These Are the Cats Pajamas

LITERALLY.

They are also, in my opinion, the absolutely ugliest shade of beige for my skin, which is the only reason why this SPECATULAR (yes, you read that right; it's not a typo) fabric from my stash didn't get turned into yet another whimsical print dress. But I really, really, really like the cats playing all over it, so I had to turn it into something that I could wear and enjoy, but nobody else would see me wearing and enjoying -- hence pajamas. Only I just defeated the purpose of nobody seeing this fabric next to my skin by posting photos on teh interwebs, but I never claimed to always make sense.

I'm so happy that there's a cat back on my back.

When I first caught a whiff of Karen's Pyjama Party here in the sewing blogiverse, I ignored it because I like sewing frosting, and everyday-pajamas-that-nobody-is-going-to-see definitely fall into the cake category. Also, I thought all my pajamas were fine. Then, right as everyone started posting their super cute pj's and I started feeling a tiny bit of envy, my two favorite pairs of pajama pants ripped. Large, unsightly holes in extremely awkward places, or else I would show you. And it's no wonder, too, as these well-loved flannel pieces are, ahem, the same ones I've been wearing since college. Which, if you know that my first students are now old enough to be getting engaged to each other, is seriously kind of gross, although I promise I do laundry regularly. So then I figured that this was a sign that I need to get off the frosting train (what's next? pants?!??) and make some new pajamas.

Is this not the best thrift store sheet find ever?! I swear I did not pose Walnut there.

Okay, now that the awkward confessions are over, let's talk about the actual making of these. The bottoms are traced off of the less horrendously ripped pair (which I'll also confess that I patched up, as the hole wasn't that bad), then put together following Karen's instructions. I French seamed everything (these pajamas have some long-lived predecessors to live up to!) and even got to keep the hem of the sheets as the hem of my pants. Unfortunately, the previous owners of these sheets (of course they're thrifted; whose blog do you think you're reading?) seem to have used this queen-size flat sheet as a paint drop cloth (why would you ever do such a thing to such awesome sheets?!), so I had to cut carefully to not only place cats strategically, but to avoid paint droplets. Thankfully, they also seem to have been fairly good painters, as the drops are mostly small and near edges.

Check out my beautiful French seams!

So I usually just wear old free t-shirts instead of actual pajama tops, but then I was inspired by Leah's matched set and totally copied her and used the Sorbetto pattern to make a matching tank top, minus the pleat. I ended up having to lower the armscye considerably and take in the sides near the bottom (and the bust dart could stand to be lowered too), but all in all pretty decent for a free pattern. The seams are also French, making this my very first outfit (if it can be called such) with absolutely no exposed raw edges!! And now I can also finally join the ranks of people who have made up Sorbettos, albeit not in a wear-out-in-public form.

Summary:
Fabric: Some kind of poly-cotton blend sheet, I'm guess it would translate to about almost two yards of a 45" wide material. I've had these sheets for quite some time, but couldn't bring myself to use them because of the color, nor have I wanted to give them away/donate them because cats!!! Thankfully, they're well-loved sheets, which means they are scrumptiously soft and thin and airy.
Notions: 3/4" elastic, bias tape
Techniques used: French seams, making pants!!! I'm surprised I didn't manage to sew the legs together or something. 
Hours: about three...so easy!
Will you make this again? Now that I know how awesome matched pj's are, yes! Also I still have enough sheet to make about four more sets, so...
Total cost: $3 (a dollar each for the fabric, the elastic, and the bias tape)
Final thoughts: I'm pretty giddy about these. I really wish they weren't such a hideous color, or else I would totally make a Sorbetto dress out of this fabric. What do you think, can I get away with it, or should I just make enough sets of cats pajamas to last for the rest of my life?

Can you tell how excited I am?

I decided Walnut had to join in on the jumping on the bed fun.

This might be the best picture I have ever posted on my blog.

Also, thanks to all of you who provided opinions about the stripe layout for my Horrockses/Horcruxes dress; I really appreciate your taking the time to vote and write out your thoughts. I realized I didn't have enough fabric to cut on the bias to make chevrons anyway (something you'd think I would've checked before offering it as an option, but I have lots of striped fabric waiting to be chevron-ed, so if you voted for that, I'll get to one eventually!), so I decided to go with the vertical stripes. Pictures to come post-wedding!

I'm too late for the party, but here's me and my current bedtime reading anyway: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, one of my favorite novels ever. I'm rereading it for book club, and I can't wait to discuss it! Book club also means spending the night with Shayna, so there was extra incentive to make new pajamas (especially since she was with me when I got these sheets!)