Looking for pajama patterns in 4xl (men's)

BookWight wrote:

The cream SLP25's I have now - the bottoms fit pretty well, although a
bit snug in the upper thigh, and perhaps just a tad bit longer than I'd
like my proposed pj's to turn out in the end; overall, I'm satisfied with
the bottoms, been wearing them for almost a week, now. The top in this
style - well, I can get it buttoned up, but it bulges out between the
buttons. Fit across the shoulders is fair, but could use a bit more room,
I think.

What's the difference between the SLP25s and the SLP52s? Sounds like it
might be worth buying a pair to sacrifice and make a pattern out of
them, because they are so close to fitting you, you could use a pair as
a test garment and modify it.

Kay, I agree, adding at *all* the seams would not be the best
technique. However, OP stated that he/she is "new to sewing", and I
was trying to offer a solution for a limited skill level.

I've seen it done, and it rarely seems to work well for anyone in the plus
size groups, ime... which is why I suggested the moving seamline method for
the armscyes.

I really
think pattern grading is more of an advanced process.

I do, too... I've done a little, but I have an easier time draping
the answer than trying to grade it. g

Since I did not
locate any XXXX patterns, I thought maybe the duplicate pattern idea
might work. It appears he/she did locate a scrubs pattern, though.

Yah, other than Connie's, I couldn't think of any in the 4x range... glad to
know there are some out there.
I hope they did pay attention to the measurements portion when selecting --
it's so discouraging when a newbie thinks they did well by buying "their
size", and finding out that pattern sizing is so different. Just as bad
as the folks who buy a pattern that's way too big in the chest and shoulders
instead of making a full bust adjustment.

Kay

Wandering along the edges of rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, I found the
following bit of electronic flotsam written by Melinda Meahan - take out
TRASH to send in
:

What's the difference between the SLP25s and the SLP52s?

The url I included in my last message:

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/mysticclothing/Men's%20Sleepwear/

lists measurements for the various sizes.


it might be worth buying a pair to sacrifice and make a pattern out of
them, because they are so close to fitting you, you could use a pair
as a test garment and modify it.

that would work for just one pair, since they will no longer be stocking
the SLP25s, but I would like to have more than one pair. I decided that at
some point it would likely become cost-effective for me to go to the
trouble of gathering the tools, the material, and the knowledge. My time
is basicly free. True, I am a beginner, but a beginner has to begin
*somewhere*, and the pajamas are the only thing I'm interested in making,
so far.

"BookWight" wrote in message
0.22...
Wandering along the edges of rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, I found the
following bit of electronic flotsam written by "BEI Design"
in
:

You're welcome! I really think working with a pattern of the
correct
size will be your best bet. BTW, Kay asked, and I failed to: you
are
going by *actual measurement*, aren't you? You *cannot* use
ready-to-wear "sizing" for buying a pattern.

I'm working on getting one of those sewing measuring tapes; I don't
think
my Stanley LeverLock is up to this

You can always use a piece of string, and then measure *it*. ;-)

Beverly

BookWight wrote:

that would work for just one pair, since they will no longer be stocking
the SLP25s, but I would like to have more than one pair. I decided that at
some point it would likely become cost-effective for me to go to the
trouble of gathering the tools, the material, and the knowledge. My time
is basicly free. True, I am a beginner, but a beginner has to begin
*somewhere*, and the pajamas are the only thing I'm interested in making,
so far.

Well, the thing is, pajamas are pretty forgiving as far as fit goes, and
sooo many new sewists get discouraged because they spend a lot of time
making clothing that doesn't fit, it seemed to me that you would learn
some about fit and a lot about sewing making garments that, if you mess
them up, the whole world won't know about. So you make 3 pairs, and you
learn something in the process. Then you move to another type of
garment, and you have the learning experiences from your pajamas to
bolster you to master something else.

It makes eminent sense.

BookWight wrote:

I'm working on getting one of those sewing measuring tapes; I don't think
my Stanley LeverLock is up to this

Well, you could wrap a bit of string round your waist then use the
Leverlock to measure that!


