I decided I had better follow the pattern to the letter, and as Tilly's instructions in Love at First Stitch are really clear, so the first thing to do was sort out my pattern pieces. I picked the size 6 based on the finished garment measurements, erring on the side of slightly generous, after all, a bit of 'wiggle room' isn't a bad thing in pyjamas! I wanted to keep all the pattern pieces provided with the book as master copies, so I used kitchen baking paper to trace the pieces off. I found it worked pretty well as the paper is quite translucent so you can see all the markings clearly.
With my fabric pressed and folded, next I used a tracing wheel and carbon paper to copy the pattern onto the fabric. I was quite impressed with this method having not tried it before, there was something quite satisfying about the rolling wheel tracking little holes into the paper and a nice neat line of colour coming out underneath!
I had to do this part on our dining room table, so was very careful to make sure I'd got a mat under my fabric so I didn't end up marking the table! Pattern transferred, cutting out was quite quick and easy, I just had to remember to snip the notches to match front and back pieces, and mark the waistband fold line on all the pieces.
Now to brave the sewing machine! Knowing that the poor old thing can be a bit temperamental, I made sure to put in a nice new needle, and had a good practice on some offcuts to get the stitch tension right - took a bit of fiddling, but got there eventually!
The leg seams were nice and quick to sew up, and I finished the seams with a zigzag stitch and a bit of a trim. I tried to use Mum's pinking shears to really try and avoid any fraying, but they are quite old and extremely blunt so that only succeeded in chewing up the fabric - switched to ordinary fabric scissors and hoping that the zigzag will stop the worst of any fraying.
Sewing the two legs together was actually simpler than I thought it would be, and with a bit of finessing round the curves I had an almost-pair of trousers! I've never normally bothered before (being a bit lazy and just wanting to finish...) but I did make sure to press the seams at every stage while making my Margots, it definitely made a difference, especially in the waistband and hems which are remarkably straight and level! I cheated a little bit and used ready-made bias binding for the waist tie, just topstitching it in half, but I quite like it plain against the busy pattern.
So there they are, my complete Margot PJ's, and I'm really pleased with them! The pattern and instructions were easy to follow, I love the fabric, they fit well (although next time I might grade to a smaller size on the waist), and are very comfy to wear. I can definitely see myself making more pairs of these in different variations - shorter, with pockets, light cotton voile, warm winter flannel... - and then hunting down a pattern to make easy tops to go with them.
I'm off on a shopping expedition later this week and hoping to get some fabric to make the Delphine skirt next, maybe in some cotton drill for a summer wardrobe staple. I'll let you know how I get on!
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