hundred times.  That almost never actually happens. 

I will never learn.

Violet, aka Princess Pee-Wee of the Teeny Tushy Tribe,  was swimming in the first size 4 pajamas I made.  I gave them away to my friend's two year old son.  I needed to make the pattern smaller and that's what inspired me to make Violet's dress form.  I had tinkered with the pattern for a few days, but I wasn't confident it would come together right.  My next attempt was going to be with good flannel and I didn't want to waste it.  The dress form helped me get the pattern just right and then I started cutting.

This fabric was on clearance at Jo-Ann's.  The selvage is very prominently stamped with the ominous warning: NOT FOR USE IN CHILDREN'S SLEEP WEAR! I have always found it annoying that children are supposed to be flame retardant when they sleep.  I know why the regulations are there, I just think it's overkill and what else are you supposed to use ballerina stamped flannel for?  Hmmm? The ladies who cut the fabric do not enjoy observational humor of this sort.  They take flame retardant sleepwear very seriously.  Anyway, I seemed to have digressed...

The pattern calls for you to make the neck, waist and leg bands out of a separate fabric.  I almost bought contrasting flannel and I'm glad I didn't. This trim really needs to be thin or the ties are just too bulky.  I had this pink stripe fabric in my stash. It was once a ladies' blouse from Talbot's via the thrift store. It worked so perfectly, it was almost as if I'd planned it.