FiFi Pyjamas
PROJECT:
Cute pyjama set including elastic waisted shorts and a bias cut cami top
PATTERN: Tilly and the Buttons - FiFi You can stalk all the #sewingfifi makes for some really great inspiration.
REASONS FOR MAKING: I made the rookie mistake of not pre-washing my fabric with my last set of Fifis so unfortunately, they’re fitting a tad snug and not as comfy as they were in the beginning. So it's time to make a new set.
FABRICS: This time I’m trying a quilting cotton. I don't normally use quilting cotton for garment sewing but I loved this print too much not to try it out. It’s a Moda fabric by my friend Annie Brady, the designer behind @surface_love on Instagram. I've used Night Sky from her Yucatan collection and it's coming soon to M is for Make. Here's the link so you can get first dibs when it drops! (you need to check out her Deep Sea print too...I LOVE IT! I think I might need flamingo PJs too!)
TRIMS: Simply just some elastic for the waistband.
HOW TO: As always, Tilly’s instructions are really clear so making these is nice and straightforward.
This fabric has a stripe design but it would have wasted lots of fabric if I tried to pattern match correctly so instead I decided to just go with a rough match. The print is fluid enough to get away with it. I also kept the print going in one direction so that it didn’t get too fussy.
There are pros and cons to sewing garments with quilting cotton. The quality of this fabric is just gorgeous which makes it so easy to sew with and it gives you lovely crisp edges when pressed. The only downside with sewing Fifi in quilting cotton is the pleating at the bust can end up looking a bit pointy! But that could probably be fixed by gathering the fullness rather than pleating.
Once again, as with the last set, I love that this pattern uses French seams. It’s such a nice finish.
Instead of a trim, I stuck with self fabric bias binding this time. I did a narrow binding since that’s the size my little binding tool is! (I really should get a bigger one!) This made things a little fiddly but I actually really like the final look. I think it gives it a nice contemporary feel.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Nothing wrong as such, just slight pokey boob syndrome!!
LESSONS LEARNED: I’ll try and gather the bust fullness in future if using quilting cotton. I remembered to pre-wash the fabric this time so at least now I’ll avoid any shrinkage!!
VERDICT: This is a nice quick make and one I’m sure I’ll do again. I love the fabric, especially since it’s not what you would necessarily think of sewing with quilting cotton. But now you know it’s definitely an option.
