Silk

I was just thinking…. Silk pajamas, down quilt, vaulted ceiling with mood lighting, ambient relaxation music, it sounds more like the Ritz.

If it doesn't feel good, you're doing it wrong.
BJ

Well, considering I do have silk PJ's, a down bag and down air mat, with the vaulted ceiling of my Double Rainbow, and ambient relaxation sounds of nature, I'll take that any day over a night in the Ritz! Could I go lighter? Sure. But I'm d@mn comfortable! :)

I use a tarp only when it's raining, so I get the free moodlighting. We don't call it Big Sky Country for nothing!

But seriously, does anyone know where I can get a pattern for pajama bottoms? I don't use a top.

Roger:
By poly/cotton are you referring to the athletic type tube sock or the heavy duty hiking? +1 for pics. We promise we'll be reasonably good.

BJ

I'm wondering if tracing a pair of jogging pants would work. I mean, its used inside a sleeping bag in the wilderness. I wouldn't mind if it were a little funky looking.

Travis, that would be the way to start. Keep in mind the seam allowance, because you have to sew the pieces together. If the sewing person is really skilled, the seams can be kept very small and neat. My liner seams are more "functional."

–B.G.–

> By poly/cotton are you referring to the athletic type tube sock or the heavy duty hiking?

No, they started life as plain fabric, very similar to some light handkerchief material.
But yes, you could easily skip the hassle and use something like Gobi Wigwam liner socks instead.

Cheers

Roger, Bob, anyone,
I ordered 4 yards from Thaisilks and am going to attempt making some PJs. While I'm sure I won't win the Sewer of the Year award, I do have a question on sewing seams.

With such a light material, what is the best way to sew pieces together? Is a crude straight stitch plenty fine? Or do I need more complicated seams to keep the fabric from fraying and pulling apart?

Oh, one more question. Should I prewash this silk before sewing it? Do I have to worry about shrinkage?

My silk from Thai Silks arrived today. 4 yards of the 6mm weighs 3.75 ounces on my scale. These are going to be some light pajamas!

I've never tried sewing pajamas, so I can't say. On my sleeping bag liner, I used a straight stitch and then a very narrow zigzag over that (but for no apparent reason). The straight stitch is sufficient to hold it together, and is simple enough to rip out if you screw up. The weight of the thread is totally insignificant, so just do whatever works.

In general, silk is washed lightly by hand in cold water.

–B.G.–

Thanks Bob.

I may do a straight stitch to start and check its sturdiness with the fabric. If needed, I might double up with a second stitch like you did.

I suggest using a full felled seam for silk. That will add strength and protect the edges from fraying. It's what I generally use for silk.

Cheers

Thanks for your input, Roger. Time to break out the sewing how-to dictionary!! Gotta learn sometime…

Roger, is that the same as a flat-felled seam, like the seams on jeans?

> is that the same as a flat-felled seam, like the seams on jeans?
My apologies. What I meant was a full 'flat-felled seam'. ie with the edges tucked under and a couple of lines of stitching. Yes, like jeans.

Cheers

Roger, I was looking into making some silk PJ's also, could I use a Serger?

Ok, I officially declare felled seams with silk a pain in the butt.

Hi Tad

> I was looking into making some silk PJ's also, could I use a Serger?
Only if you have one … :-)

More seriously, yes, of course you could. But whether the result would be as strong as a flat-felled seam I do not know, and I suspect it might depend partly on what sort of Serger you have. I have some reservations.

Some background might be in order here. The Serger was developed to allow commercial/industrial sewing of fabric edges at higher speeds and more cheaply than is possible with a conventional sewing machine. It usually assumes that a single line of stitching is adequate for strength and that you just need to bind the edges to stop fraying. This may not apply to very light fabrics such as Habitoi silk.

Experiment?

Cheers

> Ok, I officially declare felled seams with silk a pain in the butt.
Try taking all the pins out of the seam before using the liner?

Cheers

I knew I was missing a step along the way somewhere!