Day 1: Print PDF pattern. Print pattern again (forgot to click the no scale button). Gather tape and glass of wine. Assemble pattern. Go to bed.
Day 2: Cut out Jane's first pair of p.j. shorts (she's on the left). Sew 'em up and fit them on her to ensure the elastic is the right length (she like them loose). Success! Have Kate try on Jane's shorts to see. They fit her great, too. Cut out 5 more pairs, sew the front panels together, sew all the buttonholes, plop down on the couch and watch Mad Men with Fatty on the DVR.
Day 3: Buy more elastic. And some cute ribbons. Assembly line sew the other five pairs. Make girls jump on the bed for a photo shoot that doesn't work (too blurry). Have them stand against the white wall and keep Jane off of her tippy toes. Blog it. Done.
The Details: The pattern is the Weekend Linen Shorts from the summer 2012 issue of Stitch magazine (on newsstands now!). I made the Women's XS for the girls – they wear anything from a girls' 14 or 16 to a women's size 0. When it came time to actually sew the shorts, I could not find the magazine anywhere in the house (or the car, for that matter). And I still haven't. But having sewn these types of shorts/p.j. pants before, I just jumped in. I guessed on the waist depth and the hems, but I don't think that is such a big deal if my guesses were (most likely) incorrect. The pattern does call for making a drawstring from fabric, but I opted not to do that. Instead, I threaded 1" wide elastic through the casing (my buttonholes are 1" as well) and sewed 2 short sections of grosgrain ribbon to the elastic on either side of the buttonholes. It's basically a faux-drawstring – all the ease of an elastic waist with the cuteness of the bow. I was able to get each pair out of 1 yard of fabric so the total cost was pretty reasonable (and especially since all of the fabric came from the stash!).
See? I totally let them jump on the bed. (I love having proof!)
really cute! I should go pick up the magazine. Annika needs about 6 pair of those as well. I need to get back to work tonight – I was super unmotivated today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Adorable! They are lucky to have such a talented mom!
Those are a-dor-a-ble. And very productive for three days!
So cute! Do you by any chance know the name of the floral fabric that Kate is wearing in the first picture. I love it and would like to track it down…
love them – my girls would love that style, too. i think i have a vintage pj pattern that would work. i only got one shirt sewn so far. and it’s almost too small!
Nice job, lady. I kind of wish you were MY mum now. 😉
Really cute!! I didn’t immediately thing pajamas. They look nice enough to wear outdoors!
Thanks Kelly! That fabric is My Secret Garden by Alexander Henry. I hate to tell you, but it's a couple of years old. You still might be able to find it on etsy or ebay, though. Good luck!
Erin
Thanks! I’ll be on the lookout for it!
Very cute! And I agree, you are one cool mom.
Man, those are so cute. I really need to make my girls some pjs. Thanks for the inspiration.
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Love those. Adorable fabrics!
Haha, great post. And I love the pajama shorts, too!
Cute! Lily is right at that size. I may have to make her some 🙂
We just did a jumping on the bed photo shoot too. 🙂
Blurry is best when it captures happy girls jumping on beds.
Thank you so much for the link! I just downloaded the free pattern from the site 🙂 and I’m going to try these out!
I love the colors of the girls’ shorts. Very fun and summery!
You always make sewing for girls look easy and fun. These are so cute. I love the fabric in the first photo on the right especially.
dang, those are cute. i need to find me a smaller version, say size 4 (kiddo)…
Fabulous fabric choices. Your girls have a pretty cool mom. = )
the shorts are amazing…i wish i had some for me. but I’m not ambitious enough to whip some up. i love that bed. and i really love when your blog pops up in my reader.
If you click on the link she posted, then scroll down, you can then click on “linen shorts”, and download it for free.
How long do you thin it took to make a pair? (Or the 4 if you did it assembly-line-style)?
I’ll add that the directions are in the magazine and not available online so purchasing the magazine is a good idea.
Oh, I think it took me about 1.5 hours for the first pair. And the other five went super fast – maybe 2.5 hours.
Hello, love the shorts but I love the headboard as well in the shot of the girls jumping on the bed. Did you make that too??
Hi Cheryl – Thanks! I did not make the headboard. I chose the fabric and gave it to an upholsterer with a drawing of what I wanted. She did all the heavy lifting! – Erin
Do you still have these sleep shorts you made in 2012? I would love to buy a few for my daughter!
Let me know what you would charge per pair once you consider ?
Thanks! Ali
How do I get the pattern down under in Australia?
Hi Penny – The pattern is from the 2012 Summer issue of Stitch magazine. It is published by Interweave. Maybe you can get a back issue from them? I’m not sure how else you would get it. Best – Erin
hi, where is the pdf file? thanks =)
Hi there, just discovered this great pattern. Can you help on sizing? I’m in UK so looking for UK 6-8
Thank so much