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How to Make Pajamas Out of Old T-Shirts

Pajamas are loose lightweight trousers that are worn to bed. The trousers may be crafted from old T-shirts to make a cozy, comfy pair of pajama for children. The children's pajamas are made using adult T-shirts that are sewn together with a sewing machine. One adult T-shirt will make pajamas pants for toddlers and young children or pajama shorts for an older child. The supplies for the project may be purchased at a craft or hobby store.

Things You'll Need

T-shirts
Child's pants
Fabric marking pen
Scissors
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Thread
Elastic
Safety pin

Instructions

- 1
  Place an adult large or extra large T-shirt on a flat work surface, such as a table.
- 2
  Fold a pair of the child's pants in half and pull out the crotch seam to create a curve from the waist to the crotch.
- 3
  Place the child's pants on top of the T-shirt by lining up the pant's fold with the side edge of the T-shirt. Trace around the pants onto the shirt's fabric using a fabric marking pen. Make the tracing line ¼ inch wider than the pants at the sides and crotch, and make the line for the waist 1 inch taller than the actual waist of the pants.
- 4
  Flip the pants over. Match the pant's fold with the other side of the T-shirt and trace another pattern. Cut through both layers of the T-shirt along the traced line to create two pieces of fabric.
- 5
  Unfold the T-shirt pieces. Use straight pins to pin the pieces together with the right sides facing another. Sew a straight seam with the sewing machine from the top edge along the curved lines on the side. Go back over the seam with a zigzag stitch to secure the seam. Continue this process on the other side of the fabric to create front and back centered seams.
- 6
  Open the sewn pieces and flatten them so the newly sewn seams are centered in the front and back, creating a separation for the legs. Sew a straight seam up one leg toward the crotch and back down toward the other leg. Go back over the edge of the seam with a zigzag stitch.
- 7
  Fold the top edge of the pants ¼ inch toward the wrong side of the fabric, and then fold it again ½ inch. Sew along the fold to create a channel for the elastic waist, leaving approximately 1 inch not sewn.
- 8
  Cut a piece of elastic to match the size of the child's waist. Pin one end of the elastic with a safety pin. Use the safety pin to thread the elastic into the waistband channel through the portion of the seam that was not sewn. Pull both ends of the elastic out the hole in the waist seam. Overlap the elastic ends ½ inch, and sew them together with a zigzag stitch. Tuck them inside the waistband channel and sew the channel closed, matching the new seam with the original waist seam. Turn the pants right side out and place them on the child.

Sewing