Sewing Tutorial: Summer Sleepwear Set

This summer sleepwear set has been designed for hot summer nights. The set features a cute shoulder frill, loose-fitting bodice, and relaxed loose fitting elastic waist shorts with high cut sides.
Suitable for beginner to intermediate sewers, this set requires basic sewing skills with a more challenging hem finish on the circular shoulder frill.

To begin you will need the following things

Materials

• Summer Sleepwear Set paper pattern
• 1.5m fabric
• 0.4m lining
• 0.1m lightweight fusing (optional)
• 0.8-1m of 2cm wide elastic
• cotton thread (enough to also thread your overlocker)

Tools

• scissors
• pins
• sewing machine
• overlocker
• iron

Tips

• If you are using a printed fabric for your main fabric, when choosing your lining colour, it helps to choose the thread at the same time. You want your thread to match your lining colour but to also blend as much as possible into the print you have chosen. Some thread colours disguise better on the print than others so check a couple of colours.
• Ensure your fabric is washed, dried and pressed before you start cutting. For instance, there is nothing worse than washing your beautiful garment and it shrinks, or even more annoying the lining shrinks and the main doesn’t so its all pulled out and shape and is unwearable.

Top Sewing Instructions

Step 1 

Cut all main and lining pieces accurately on the correct grain, ensuring all notches are clipped.

Beginner tip* If you can afford to purchase a rotary cutter and cutting mat, I find this more accurate and time-efficient. 

Step 2 

Hem shoulder frill using a 4-5mm hem. In-depth instructions for help on heming a circular hem can be found here.

The gather the inside edge of the frill.

If you need extra help with gathering, please see the more in-depth gathering tutorial here.

Skip this step if you would prefer the style without the shoulder frill.

Step 3 

Sew main and lining of straps together bagging out the shoulder frill on the outside edge. Pull through and press fat.

Beginner tip* Ensure you do not sew through the hem of the frill when sewing the second side of the strap.

Step 4 

Take front and back yoke of main and sew together at side seams. Repeat on lining. Press seams open.

Beginner tip* Do not skip pressing, pressing ensures your garment gives a neat professional finish to your garment and will ensure it sits nice and flat on the body.

Step 5 

Next, pin the top edges of the front and back yoke together, include straps when pinning using notches as a guide. Stitch closed, then clip and press.

Beginner tip* To ensure you corners are neat you can add a ‘guide stitch’ so you know exactly where to stop on the corner.

Also ensure you clip your corners or it will look bulky and messy when the garment is turned through.

Step 6 

Pin and stay stitch bottom of yoke using a 5mm seam allowance then set aside.

Step 7 

Sew side seams on main bodice together, overlock closed and press backwards.

Step 8 

Sew 2 rows of gathering stitches between the notches on the top of the front and back bodice.

Step 9 

Gather and pin bodice to yoke and stitch closed. Remove gathering stitches then overlock and press seam allowance upwards.

Step 10 

Optional – Top stitch top and bottom edges of front and back yoke.

Step 11 

Overlock hem edge, fold, stitch and press.

Shorts Sewing Instructions

Step 1

Sew short inseams together, overlock and press back.

Step 2

Pin and sew front and back rise together, overlock closed.

Step 3

Overlock short hem and finish the same way the hem was finished on the shoulder frill.

Step 4

Overlap shorts (back over front) at the side using notches as guides, stay stitch in place.

Step 5

Attach side seams together of short waistband leaving a 2cm hole on one side (on the inside) to
thread elastic through.

Step 6

Attach main part of shorts to waistband, overlock closed and press seam allowance up.

Step 7

Take elastic and thread through the 2cm hole left in step #4. Once elastic is threaded and sitting flat, pull ends together and sew together with a box stitch.

Step 8

Close the 2cm hole by hand sewing using a ladder stitch.

Step 9

Top stitch elastic at top edge if desired to stop it from twisting and rolling.

Your summer sleepwear set is complete. How did you go? Let me know in the comments below if you struggled, unpicked, or needed extra help. Don’t be disheartened. This is how we learn, also the more times you sew something the better you will get to be at it.

I’d love to see your creations, either drop an image in the comments below or tag me on Instagram at @at_the_seams_patterns