Sew pajama shorts in an hour

Pajama shorts are two pattern pieces, a front leg and a back leg, each cut twice, joined at the sides, inside legs and crotch, with a folded casing for elastic at the waist and a double-fold hem. Without pockets, you can sew a pair in about an hour once the fabric is cut, and cutting adds 15–20 minutes. You need about 1 m (1 1/8 yd) of fabric and a length of 2.5–3 cm (1–1 1/4 in) elastic.

Which fabric makes the best pajama shorts?

Pajamas (or pyjamas, outside North America) should be soft, breathable and easy to wash:

• Cotton lawn or poplin: light, crisp, easy to cut and sew. The best choice for a first pair.
• Seersucker: a puckered texture that never needs ironing.
• Double gauze: very soft, a little bulkier at the seams.
• Viscose: cool and fluid, but it slides while you cut, so not for the one-hour version.
• Cotton flannel: for winter pairs.

Old shirts and duvet covers make good pajamas too; the upcycling post explains how to cut around wear and seams. Prewash new fabric, because cotton shrinks.

For mid-thigh shorts, 1 m of 110–150 cm (45–60 in) fabric covers most sizes. Bermuda length or larger hips may need 1.2–1.4 m (1 3/8–1 1/2 yd).

Which length and fit?

A relaxed fit, with about 16 cm (6 1/4 in) of ease at the hip, keeps the legs loose enough to sleep in. The rise is taken from your crotch depth, so the shorts sit at the waist without pulling.

How long should the elastic be?

For a waistband that stays up without digging in, cut the elastic at about 92 % of your waist minus 2 cm, plus 3 cm (1 1/4 in) to overlap the ends: 67 cm (26 3/8 in) for a 72 cm (28 1/4 in) waist. Pajamas are about comfort, so pin the loop and try it on; for sleeping, many people prefer it a couple of centimeters looser. Soft knitted elastic, or the plush-backed kind sold for pajamas and lingerie, is kinder to the skin. The elastic length calculator works it out for any waist.

How do you sew pajama shorts in an hour?

Before you start the clock, wind two bobbins, set the iron up next to the machine and keep your chalk at hand. Then:

1. Side seams (5 minutes). Sew each front leg to its back leg along the side, 1.5 cm (5/8 in) from the edge. Chain the two seams one after the other without cutting the thread.
2. Inseams (5 minutes). Sew the inside leg seam of each leg.
3. Crotch seam (10 minutes). Turn one leg right side out and slip it inside the other, right sides together. Match the inseams at the crotch point, pin the notches, and sew the whole curve from the front waist to the back waist. Sew a second row along the lower curve for strength: the crotch curve takes more strain than any other seam in the garment.
4. Finish the seams (10 minutes) with zigzag or a serger.
5. Casing (15 minutes). Fold the waist allowance, the elastic width plus 1 cm, to the inside and stitch close to its edge, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) gap. Thread the elastic, overlap the ends by 3 cm and zigzag them in a box. Close the gap.
6. Hem (10 minutes). Press up 1 cm (3/8 in), then 1.5 cm (5/8 in), and stitch around each leg.
7. Press (5 minutes).

For the casing technique in more detail, see the elastic waistband guide.

How do you avoid sewing the legs together the wrong way?

Before you sew anything, chalk a B on the wrong side of both back legs. The back leg is the one with the deeper, longer crotch curve and the higher center back. The most common mistake is sewing a front to a front at the crotch: the shorts look fine flat and pull uncomfortably once worn. The second most common is a twisted leg. Match the side seam and the inseam at the hem before you sew the inseam, and the leg cannot twist.

Tip: Cut two pairs at once from the same fabric and sew them assembly-line style, seam by seam. The second pair takes far less than an hour.

How do you make pajama shorts comfortable to sleep in?

Comfort comes from the inside of the garment as much as from the fabric. Rough serged edges can scratch, so on a pair without pockets, consider French seams for the side seams and inseams: sew wrong sides together 6 mm (1/4 in) from the edge, trim, then sew right sides together 9 mm (3/8 in) from the fold, which uses up the 1.5 cm allowance. Press the crotch seam allowances to one side and topstitch them flat so there is no ridge where you sit. Keep the elastic soft and a little looser than for daywear, inside a casing rather than stitched directly to the fabric, which feels firmer against the skin. Finally, wash the finished shorts once before wearing or giving them: lawn and poplin soften noticeably after the first wash.

Can you add pockets?

In-seam pockets add 20–30 minutes and are worth it for lounge shorts; patch pockets are quicker and suit a pajama set. Sewly's pull-on shorts pattern offers both, or none, in standard women's, men's and children's sizes as well as made to measure, which is handy for matching pajamas for the whole household.