Sally Holmes
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

"BookWight" wrote in message
0.22...
Wandering along the edges of rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, I found the
following bit of electronic flotsam written by Kay Lancaster
in :

If you buy a multi-size pattern, you'll see several cutting lines
at
the edge of each pattern piece. In order to grade *up* from the
largest size, you have to add an additional 1/4" (or more) *for
each
additional size* at each of the places where the lines diverge. I

The other poster did give me the idea of looking for scrubs; I have,
in
fact, found a pattern for 'scrubs' in 4XL.

My guess is that only girth changes are really needed on 2x
-4x pj patterns, so you could use the "moving seamline method" to
swing the armscye out at the side seams

Pardon if I ask for a definition . . . . "armscye"?

But let's start with a slightly different question: what is the
chest,
waist and hip measurement of the individual who needs the pjs?

Hmmm . . . got to get me one of them flexible measuring tapes. Let
me
get back to you on that one . . . .

(and a RTW size of one maker isn't the same as the RTW size of
another
maker)

Yes, I've found that out already

Can you show us the style of pjs you're looking for? Maybe we can
make some better suggestions, then.

I bought some 2x men's pj bottoms from Iris Silks - they were
definitely
too small; I could get them on, but the elastic waist was stretched
out
just about to its limit and I poped some stitches when I sat down.

I now have a pair of 3x pajamas from Mystic Clothing:
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/mysticclothing/Men's%20Sleepwear/

unfortunately, I bought the white/cream SLP25 style, which I find
they
will not be restocking. If you'll observe the measurements for the
SLP25
style versus the SLP52 style on the web page cited above, you'll see
the
chest measurement goes up a couple of inches, while the waist goes
*down*, plus a 3 inch increase in the length. I e-mailed the store,
pointing out that this seemed more like a 3xl tall, but all they did
was
thank me politely for my comments.

The cream SLP25's I have now - the bottoms fit pretty well, although
a
bit snug in the upper thigh, and perhaps just a tad bit longer than
I'd
like my proposed pj's to turn out in the end; overall, I'm satisfied
with
the bottoms, been wearing them for almost a week, now. The top in
this
style - well, I can get it buttoned up, but it bulges out between
the
buttons. Fit across the shoulders is fair, but could use a bit more
room,
I think.

It may be that for all practical purposes, I have am a 3x from the
waist
up, and a 4x from the waist down . . . .

A difference in "size" between upper body and lower is almost always
the case with *everyone*. Very few real people are a perfect size 10.
;-)

It would seem to me that *they* have some issues in their sizing.
shrug Be sure you measure YOURSELF, and use *those* measurements
for buying patterns. There is a vast difference (at least in women's
clothing sizing, between RTW and sewing pattern "sizes".)

For instance, if you go to the following web site:
http://www.voguepatterns.com/indexfv.html
and click on the "Tech Center" link, and then on the "Standard Body
Measurement Chart" and then select "Men's/Unisex", you will see what
is a fairly good standard for the *pattern industry* sizing chart,
although it only goes up to XL. But you'll also see that each size up
increases in the neighborhood of 2" for both the chest and hip
measurement and 2" for the waist until it reaches L and XL, where it
increases 3" with each increase in size.

You will also find that "wearing ease" is built into patterns, so the
actual pattern pieces for the garment top (or bottom) will exceed
*your* measurement by anywhere from 3" to 5", depending on the way the
finished garment is designed/supposed to fit. And wearing ease will
be very different for a pattern designed for woven fabric than for one
designed for a knit. So read the back of the pattern envelope
carefully *before* you decide on fabric.

Good luck!

Beverly

"BookWight" wrote in message
7.148...
Wandering along the edges of rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, I found the
following bit of electronic flotsam written by Melinda Meahan - take
out
TRASH to send in
:

What's the difference between the SLP25s and the SLP52s?

