In between travels and springing and birthdays and gardening, I was able to squeeze in a new lounge set.
Doesn’t that sound better than pjs? And that’s exactly what I do in them–I lounge a lot more than I care to admit. (How about right now?) Adding more of these to my drawers is making me plain happy. Feeling comfy and pretty and having some variety in my schlepsleepwear = bonus.
{And apologies for the grainy photos but this is what happens when one shoots in shade at an extreme ISO and then tries to expose afterward in software. Even though I could spend hours playing with all the filters and plugins for Aperture. So much cool stuff out there.}
Pattern: The set is from Burda November 2009, #129 and #132.
Details: I made the pajama trousers for my last set and they’re super easy, a simple drawstring pant which I’ve now adjusted for a better fit. It’s embarrassing how easy these are. Seriously, like less than two hours to cut and sew at my snail pace.
At first I thought I’d make another version of my kimono-sleeved pajama top but this fabric doesn’t quite have the stretch for a hip band. So instead I went for the wrap Burda top from the same issue. It’s a pretty simple wrap top with a shawl collar, and piping is sandwiched in between the collar and facing. I almost left out the piping but in digging around my ribbon box I found enough of this coral charmeuse bias tape that I’d made for something else. You can see the facing doesn’t quite want to fold in neatly but these are pjs and this fabric is too slithery to want to stay anywhere in place.
Fabric: Now I’m going to share a secret: polyester! This is a satin-type polyester knit from Gorgeous Fabrics, described as “70 denier microfiber jersey”. It looks like silk jersey, and feels a lot like it, but was much, much less expensive. And easy to wash and dry without wearing it down. (In my experience, washing silk jersey aggressively really messes with it.) The noticeable difference between silk and polyester is the static cling, which is the last thing that holds me back from drapey polyesters–and this fabric wants to cling. I’ve been trying to educate myself on types of fabrics for lingerie. Other than silk, obviously, there’s a lot of nylon and polyester, especially for bras, with terms like tricot, denier, microfiber coming up a lot. (You’d also see these in activewear.) With some of these fabrics, you have to let go of old stereotypes. There are polyesters that breathe and microfibers that feel very fine and soft to touch. And these will make some fine summer pjs–very, very cool on the skin.
It was nice to have an easy-peasy sort of “in between” project after all the work on my fur coat. We all need those palette cleansers now and then, right? Now it feels like a matter of weeks before the Texas summer dawns on me, so I’m strategizing, strategizing, strategizing. The onslaught of spring has sent me into deep spring cleaning and organizing mode on every front. Throwing out, compiling yard sale items. It’s even trickled down to computer folder organization (what a mess…). And I decided it was time to refresh my blog with a different design. More palette cleansing! I’ve been working on it offline quite a bit and it feels much more like me, much more like how I want to be blogging into the next year. It’s not up yet, but sooon.
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I love these! Much more chic than the gnarly things I roll around in at home (and I have total sympathy for the exposure thing – taking decent photos is such a pain in the butt sometimes).
Yeah, until I made some pjs, most of the stuff I wore around the house was pretty gnarly. I just wear things till they fall apart. But comfy is comfy! I love working on my photos, but the hardest part about shooting in our current rental is that it faces north–absolutely no sunlight except for about one hour, through one window. When my husband shoots, he wants to go sun-location-scouting but I am so not doing that in muslins and pjs!
Such lovely “lounge wear”!! Someday I will turn my attention to the extra unattractive stuff I wear about the house and try and spruce it up… Its nice to know that there are cute patterns out there – I love the wrap style of this top. I totally feel you about needing a “palette cleansing” project. Your coat was pretty epic and turned out so amazing – you deserve to just chill for a bit.
Also really excited (perhaps too excited?) for your blog redesign. I’m finding myself very interested in these things so it’ll be great to see the “new you”!
Thanks, Sallie! I admit my rush of bra and pj-making was partly brought on my the other half who kept asking me, when are you going to get some new ones??? after wearing the same t-shirt for several months straight. There are actually some fun lingerie patterns out there–Burda does a lot, in particular. I know they’re not as easy to get ahold of, but I think they always do a spread in their November issues.
I love doing blog designs… heh, and I get itchy every 9 months or so thinking about either starting a new blog or redesigning existing ones.
Very elegant – looks lovely and comfy!
Thanks, it’s surprisingly very comfy! a bit static-y but I guess that goes with the turf.
You? In polyester? Unheard of! Just kidding… this is a great lounge set. And I love the grain of the photos. I’ve been playing with Lightroom (found out by surprise that Lion does not play well with my ancient PS… grr), and it’s fun. I miss PS, though. Can’t wait to see the redesign, ClothHabit 2012 🙂
Poly does have it’s uses, and as I sew through/donate my stash, the static is the main thing that bothers me. Also, the older man mades that don’t breathe, a real no-go in hot weather. You’re right though – they aren’t all bad, especially when one considers sportswear, which is typically utilizes man made textiles, scientifically engineered to breathe and wick.
Ugh, I am so with you. I still have the entire Adobe CS4, which was a major business investment at the time I bought it, and it doesn’t play at all with Lion so I have resisted upgrading my OS. But now another program is forcing me to upgrade to Lion. The best thing about Photoshop is layers, layers, layers and masking. Aperture is lot like Lightroom and is getting more plugins which let you do masks and stuff–not as fun as PS.
It was worth trying this fabric out, out of curiosity… and I wonder why the static happens? I’ll probably try washing it different ways to see what happens.
Yay, pink loungewear! Although yours is a much more restful colour than mine.
Good luck with the new blog design. I keep thinking I should update mine, but, well, I like it. Kinda like hairstyles, I seem to be slow at getting bored of them…
Oh, to wear cute comfies like these all day long. I’ve been meaning to revamp some of my own lounge wear so that I don’t always end up in sweats at the end of the day. I also can’t wait to see the redesign. I always enjoy your aesthetic…
I love the color of these pj’s. I’ve been struggling lately choosing between natural fibers and synthetics. In my mind, I’d like to always sew with naturals, but sometimes I find I get a better drape and longer wear with some of the synthetic fabrics I’ve chosen. I’m still trying to figure it out. Looking forward to seeing your new design!
Your loungers seem so so comfy! And the color is even more relaxing.
I, too, have those quick projects between major projects. In my opinion, those projects are a lot more fun, spontaneous, and get you motivated for the next major project.
What a coicidence that you have been purging and cleansing your closet. I have too! I’ve been goon through my closet and only choosing the pieces I absolutely love. Anything that is so so is going in storage. I want to feel my best every day