Things I made recently - Carolyn PJs!

Every year I sew relatively elaborate PJs (shirt style, piped, contrast fabric, crazy prints) for my husband. Here are some I've made over the years.

But I'd not made a pair for myself - until now! In the week between Christmas and New Years I finally bought myself the Carolyn Pajamas pattern from Closet Case. I'm not sure why I waited so long. My PJ collection can now be completely renovated.

I made these from some miscellaneous soft flannelette that was a thrift store find, and a contrast fruity cotton print that was left over from another PJ project.

I only used the pattern for the shirt as I had a self-drafted PJ pant pattern on hand. Next time I'll do the full Carolyn.

What do I like about this pattern? 

Well, it has all those PJ bells and whistles - collar and lapels, cuffs and pockets, all piped edges! 

I like the rounded shape of the collar and lapel. 

I like the shirt-tail hem. 

The fit is good for PJs - not tight, but not exactly boxy either. 

Inside collar and back facing

For my taste, the collar lies a little flat at the back - there is not much of a stand as you can see in the photo of the inside collar and back facing. If I remember I will modify it to make it more upright before I make these again. I'll leave the curved edges so it will look the same at the front but sit higher at the back of my neck. 

I also added a back neck facing (stitched directly to the back) which I think is nicer as well as easier to make than the instructed method (pictured below).