Hey Everybody! What brings you over to these parts? Fabric shopping? Or maybe fabric stalking? I stalk online fabric stores fairly regularly on a daily basis, and I could easily waste away hours just browsing fabrics and dreaming up sewing projects. But I will admit that sometimes I feel overwhelmed with choice, and my to sew list gets so long, that I have a hard time staying on track. I’d like to tell you that I plan my sewing by season, and that I stick to that plan, but I don’t. I’m all over the place and I am very easily distracted. It’s like sewing A.D.D. Ha ha!
Anyway, I thought for this post, it might be cool to do something a little different, Dude Sewing, ie: sewing for men. I know that some sewists are a little intimidated by sewing for the men in their lives, but I’m here to tell you: don’t be! I actually think sewing for men can be easier than sewing for women, because their bodies are generally straighter, and therefore easier to fit.
If you are new to sewing for men, a really good place to start is pyjama pants. Who doesn’t love a good pair of pyjama pants? They’re comfy, useful, and pretty simple to make. Plus they make great handmade gifts. I made a whole bunch of pairs at Christmas time for my husband and stepsons (and one of their friends too). My husband loves a good pair of pyjama pants and this lovely Carhartt flannel seemed like the perfect choice for him. It’s soft and warm, but not too heavy, and it’s green, his favourite. It also comes in a really nice navy colourway (there are lots of other great flannels in the shop too, click here to check them out).
I have made my husband several pairs of pyjama pants now, but in the past I’ve used patterns from the Big4 (Simplicity, Vogue, Butterick and McCalls), and found the styles really oversized and not very modern. So around Christmas time I started searching for something with a more up to date cut. I somehow stumbled upon 5 out of 4 Patterns (thank you Google), and was excited to see that they offer a unisex pyjama pant pattern, and the best part: it’s FREE!
This pattern is downloadable, an easy pdf pattern to put together, and sews up quite quickly. We (my husband and I) found that it has a more modern leg fit (slightly slimmer than other patterns we’ve tried) and a better fit in the rise as well. The waistband uses 1″ elastic and a drawstring for a comfy fit. You could easily make your own drawstring out of self fabric, but I opted for some twill tape I had in my stash and it worked really well. This pattern also has pockets – a must for pyjama pants in my opinion.
I’m really happy with how this pattern worked out, and my husband is very happy about the fit. I can also tell you that all my stepsons loved the fit as well, so there you go! This pattern is unisex so it can also be made for women. Pyjama pants for everyone! I haven’t tried it for myself yet, but I plan to next time I need pyjamas.
Anyway, I encourage you to try sewing for men if you haven’t already. Not only is it pretty easy, it’s also super rewarding. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people wear things that I have made them (well almost nothing. Ha!).
Heather is a self-professed sewing addict, fabric hoarder, and lover of pugs. She also blogs at www.thepugandneedle.com.