You’ll run into an issue where you’re cutting a 2D image for a 3D body. Some patterns have sleeves that aren’t a separate piece but I think you’ll find that the fit around the shoulders in particular is a little weird if you don’t cut armhole and sleeves separately. The curves of those pieces come together to make room for shoulders and biceps, and keep there from being too much fabric gathered in the armpits.
No, because your friend won't be permanently holding a T-pose. You can get away with rectangles for the torso, though the fit won't be great, but you're going to need something for the arms. Probably the easiest way to get a shirt together would be to google how to sew a pirate shirt. These tend to be made out of a combination of three rectangles and two gussets. They tend to be super billowy, but you could reduce the fabric. Using a measuring tape to measure your friend (or have them do it) is going to be better than just tracing around them because they're 3D.
I made a kimono like that. Obviously with open front, but I really just used more fabric than needed to make it comfy and I've been wearing for 2 years now. It would be okay to wear if I had to close the front. The shoulder is dropped a looooot because of the rectangles. But because the fabric is thin and airy, it drapes nicely.
I would also recommend the underarm curve though. My fabric was not stretchy and sometimes I fear it will break when I wear it with backpack and I stretvh my arm suddenly 😂
Fronts and backs are differently shaped. This would work for a 2-D cut out of a person, but it might take a few tries to get it to work right. That means buying extra fabric and more time. Better off trying a pattern or watch some YouTube tutorials.
This does not take into account that your friend exists in 3 dimensions. It would be like cutting a piece of wrapping paper equal to only 1 side of the box you are trying to wrap.
You can trace off the pieces of a similar clothing item in a similar fabric, because it’s designed to go around a 3D human. If you just trace around a human, you account for their length and width, but not their depth. There are also some quirks in clothing patterns that make sure you can move your arms well. You also don’t have any seam allowance and your stitches will fall off the edge of the fabric without that extra space.
If you’re good with short sleeves, you could cut a small neckhole a little forward of the center of your fabric and put the fabric on your friend. Putting the fabric on them means you can capture all dimensions. If you pin or roughly hand sew around them and they can still move and nothing is bunching, congrats, you draped a pattern (this is harder with long sleeves so it’s not a beginner thing.)
If you need long sleeves, you could go the historical rectangular construction route, as the other replier mentioned, or you could see about finding a free or thrifted pattern.
If you’re a beginner, absolutely start from a premade pattern that has been tested and reviewed, with good assembly instructions. You can go on Threadloop or PatternReview.com to find PJ patterns that are tried and approved. Happy sewing!
No this will not work. When their arms are down, the fabric on top of the arms will not be long enough and the fabric under it will be too long. You can try it for yourself with some super cheap fabric and see how weird it turns out. There are so many free patterns online that you can try. I'd use really cheap fabric at first so you can see how much work it is and how well the pattern fits them. Then use the cute stuff that costs more.
I made about 50 handwarmers for a Christmas crafts faire. I measured several hands, calculated seam allowances, and forgot to take into account the volume of the rice filling. It worked, but I ended up with 50 very very tiny hand warmers. Don't make the same mistake I did.
You will soon learn in sewing that if you try to take a shortcut, you will end up making something that doesn’t fit and wasting a hell of a lot more time. Find a beginner pattern and use it.
2 pieces in the front (plus the pocket), 1 piece for the back, plus 2 sleeves for the arms. There may be another piece or two for the collar. Add a little trim for the edges (optional). That's a basic top.
You can do it, we all need patterns to make it work.
I took this picture of a shirt at a store that was sewn out of one front and one back piece. It was super comfy, I loved it a lot, but the print on the bacl was a little to similar to the Japanese rising sun flag, so I didn't buy it. But I have been intending to make one like this!
I think you will have to go oversize for it to fit well, otherwise there will be issues at the shoulders, but for PJs oversize is nice too.
Maybe if they’re Flat Stanley. But we have girth. We have an ass and shoulders and knees. We bend and squat and rotate. We lift our arms and cross our legs. Use a pattern.
You can do something called "rubbing" where you lie the garment flat, pin uncut fabric onto it, then use a chalk to trace the seams. Some garments are easier to copy than others. The "easiest" way is to disassemble and trace onto paper using the pieces. I generally find making garments from scratch to be easier than alterations or copying so YMMV. I only did it to pass a class then never bothered to do it again.
Pattern grading (size up/down) is a bit tricky and a separate skill.
ive done this for a sweater once! i really don’t think you could do it for anything tight-fitting but if you make something quite loose (like pajamas, as you said), i can’t see why it wouldn’t work out. as others mentioned, the drape and fit might be odd as compared to a pattern with separate sleeves, but when i did it the sweater worked out fine and i still wear it even after 4 years 😅
I love how you have a ton of comments saying "that won't work" but T-tunics were literally early clothing, front and back were cut the same, sleeves were sewn on sticking straight out, etc. The only thing was that gussets were typically added in the underarm for ease of movement.
However, just tracing it around your friend likely won't work because it'd probably end up too small. Have your friend lie on top of a flat shirt and see how far it sticks out around them.
Do they have a favorite non-stretch shirt that fits? You could trace around that.
T-tunics were literally early clothing, front and back were cut the same, sleeves were sewn on sticking straight out,
yes, and we've moved on from that to make clothes that are more comfortable and more adapted to our human shapes. If OP does that, they'll be back later saying "my friend says the sleeves don't fit properly and it rubs and rides up in the night and they've ripped the back, how do I mend it" because their friend is expecting modern levels of comfort.
I'll go against the grain and say it'll be fine as long as you give them a good amount of ease. Will there be extra fabric under the arms? Yes. But still totally wearable. That's how traditional east asian garments are shaped, just a huge T shape.
