Japanese Jinbei-Inspired Pajamas

Thanks to the blog Tomatoes and Jasmine, I have found some wonderful places in Tokyo to buy fabric.  I still haven't made my way out to Fabric Town, but it's been fun exploring the options in central Tokyo.  The fabric I used for these pajamas came from Odakaya in Shinjuku.

It's been warm and humid here (surprise, surprise!), so when I found this breezy cotton seersucker in prints that I loved for a reasonable price, I thought it would be fun to make the kids some pajamas.

Little foxes and bunnies on the left, fugu (blowfish) and traditional Japanese pattern blocks on the right.

I had bought them some adorable jinbei (Japanese pajamas), but I guessed on their sizes, and both sets are a tiny bit on the small side--they fit ok now, but they won't for long.

These cotton jinbei are so great for summer sleeping!

They are SO CUTE!  I thought about buying a jinbei pattern and making them some more in a  larger size.  But, the wrap tops require strings to be tied on the inside and outside, meaning I need to help the kids get their jammies on.  They are 4 and 6 now--I am OVER putting their pajamas on them.  So I thought I'd make a similar style but without the wrap so that they could get into their pj's all by themselves.

For the shorts, I used the free printable Oliver and S's Sunny Day Shorts pattern in a  size 7 for the boy and a size 4 for the girl.  There are simpler shorts patterns out there (this one has different sized front and back pieces, as well as a separate waistband), but I think that the few extra steps for these shorts make a much nicer fit than some of the more basic ones I have tried.

For the tops, I planned on using the same pattern for both again--the Scrubby Jams free top pattern from Sewing Mama RaeAnna.  But I decided to feminize the girl's top by adding flutter sleeves instead of the regular short sleeves in the Scrubby Jams pattern.   I used the flutter sleeve pattern from the free reversible wrap top pattern from Craftiness Is Not Optional--a top I had all printed out to make later on!

For the girl's top, I mostly followed the Scrubby Jams top directions.  The two differences were the flutter sleeves, and that I used a wider front bottom bodice panel and gathered it a bit in the center (I cut out a size 4 top bodice front and size 4 back, but used a size 6 bottom bodice front).  To do the flutter sleeve instead of the traditional short sleeve, I cut out four flutter sleeve pieces using the CINO pattern--two main fabric, and two lining.  I sewed one lining and one main fabric together along the curved edge (right sides together), then turned them right side out and pressed flat.  I then basted along the open straight edge and pulled to make a slight gather.  For inserting the flutter sleeve, I laid the sleeve on the shoulder of the top (main fabrics together) with the raw edge of the sleeve lined up with the top of the armhole.  I sewed it on, trimmed the seam allowance, then I attached single-fold bias tape all the way around to finish the armhole.  I was really happy with the way it came out.

The boy's top was more straightforward--he is slim and tall, so I cut out the size 6 top but added a couple of inches of length, and I curved the hemline on both the front and back, just because I like it that way.

I took back view pics too:

I'm pretty sure Little Sister has her shorts on backwards, and how about that bedhead?  I always think it's more authentic if I take pajamas pictures when they first wake up, before they've had a chance to spill their breakfast on them.  But this often means I haven't combed anybody's hair yet either!

I really liked these patterns, and I think they make a great pair of summer pajamas!  It seemed like most of the summer pajama pattern sets I could find were intended for knits, which are great, but I wanted to use these lightweight wovens and these patterns did the trick.  Hope it helps!