Sew Pajama Pants without a Pattern
Ok, I have to admit I had wanted to try this project idea for years! Many years back, I saw a tutorial online for turning a dress into a jumpsuit. I tried it but the project bombed. So here it is years later, and I finally decided to give a go at making pajama pants from scratch with a similar technique. You could try this basic concept with a maxi knit or t shirt dress to make a jumpsuit too! I made one pair, and had so much fun that I made two more! Each pair turned out slightly different, so here is an updated walkthrough. It might take a little experimentation to get the measurements exactly right for your own body shape!
This project is super easy! Depending on your waist size, it takes about 1 yard of fabric, give or take depending on width of fabric. You will also need elastic…either a wide piece to be the waistband or a smaller width elastic to fit into a waistband casing.
Grab your piece of fabric, and wrap it around your midsection. Make sure the two sides overlap by a few inches, to account for seams. The fabric should fit fairly snug around your belly and hips, and because it is stretchy it will have some give. I simply wrapped a single one yard piece of stretch knit fabric around my waist, so that the short side went down to the ground. The length of the fabric should go to a few inches below your ankles. If the fabric is slightly longer, you can always trim away the extra along the top edge, or fold it down to create a casing for the elastic.
Next, sew the raw edges together at the side, with wrong sides of the fabric together. Trim the seam so that it is only around a half inch or less. Next, bring that seam around to the back middle of the pants. Yes…these are basically two seam pants created from one piece of fabric! Can I get a woop woop! These are as simple as it gets, and the end result is so cute!
Take a ruler to measure to the left and right of that middle seam, because you really want to be sure the seam goes right down the middle. The left and right sides will wind up as legs, and the seam will go along the middle of your backside. Believe me, it will look best if it is right in the middle!
Next, take your ruler and measure from the floor to your the middle of your inner thigh. It can be an estimate, with a little give or take. My measurement wound up right around 18 inches. So I estimated how wide I wanted each leg to be, from the outside of the fabric to the inner seam. I drew a line that was 23 inches long, with about three inches in between the lines. At the top of those lines, connect them with a curved line. It will look like an upside down U shape.
Pin along the upside down U shape you just drew, and then sew with a narrow zig zag stitch with the side edge of the presser foot lined up with the outer edge of that marked line. Cut away the excess fabric between the legs, and cut some notches (simply clip the edges of the fabric) at the curve.
Add the waistband! Wrap the elastic around your waist and pull it kind of tight so that it stretches and cut. I did this with a 2 inch wide black elastic. So the waistband will fit snugly, but you can still pull it on over your hips. Overlap the ends of the elastic and sew with a zig zag stitch multiple times to make the hold secure. Then attach the elastic onto the waist. I pulled the elastic to stretch most of the way it would go as I went around, and when I got near the end of the waistband it worked out just about alright.
If you want to use a narrower elastic, fold down the top edge of the waist to create a casing and stitch down with enough room for the elastic to be woven through. Be sure to leave an opening to fit the elastic in. Feed the elastic through the casing and you are good to go!
I didn’t hem the ends of the leg openings, but you totally could if you wanted to! Or just trim the hem with pinking shears. You could even add a little trim or lace for a cute look!
These pants came together in about a half hour, and I can’t wait to make some more! Homemade pajama bottoms are always welcome in my wardrobe! This project would also be a great way to upcycle knit pajama dresses. I have a couple that would be a perfect fit for these pj bottoms, and I cannot wait to get sewing.