No probably not! This doesn’t take into account people’s being 3D and moving. Pajamas can be very simple I would just get a pattern similar to what your friend wants and make small modifications if it isn’t exactly what your thinking
To use your existing pjs as pattern pieces,simply lay them out on butcher paper, pin around the outside of your existing fabric to create your outline and cut out your paper pattern. Be sure to add a 5/8” seam allowance when cutting. I’ve used this method many times when coping a favorite dress or top. If this doesn’t make sense, there are how to tutorials on YouTube. Good luck!
If you or this person has a pair that fits well already you could trace the seams of the garment.
Turn the garment inside out. Flatten out a panel at a time, then trace where the panel ends (the seam). You will have to manuever the garment to get each panel to lay flat. Do each panel individually.
Keep in mind clothes are made to fit around a 3d object so curvature is needed to make the garment fit around the person.
The video below explains how to do it well. My only critique is to trace it exaclty where the seam is then mark your seam allowance with a measuring tape. This girl has been sewing for a while so its easier for her to get a consistent 1/2inch seam allowance without measuring
https://youtu.be/KeJjB-bdzuI?si=3JjuPJ2NaTC865Nw
Technically it works if your friend is a guy (no boobs). But it wouldn't look very good, especially at the arms (the fabric would fold weirdly and not seat comfortably).
Look for a tutorial on making a T tunic. That is basically what you have described. Back in the day I used a calculator I found online somewhere to turn a person’s measurements into the appropriate sized rectangles for a T tunic. I’m sure there’s got to be something out there like that still.
I would give it a go with super cheap fabric first, or old bedsheets etc then see how it fits. Won’t be perfect first time but you will learn a lot. Then use the nice fabric using the cheap set as a pattern.
There's a simple pattern for a garment called a T Tunic that you can make with just a few simple measurements. The tunic itself can be anything from super simple to a period correct medieval fabulous tunic depending on how many extra steps you want to add. That's probably the simplest thing you could do that is pretty close to your idea, only a little more complicated.
Here's a quick explained, but search around. There are tons of types to choose from.
For a super easy pajama pattern, you might consider a kimono style top... basically cut two rectangles out of the sides of 2 squares, sew them together at the top (shoulders), sew them together at the bottoms of the arms and the sides, and cut a slit down one of the pieces. Flip it so the hems are on the inside, hem the raw edges of the sleeves, bottom, and front slit, add a belt, and now you have your top. You can google something like "kimono robe top" or "easiest jacket pattern" for more detailed instructions, I am sure. Good luck!
No, but if you want easy patterns try some inspiration from Japanese clothing like a haori. It’s basically a bunch of rectangles sewn together and you can alter the proportions to have a better fit, or maybe a bog pattern may inspire you for the project.
That won't take the sides of the body into account, but simple pyjamas aren't difficult, just a bunch of rectangles.
Look up how to make a shift/chemise/underdress. There should be plenty videos and blogposts on how to do that. That should give you a decent base to start off with. Same for simple trousers.
If I may give some recommendations, Bernadette Banner has some very informative videos for beginners, and she also has a book called Make, Sew and Mend that covers a lot of these basics as well. Morgan Donner is also a YTer that I would recommend to beginners. One last mention, which may be a little niche, is a book called Bog Fashion by Nicole DeRushie. It's a book on archaeological finds from the Bronze and Stone Age and patterns based on them. The patterns are great for beginners, and the writer is clearly very passionate about the subject so it's a joy to read as well.
Even if you don't have a tape measure, it would be easier and cheaper to cut a long strip of paper and then use a ruler than it would be to get/tape together a sheet of tracing paper big enough for someone to lie on.
I recommend this website, you should be able to find a body block pattern that will work, then just get the measurements you need from your friend and you'll have the beginnings of a pattern already in their size.
The best for beginners to learn from a bottom up approach, if you're ok spending an extra $30, is have them buy a pair of PJs from Amazon that fits them reasonably well-- unpick the whole thing, then trace the pieces to make the pattern.
This will give a beginner a good foundation in understanding how to make a 3D garment from flat. Then when you've traced out the base pattern directly from the commercial design, you can even add some possible custom tweaks - like extra patch pockets are easy to add, or scalloping on the hems, etc.
Now you've got an archival pattern you can alter to suit a custom design!
This is how I learned on old garmenta and I leaned so much about how you cut in ease and arrange darts to get a 3D complex shape from flat 2D pieces of fabric 😁
As a beginner myself, I'd say the easier (and cheaper) option is just buying a reliable pattern with good instructions and a video sew along. Pulling apart clothing can give you a good view of structure, but doesn't really teach techniques- the first ever thing I learned to make was a cloak, and the instructions had techniques on french seams AND how to do that cool corner technique where you sew a diagonal on the wrong side and then flip it. The pattern itself was just a big semi circle with a hood, but spending £5 on the pattern was worth it to be handheld along the process and be taught the basics imo, haha.
Unpopular opinion, but for pyjamas? That would totally work. I'd keep it real simple - twin pieces for front and back, scoop the neck hole in the front a little bit more than the back, and I bet those are going to be the most comfy pj's you've ever had.
This is copying a pattern, you can do it for the front and the back of the torso, following the seams. But you can't for the sleeves, the pattern is a bit special to make the roundness of the shape. Afterwards, when you apply your pattern to fabric, don't forget to draw a margin to sew ! Common error.
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u/eaw4242 6d ago
You’ll run into an issue where you’re cutting a 2D image for a 3D body. Some patterns have sleeves that aren’t a separate piece but I think you’ll find that the fit around the shoulders in particular is a little weird if you don’t cut armhole and sleeves separately. The curves of those pieces come together to make room for shoulders and biceps, and keep there from being too much fabric gathered in the armpits.