Welcome back to another exciting edition of “Fandom Flair.”  As promised last time, I want to show you how to make really cool (though incredibly warm) Pokémon pajama pants.

Materials needed:

About a yard to two yards of fabric

Elastic

Sewing machine

A pair of pajama pants that fit well

Step 1: Find comfortable fitting pajamas

This project is easy because you don’t need a pattern.  You simply copy a pair of pajama pants you already own.  And if you’d rather they be pajama shorts, all you do is use shorts at the template.  Super simple.

Step 2: Select your fabric

As stated already, I found a fantastic Pokémon fleece.

I bought it on sale, probably $6 a yard.  I purchased two yards, just to be on the safe side. 

With projects like these, you can customize your outfit as much as you want.  Would you rather Star Wars pajama pants?  Buy a Star Wars print.  Would you rather flannel instead of fleece?  Buy flannel; the pattern works the same on all types of fabrics.  Would you rather have Pokémon print on one leg and Mario Party on the other?  That’s doable, too!

I like to work with fleece because it’s such an easy fabric.  It doesn’t fray, so you don’t need to worry about hemming.  The lazy side of me loved that there’s less work involved.

Step 3: Trace your pattern

I’m going to include pictures from another pair of pajama pants I made since they turned out a bit better.  Those were crafted out of flannel, so you can see how any fabric will work fine.

First, take your existing pair of pants (or shorts) and fold them in half.  Lay your fabric on the floor and fold up one side, just long enough for your folded pants to fit.

Trace with a fabric pen, leaving about an inch in all directions for seam allowance.  One thing to note here: make sure you stretch out the waistband.  Typically, pajama pants have elastic along the waistband which makes the top much smaller than you actually need.  Stretch the waist out as far as it can go, then trace.  Otherwise, the top will be too tight on your stomach.

Once it’s traced, cut out the fabric. 

When it’s unfolded, it’ll look nothing like pajama pants.

Step 4: Repeat for the other leg

On your fabric, lay flat the piece you just cut.  Trace around it—leaving no room for seam allowance.  Cut it out.  Now you have two identical pieces.

Step 5: Sewing the legs

Place these two pieces atop each other, right side to right side. 

First, you’re going to sew along the curved line.  Do this on both sides.

Next, you need to open up the fabric and fold it so the two seams you just sewed are touching. 

Now, you can see how these will eventually become pants.  Sew a straight stitch from the bottom of one leg, up to the middle, and down the other leg.

Step 6: Adding the elastic

For the top hem, fold the waist down wide enough to fit your elastic in.  Sew a straight stitch all the way around, leaving an opening about 2-3 inches wide. 

Cut your elastic to be about the length of your waist—when stretched—and add a half an inch.  Using a safety pin, thread the elastic through the casing at the top of the pants.  Once the elastic is pulled all the way through, use your sewing machine and stitch the elastic to itself. 

Now you can sew the rest of the waist seam.

Step 7: Hemming the legs

Now that you can get the pants on you, find out how long you need the legs to be.  If you’re using fleece, you can simply cut with scissors and be done.  Or, trim the legs an inch longer than they need to be, then fold the hem inside that inch and straight stitch it down.  Do this on both legs.

And you’re done! 

This project is so easy to do!  Just imagine all the pajama pants you can have!

Please join us next time when I show you how to make an Ajah inspired blanket!  Thanks for reading!