Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: Cotton Voile Pajamas and Robe


Are you familiar with voile? Voile is a lightweight, soft fabric that you can see through slightly and can be made from cotton, silk or wool. It is the French word for veil, pronounced “vwal”, but here in the states, we pronounce it with a long “o”, like in boil. It’s significantly lighter weight than quilting cottons, but not as sheer as chiffon, making it the perfect fabric for summer weight clothing.  



Fabric Mart has a huge selection of it right now, and I grabbed up three coordinating prints to make myself a deluxe set of summer pajamas and coordinating robe. I had purchased a coordinating pajama/robe set like this many years ago, and it was very expensive. I loved it and wore it until it was faded and threadbare. I haven’t seen a similar set in stores since then, but I knew that I could easily duplicate it if I could ever find the perfect fabric. This voile had a crisp hand, which made it easy to sew. I did need to alter the tension on my machine, but once I adjusted the tension, it sewed like a dream. If your machine comes with a roller foot, that can also help when sewing.

For the robe, I used Kwik Sew 3644 which has a contrasting facing, pocket bands, and sleeve bands.  


Since this was my largest piece of the set, I used the largest print, which was a blue background with a cream and brown paisley design. For the contrast, I used a blue and brown striped voile, as I thought the stripe would balance the very ornate paisley. I used a bronze colored flat piping to bring out the browns in the print.  


For my pajamas, I used Butterick 6225.  Many pajama patterns are very basic, but this one had so many cute details that made it stand out. 


It has small pleats on both sides of the center front, ruffled fabric trim on the neckband and sleeve bands, and a shaped hem on the top. Of course, all of these details take some time and patience to create. Allow yourself plenty of time if you make this pattern.  


I used a medium sized brown on blue floral print for the main body, and cut the facing and ruffles from the blue/brown striped voile. I cut the ruffles on the bias to give them an interesting angle on the shirt.  I tried it on, and it slipped over my head easily, so I opted to just sew the buttons through all layers, rather than making buttonholes. I want this to last a long time, and I figure that I am less likely to lose a button if they are just decorative and not functional.

Close-up of front
Because this has a shaped hem, the facing on this top was extra wide.  I used the blue/brown stripe fabric for my front facings as well. The facings are interfaced, so it is really important to use a featherweight interfacing, or else this could get too heavy. 


Shaped hem detail
To finish the edges where the ruffled trim is, you cover it with bias tape.  You can use purchased bias tape for this step, but I had enough fabric to make my own, so I cut 1-1/4” bias strips from the blue stripe.  

From the wrong side- showing the bias binding on armhole
For the shorts, I used the blue stripe again. The shorts are just the standard elastic waist pull-on pants type. I find that these patterns always run too long in the front crotch, so I fold out 2” off the top of the center front, and then blend that to 1” folded out at the sides, and then to the original level at the center back. I also added a couple inches to the length. 


I still had lots of fabric left over, so I made a little headband out of the remnants using a 10” piece of fold over elastic and a shaped double layer of fabric.


Here I am in my new deluxe cotton voile robe and pj's. It's so pretty, that I have very little incentive to get dressed now!


Happy Sewing!

Ann 

Comments

  1. Such a pretty set! And the piping really adds to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You really did make a beautiful sleep set ! It is very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. love this design! you are very artistic.--anne

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the set. You did a wonderful job picking out the fabrics and sewing it up. Kudos to you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are going to make me sew up some pj over here, I love them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very pretty! Here in the States, we can say "vwall" too. lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such lovely matching and execution. You are truly a gifted seamstress.

    ReplyDelete
  8. LOVELY LOVELY LOVELY all around!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...