Pajama Pants (Pt. 1) ...

And hello everyone! Let's embark on a journey of fabric and warmth and...pants. But not just ordinary pants, oh no, pajama pants. The collegiate's best friend, the garment of choice as it were. And what better way to appreciate such a bond a perpetually fatigued student has with his pajama bottoms than make a pair.

First, buy 100% cotton fabric that is three yards in length from The Joann's (Joann Fabrics). When home, or at a laundromat, or even in a creek make sure to wash your fabric before you begin cutting. This is to make sure that you get all the chemicals used to treat the fabric off, but more importantly this insures that the fabric has gotten its preliminary shrink out of the way.

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The Joann's

When you are at The Joann's pick up the pattern you would like to use for your pajama pants, these patterns come in different sizes and IT DOES matter which one you choose. So measure your waist, and by waist I do not mean where you let your pants sag Guy In The Back - your true waist is just below the bellybutton.

FUN FACT: The bellybutton is clinically known as the umbilicus.

Now open up your pattern envelope. You will be inundated with all sorts of paper, do not panic this is perfectly normal everything will be just fine.

Because patterns usually come in packages, for example a pajama pants pattern will come with a shirt pattern or two, you will want to find the correct pattern pieces. These are well indicated.

Before you begin cutting out your pattern from the rest you may want to iron the paper to get out all of the creases and tiny wrinkles that are bound to be there. This is not necessary but might make your life easier down the road. Begin and complete the "laborious" task of cutting out your pattern along the thick black outlines (this project will include two leg pieces and an elastic band).

Iron out your fabric before you begin cutting.

The instructions for the pattern will indicate where along the fabric you should place your pattern pieces as to get the best possible use from the fabric.

Once your pattern pieces are set down in the correct way on your fabric cut out your pattern pieces. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE!! It has been provided for your in the patterns

Done?...

Good!

Before you do anything else you will want to finish off the edges of your fabric pieces. The best way to do this is to use an overlock stitch. You can do this by using a serger, a frightening looking machine but one that is easy to use.

Line up your fabric so that just a little bit is close to the blade, it will be cut and that is okay.

If you have finished that then you have completed part one and are fast on your way to making a pair of lazy pants, I mean pajama pants.

Tech Sleeve - All Together Now ...

Tech Sleeve

Materials needed:

gadget (preferably a square one)

fabric: Fleece

kraft paper

ruler

scissors

tracing tool

pinking sheers

hidden snap set

fashion button

Everything that has been covered thus far can be used to create a simple item. A tech sleeve. What is a tech sleeve you ask? This is simply a fleece cover to hold and protect what ever gadget you desire, I am of course talking about something simple like a phone or tablet or small laptop.

FUN FACT: Fleece is also known as 'Polar wool', 'Vega wool', or "Velo wool'. These names suggest an organic origin when in reality fleece is made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). In other words, synthetic fibers.

Ready to begin?
Once you have selected that gadget you will be using take measurements and be sure to right them down.
Take the measurements of the length and width of the gadget in inches.

Now get out a sheet of kraft paper and then measure out your device's lengths and widths AND add 1/2 inch on every length and width. When you are finished you will have an outline that is a 1/2 inch longer and a 1/2 inch wider than your gadget. NO seam allowance is added to your pattern!
Cut out your pattern.

You will now want to create a closure tab for your sleeve. On your kraft paper make a pattern that is 1 inch wide and 5 inch long.

Take your patterns over to your fabric and then trace them onto the fabric using a proper tracing tool. Trace your pattern once for your closure tab and twice for your sleeve. It will be best if you make sure to trace you patterns along the flow of the grain. To each outline add 1/2 in seam allowance with the aid of a ruler, you will not need to add seam allowance to the top of the sleeve. Cut out your outlines pieces - this is wear placing your pattern along the grain is helpful.
Trim the raw edges of your fabric pieces with pinking sheers. try to cut as little as you can and as uniformly as you can.

Attach the tab to one side of the sleeve using the sewing machine. Make sure that the side the tab is being sewn to is the right side of the fabric.

Now take your two pieces of fabric for the sleeve over to the machine and place the right sides of the fabric together so that the wrong sides are what is being seen. Sew along the line for seam allowance on three sides (the two sides and the bottom) and then use the bagging out method.

You can now finish the sleeve my hand sewing the snap set on and then the fashion button on top of your tab.

All done?
If so, place your gadget into it's new sleeve and admire your work.