This year I want to give the kiddos pajamas for Christmas Eve. So I looked at all the patterns I had acquired, but couldn’t find the one I wanted. I must have searched through a dozen different folders on my computer and external hard drives. Then I searched my email and voila, it was hiding there. So, I saved it (again) and printed out a copy of the pattern. Here’s how I turned Snazzy Pants by Tie Die Patterns into Christmas pajamas! Hope you enjoy my review. First, this pattern is perfect for woven fabrics like cotton, denim, corduroy, twill, and linen. Which is exactly what I needed. I love stretchy pants (lol, I just thought of Nacho Libre) but not for the flannel pajamas I had in mind. Flannel and other wovens require a pattern with more ease in the design and don’t count on stretch for a good fit. If I tried to make a stretchy pattern with wovens, my kids would feel fat and probably bust the seams trying to squeeze into it. Same reason all of my jeans have some spandex in them, am I right ladies? This pattern lends itself to wovens. Embrace it.
It also has fun elements you can play with. You can add ruffles to the bottom of the legs and to the pockets. You can add bias tape to the pockets or finish with a regular turned hem. And the pockets don’t have to be the same pattern as the pants. I used ribbon to encase the raw edge of the pockets on my daughter’s pants. Soooo soft.
I used a fun red plaid for the pockets on my son’s pants. I dare you to find a more manly fabric than red plaid…and if you say camo, well I already have a camo twill waiting to be sewn into pants with this pattern. Boys will be boys!
My kids are
freakishly exceptionally tall for their age. So I was a little nervous when I had them try it on so I could hem the pants. Turns out all I needed to do was serge the edge and fold it under and sew, for both kids. If it ended up being too short, I was prepared with ruffles and more red flannel for extra length, but I didn’t need it. The pattern ranges in sizes from 12-18 months up to 5T. So, it doesn’t fit my almost 7 year old. Just for fun I held a pair of his pants up to the pattern to see how much I would have to alter it…I’m pretty sure I need at least six or seven extra inches at the bottom, not including the hem. I told you they were tall. Anyways, I used the flannel to test this pattern for fit. I wasn’t about to make a nice pair of camo pants for my younger son, only to realize that it was too short or too tight for him. Think of it like a trial run, or a muslin fit. Sewing Tip: Whenever you are about to sew a fancy dress or pair of pants…or anything that requires nice fabric, make a muslin copy first. You can test for fit and write on it with all the red marker or chalk you want. This lets you see where it hugs too tight, has too much excess, or needs extra length, etc… Then you can use your muslin to cut out your pattern on your nice expensive fabric. (If using a stretch fabric, make sure your “muslin copy” is a stretch fabric too. Only use muslin fabric for patterns that require wovens, not knits.) Good luck sewing! This is a super fun pattern to make pajamas or heavy duty play pants. (Pick a different pattern if you want stretchy pants.) It took 15 mins to cut two pairs of pajamas out. I finished sewing these in two days. It would have been quicker, but I have kids running around requiring my attention. That, and every time I sat down I had to fix my sewing machine…which brings me to another sewing tip! Sewing Tip: Every time you sit down to sew or serge, check your settings. You may notice that little hands have turned your stitch length to “basting” and your tension to 9, instead of 4. Not fun to discover after you start sewing. Same goes for the serger, so make sure your tension dials and thread is all to your standards first. I quickly learned this lesson. My house is occupied by little gremlins. Last Sewing Tip today: Oil your machine after every 2 hours of sewing and use a new needle for new projects. My machine is a workhorse, but I keep it well oiled and it’s been my buddy for six years without major issues. Same goes for my serger which I’ve had for ten years and broke several times, but only once had to send it out for maintenance. Get to know your machines, and you’ll know when it sounds “off”. 🙂

Great job on the kids pajamas! They look comfy and well made!