How to make jersey yarn

Making your own jersey yarn is so quick and easy! This is a great trick to know if you’re making a sewing pattern that features a drawstring – such as the waistband of the Cece joggers or sweat shorts, the hood of the Stella hoodie in my book Stretch, the Jaimie pyjama bottoms, Tabitha T shirt dress in my book Make It Simple... and more!

Read on for what you need to make your own jersey yarn and how to make it – with video tutorial.

Trendy Ruffle Hem Jaimie PJs Hack (+ video tutorial!)

Never without a need for new PJs, I'm no stranger to sewing loungewear-esque clothes, especially PJ bottoms and shorts. It's Abi here (the social media & content creating button *waves*) and with so many homemade pyjamas under my belt, it's time to get creative with them! 

If you're after the ultimate PJ pattern, look no further than our Jaimie Pyjama bottoms and shorts sewing pattern - it's a must-have. Not only a fabulous pattern for complete beginners, but Jaimie is also a great place to start pattern hacking! Whether that's adding your own in-seam pockets or trying out this ruffle hack, you'll be able to create your perfect PJs using Jaimie as your base. 

Jaimie is available in sizes UK 4-34 (US 0-30 / EUR 32-62). Get your copy HERE and come back to this post for ruffle hacking goodness!

Ruffle hem PJ bottoms have been popping up in RTW shops and have slowly been creeping into my future sewing hack plans, so my need for cute PJs that I don't mind answering the door in just became my top priority. And let's face it, PJs this trendy might even get a trip out the house too...maybe (plain white T, sandals, straw bag - I can see it!).

I'll be making 3/4 length Jaimie PJ bottoms in the video tutorial and the shorts in this blog post, but these steps will apply the same way to the shorts or longer PJs. To decide where I wanted my leg length, I measured from where the waistband of the PJs sit on me to halfway down my shin and made a rough judgement, knowing there would be an inch or so added to the length with the finished ruffles.

Let's make some PJs...

Sew your Jaimie PJs as normal, following the instruction booklet or by following our handy sew-along below. Up until the hemming of the legs (which is the last step). 

NEW! - Billie and Jaimie Now in UK 16-34 Size Band

We've been soooo excited to share two new additions to our UK 16-34 (US 12-30 / EUR 44-62) size band, and here they are - it's Billie and Jaimie. 

The Billie sweatshirt and dress will steal your heart with the gorgeous balloon sleeves and cutaway pockets on the dress, while the Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts will make bedtime your favourite event of the day. Jaimie is an ideal project for newbie stitchers and Billie is a great introduction to sewing with knit fabrics. They will get you confident with sewing your own handmade wardrobe! 

Billie and Jaimie make a dreamy (and comfy) loungewear set when worn together, don't you think? So, we are giving you 20% off when you buy both the Billie and Jaimie PDF patterns in the UK 16-34 size range* until Sunday 16th May 2021 midnight BST. There is no discount code required, just add both patterns to your cart, checkout and the price will drop - woohoo! 

Sleepwear Sewing Projects for Golden Slumbers

There's nothing better than pulling on a fresh pair of PJs ready for a good night's sleep, is there? Actually, there is... pulling on a fresh pair of me-made pyjamas makes that feeling even better! 

It's World Sleep Day on the 19th of March, and the theme for 2021 is "Regular Sleep, Healthy Future". Comfy sleepwear that signifies bedtime and slowing down can really help your body feel it's time to rest.

If you've never made your own pyjamas, it's time to change that! We have some sleepwear sewing patterns that are not just cute and comfy, they are easy to sew - with no fiddly fastenings so you can whip up multiple pairs. You can have so much fun with patterns, prints and colour combinations because you aren't going to be leaving the house in them (I always edge towards cat or food print fabrics myself!).

Pyjama bottoms are also a great first sewing project for beginners as they are often secured with elastic or a drawstring, so require minimal fitting. 

We also have a couple of must-have sleepwear accessories that will complete your me-made sleepwear capsule. So, without further ado, onto the projects...

Jaimie pyjamas - in sizes UK 4-34 (US 0-30 / EUR 32-62) - choice of TWO size bands

The Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts are a perfect entry project to kickstart your sewing journey. They are simple to sew and come with a sewalong video on YouTube so you can watch each step and feel like you are sitting in a class, but one that you can rewind and pause as you need.

You can make Jaimie as super-comfy elasticated full-length bottoms, with an optional drawstring, or as cute boyfriend shorts that are perfect for the warmer months. If you are an experienced sewer, you can whip up multiple pairs in an afternoon to fill the PJ gaps in your me-made wardrobe.

Oh, and one more thing... all sizes the shorts can be made out of 1.1 METRES of fabric, so they are a great project for using up small bits of fabric or remnants you have leftover from other projects - yasss!

Joe pyjamas - in men's size 28-46

Have you heard Jaimie has a brother? The Joe pyjamas have a longer and straighter menswear fit and can be sewn as full-length bottoms or above-the-knee shorts. They are as easy-peasy to sew as Jaimie is - yippee! 

Jaimie & Joe stitchers, you might like these YouTube videos...

How to Sew Pyjama Bottoms

How to Finish Seams with a Zigzag Stitch

How to Sew an Elasticated Waist Channel

A Trick to Turn Out Narrow Tubes, Straps or Drawstrings

Juno pyjamas from Make It Simple - in sizes UK 6-24 (US 2-20 / EUR 34-52)

Tilly's Lockdown Makes (Video!)

