Simplicity 8518: Plaid Pajama Pants

There is something really unnatural about taking blog photos in pajama pants in broad daylight. But if you were wearing this particular pair of lounge pants, you might be so comfy that you would forget the awkwardness! Lemme tell you about how they came to be…

Long Rambling about Plaid Pajama Pants/ High School

Pajama pants used to be one of my high school staples. I don’t know why…but everyone wore those plaid Old Navy pajama pants to school – A LOT! It’s Spirit Week, let’s wear pajama pants on Friday! It’s time for a school dance, it’s girls’ choice so why not let’s wear pajamas!! The basketball team is going to state this week, so they aren’t shaving and on Wednesday they are wearing pajama pants. You get the idea.

Needless to say, after knowing the importance of plaid flannel pajama pants in my wardrobe, I must admit that I have not purchased any in a decade. My last pair of plaid Old Navy PJ’s bit the dust a year ago. My legs have been longing for the warmth that only plaid pajama pants can provide. And I’m pretty over wearing store bought pants that don’t fit, so I made my own.

Fabric: Joann’s Luxe Flannel

I made pajama pants for my husband with Joann’s Luxe Flannel over a year ago, and couldn’t believe how well they have worn. Unlike that pair, this print I chose WAS ON GRAIN!! It was a miracle! For plaid that I can buy with a coupon for $5-6 per yard (I think I paid $4.50/yard because it was Black Friday) that’s pretty freaking-tastic. This stuff has 70% rayon and 30% cotton, which means it’s even softer and more breathable than regular cotton.

I’m not being paid to say this, but you need this fabric! It comes in a lot of different prints and colors…I’m already thinking of stocking up for fall.

Simplicity 8516

I used Simplicity 8518. This pattern offers pants in girls and misses’ sizes with a fully functional buttoned fly, elastic waistband with drawstring, and pants that button open like jeans at the top. This is a pattern I have bought 3x: once, because I made failed mother/daughter pjs (unfortunately big 4 patterns are often one size too big), a second time to cut the smallest size, a third time because I lost the first two patterns. I decided not to sweat it – they’re only like $2 on sale.

SIZING

Like I said…for this pair of pajama pants, I sized down. (My first attempt made it look like the pants were trying to swallow me whole.) I cut out an XS, made my petite length adjustments, a quick flat pubis adjustment to the front, a low seat adjustment, and a flat seat adjustment. It sounds like a lot but they came together very quickly.

**TIP: One thing to note…if you are a couple sizes bigger in the waist than the hips, I would recommend cutting out a straight size for your hip measurement. There is gobs of ease in lounge pants, so adding extra width at the top is just going to look bulky. Trust me – I speak from experience!

This is supposed to be a ‘slim fit lounge pant’. Even though I sized down, I think these pants still look huge on me! Look at all the fabric in the back…that’s just really unnecessary. One look at this pic and I decided I need to do a thin thigh adjustment to every pair of pants, pajama or not.

Modifications

I have said before that I think a button fly in pajama pants is a waste of time. Elastic waist pants are so easy to pull off for bathroom access I just don’t think a fly is necessary. And now, I have made a functional fly for my husband’s pair, and for my own. SMH…I was just too lazy to modify the pattern.

I did, however, modify the waistband because to a simple casing with one with one pattern piece. I sewed and cut my bottonholes, I threaded the elastic through the casing, and then came the ribbon.

Guys, I LOVE this ribbon! It came from Pacific Trimmings in New York City. Love this place! Love the City, love the garment district! I got a lot of fun stuff from this shop this month that is hard for me to find back home.

That’s pretty much it…I mean, they’re just pajama pants. This is a super simple project, even a beginner can do it. Although, I would recommend a simpler pattern than this one for beginners. I just chose this pattern for the ‘slim fit’ which now I realize, is hard to achieve with my figure.

Conclusion

It feels pretty weird to be standing in a hay field wearing lounge pants in tennis shoes and makeup. But I happen to really love this pair of pajama pants. I have to say it is utterly satisfying the way this plaid is perfectly matched up! If it wasn’t May I would definitely be sewing more this month.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, consider checking out my other ladies’ projects here.