McCall's 6659: Tapered Pajama Pants

I have had very little time for sewing lately. I have been working very hard towards a big promotion at work, which I just received, I have been focusing more on being active with my family, and I took a trip a few weeks ago with my oldest boy to visit family. It's been busy but very good. In the last 6 months, I have managed to make a pair of pajama pants. And I love them!

Pattern Description: McCall's 6659, view G, is a tapered-leg, elastic/tie-waist, cuffed-leg pajama pant.

Pattern Sizing: I made size 16, which was one size smaller than my measurements. I don't like my pajama pants with tons of ease.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Other than that I used cotton flannel instead of satin, very much so!

Were the instructions easy to follow? I had no problems at all, and I'm a fairly beginner sewer.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I wanted to try a cuff just because it was something that I was curious about and had never done before. I also liked the idea of a tapered leg. My legs are quite slender and I can feel a little dumpy in giant pajama legs.

My only dislike would be that for pajama pants, these are a lot of work. Double-layer cuffs, button holes, piping... but it pays off in the end product!

Fabric Used: Flannel for both the blue and the pink check. The piping is silk charmeuse. When you only need 1/4 yard, it's easy to justify! I cut it on grain. I knew I wouldn't really need to curve it and was willing to risk it.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I lengthened the legs by 3 inches, but then ended up trimming a little off the bottom. I'd probably go with a 2-inch change next time. (I prefer a long inseam. Gotta keep those ankles warm!) I also shortened the rise by 1 inch. I cut this directly off the top since I wanted them to sit below the natural waist.

I also added pockets. I stole a pocket pattern from another pajama pant pattern and made it work. I may never go back to pajama pants without pockets.

Beware the length of the ties! I started off with the length of elastic and tie recommended by the pattern, and with the tie almost entirely out of the buttonhole, the pants still weren't tight enough. So I massively shortened the elastic and it's much better now.

Techniques used: I sewed all the exposed seams as french seams, including the pockets. (Thanks to Sew Mama Sew for the fantastic tutorial!)

I attempted to sew a bit of a thread tack at the top and bottom of the pockets to reinforce those stitch points. I'm not sure this is really what this stitch on my sewing machine was meant to do, but we'll see how it lasts. So far so good!

The pattern calls for understitching for the cuffs. I forgot to do them in the pockets as I went, but added it afterwards and it made a big difference.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I definitely will sew it again. I have fabric on the way to make two more pairs assembly-line style. I highly recommend the pattern if you're willing to take a little extra time with a pair of pajama pants.

I was really pleased with the piping on one leg, the other didn't come out quite as cleanly. I also was happy with the matching on the check. Matching patterns is probably my most intimidating task in sewing these days.

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the buttonholes were, once I realized the best way to rip open the hole was with a seam ripper (and a pin at either end) instead of shears.

I took these pics without help, and my head was cut off. My apologies, but sometimes I just have to go with what I have instead of waiting for perfection. The fronts make me look a little hippy, but I am quite unhippy and don't mind.

The sides and the back are very flattering. Love that hint of pink from the pocket peeking out too!

Conclusion: Love them! And I feel so sophisticated and fabulous wearing them! That's saying a lot for pajamas!

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Frivolous photo: Last weekend my husband started working on cleaning up our laundry room and didn't stop until it was done. When my oldest was born (almost 5 years ago), we found ourselves asking over and over, "Where can I put this so he doesn't get into it?" The laundry room was a natural choice, and before long it became the tossing-ground for anything not needed for the moment. I wish I had a before picture. The pile was about 18" deep with a sort-of path to the washing machine and dryer. When I woke up the next morning, I had a sewing room! With natural light!! No decorating to speak of, but a place where I can leave projects in-work without having to put every last bit away. Yay! A thousand thanks to my darling husband!