How has the Covid-19 lockdown affected your creativity? Have you had more time or less time on your hands to sew? Have you felt inspired to make all the things or too anxious to thread a needle?

At the time of writing, I've been extremely lucky enough not to have friends or family severely affected healthwise by the pandemic, so that hasn't been a factor for me. I acknowledge that this is a privilege, and I am aware that some of you reading this may be going through a harder time right now - if this is the case, I'm sending you lots of love. I hope that craft - or at least dreaming about creativity - has provided you with some release, relief or rest during this difficult time.

My experience of lockdown has been up and down, feeling grateful for my fortunate position (our health, a happy home, an online business that is weathering the storm, a garden...!) while also struggling most days with juggling an ever-changing small business with looking after my two year old while we haven't had childcare for four months.

I've had verrrry little time to myself. Some weeks I've been too frazzled to even go to the loo, let alone think about sewing anything... while at other times I have felt incredibly inspired and energised to make stuff, and have harnessed this urge to power on through and cut out a new project even if my body is screaming, "Go to bed!". It just goes to show that one's energy level (fuelled by inspiration and motivation) can be more important than the amount of "free time" you have when it comes to getting things done.

I've also found that my style has swung quite significantly with my feelings about lockdown. In the first few weeks, I was gravitating towards solid muted colours such as navy and black - perhaps to match my mood of anxiety, fear and the newness of being cooped up indoors. Later I had the urge to make things in ALL the colours and bold prints - mirroring the wave of rainbows popping up in windows, reflecting my need for optimism and a desire to brighten the day of anyone I happened to see. Plus I've realised I've been experimenting more with styles and silhouettes, perhaps because there's no one looking to judge if they didn't work out!



I made a video sharing some of the things I've made during this weird, unprecedented time, from April to July 2020. I say "some" of the things I made during lockdown as I also made lots of face coverings, samples for forthcoming patterns for work, as well as birthday gifts for family. Phew!

Fitting the Jaimie Pyjama Bottoms and Shorts

Making the Jaimie pyjama bottoms or shorts and want some advice on getting a good fit? Well, that's lucky - you've come to the right place!

The great news is the Jaimie PJs are easy-peasy (lemon squeezy) to fit thanks to the loose, loungewear style and waistline cinched in with elastic or a drawstring. Yay! And, as they are pyjamas, the only people who will see you wearing them are the people you live with, your pets, and anyone you're showing them off to on your Zoom meetings, so there's no need to worry if you don't nail the perfect fit on the first try.

Jaimie is available in a choice of TWO size bands - the UK 6-24 and our new UK 16-34 size range, which has a whole new size chart, going up to a 152.5cm (60in) bust, 134.5cm (53in) waist and 155cm (61in) hip, with different proportions to get the best fit. 

Want a little more help picking out which size range is best for you? Check out this blog post which guides you through the differences.

For more involved projects we often recommend you make a toile or wearable toile (a practice version made in cheap fabric to test the fit) but it's not necessary here. Sure, if you have your eye on some expensive and stunningly beautiful, one-of-a-kind fabric, you might want to make a practice pair in cheaper fabric so you're not devastated if they need a bit of tweaking. Otherwise, just go for it!

If you're new to sewing I'd like you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say: your pyjamas don't need to be perfect. So what if they turn out a bit wonky or baggy? You made them. How amazing is that?!

In this post we're going to cover:

• Choosing your size
• Lengthening or shortening 
• How to combine different waist and hip pattern sizes
• Full booty adjustment

Choosing your size

Meet the Jaimie Pyjama Pattern - With Free Video Tutorial!

Who wants to hear about the latest sewing pattern to join the Tilly and the Buttons family? All of you? Yay! Meet your new handmade wardrobe must-have, the Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts!

The Jaimie PJs are an ideal sewing project for beginners, and a satisfyingly speedy make for more experienced stitchers. Super comfy, they're perfect for sleeping, lounging, and working from home - just throw on a smart blouse and you’re ready for your Zoom meeting!

We wanted to make this pattern as accessible as possible for new stitchers, so we filmed a free video tutorial where Tilly takes you through making the Jaimie pyjama bottoms from start to finish.

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Since it's a great pattern for teaching people to sew, and since we often get requests for patterns for teens and tweens, we've added an extra small size to this pattern - equivalent to UK size 4 / US size 0 / EUR size 32. *Update!* Jaimie now comes in a choice of TWO size bands - a UK 4-24 OR a UK 16-34.

THE DESIGN

How to Sew Narrow French Seams (with Video!)

French seams are a rather fancy way of creating a lovely, neat finish on the inside of your handmade garments. What they do is enclose the unsightly raw edges of the fabric within a neatly stitched secret cavity, never to be seen again… or that’s how I like to think of them!



I'm demonstrating on our Jaimie pyjamas sewing pattern. You can also sew French seams on blouses, dresses, underwear… you name it! Try them out on our Fifi boudoir set and Mathilde blouse too.

They work really nicely on light- to medium-weight fabric, but not so great on heavier fabrics where they'd create bulky seams. They’re particularly useful on sheer fabrics as they look less conspicuous than overlocked seams. The strength of the seam also makes them practical for clothing that’s going to go through the laundry a lot.

Just before lockdown kicked in, Jenny and I made you a video demonstrating how to sew French seams. The pattern I'm sewing is coming soon...