The url I included in my last message:

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/mysticclothing/Men's%20Sleepwear/

lists measurements for the various sizes.


it might be worth buying a pair to sacrifice and make a pattern out
of
them, because they are so close to fitting you, you could use a
pair
as a test garment and modify it.

that would work for just one pair, since they will no longer be
stocking
the SLP25s, but I would like to have more than one pair. I decided
that at
some point it would likely become cost-effective for me to go to the
trouble of gathering the tools, the material, and the knowledge. My
time
is basicly free. True, I am a beginner, but a beginner has to begin
*somewhere*, and the pajamas are the only thing I'm interested in
making,
so far.

You misunderstood what Melinda was suggesting. If you can sacrifice a
pair which fits you, then you can take it apart and use it to make a
pattern for many additional pairs of pajamas, all of which will fit
you like the original. You will probably want to create a paper
pattern for this purpose, or if you really think you'll be making
dozens (or hundreds) of additional pairs, then use light weight
non-woven interfacing.

Beverly

On 30 May 2006 23:42:34 GMT, BookWight wrote:
Wandering along the edges of rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, I found the
following bit of electronic flotsam written by Kay Lancaster
in :

My guess is that only girth changes are really needed on 2x
-4x pj patterns, so you could use the "moving seamline method" to
swing the armscye out at the side seams

Pardon if I ask for a definition . . . . "armscye"?

Ah... the hole that you sew the sleeve into. Some folks call it the armhole;
some the armscye (I tend to save "armhole" for the hole in something
sleeveless you poke your arm through.

And yes, flexible sewing tapes do tend to work better than Leverlocks...
but if you've got a 50 or 100 ft fiberglas tape, that'll do. My DH kept
swiping my 10 ft "quilters tape measure" for measuring various things,
so I retaliated by stealing his mechanics rule for measuring buttonholes.
g (standard US sewing tape measures are 5 ft long, and usually 5/8" wide).
The 5/8" is convenient because that's the standard seam allowance used in
home sewing patterns.

The "moving seamline method" of pattern alteration is he
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00018.asp

What I was proposing as a pattern fix for your pattern was to draw
in the seamlines on the side seams, armscye and shoulder seam of your
pattern, both front and back (see where that 5/8" wide tape measure
is handy?). Then you'd cut from the hem of the jacket along the
side seam, up around the armscye, and stop at the shoulder seam.
Next, you'd move the side seam out 25% of the total amount you need
to increase the girth by (let's say you needed 5", so you'd move the
side seam allowance piece 1.25" out, letting the armscye trail along
with the side seam), and then patching in some extra tissue paper to
fill in the gap. And you'd do it with both front and back jacket
pieces. This way, you haven't changed the length of the shoulder seam,
you haven't changed the neckline, and you haven't changed the armscye,
so the sleeve pattern will still fit into the armscye nicely. For me,
at least, this is a nice, logical method for pattern alteration. Or
at least I screw things up less this way. g

Actually, you could start to check the pattern you bought against your
own measurements without using a measuring tape, if you've got something
flexible but non-stretchy around (christmas ribbon, pallet strapping, etc.)
Wrap the ribbon around you, mark your chest girth. Fold that in half
and mark the half-length.

Take your pattern out of the envelope and mark the side seam lines (5/8" in
from your cutting line) right under the armscye. Measure from the side
seam line you just marked to the CF (Center Front) line of the pattern
(it probably says something like "place on fold"). Mark that on your ribbon.
Do the same with the back pattern piece, marking the side seam on the
back piece and continuing on from the mark you made on the ribbon to
CB (Center Back). I would hope that you'd run into your personal
half a chest measurement about 1.5" or so away from the center back. That
would give you a total of 6" of ease, which is about what I'd guess
guys want in pj jackets. If you run out of pattern before your
personal half-chest measurement on the ribbon, you know you're going to
be needing to enlarge the pattern.

(and a RTW size of one maker isn't the same as the RTW size of another
maker)

Yes, I've found that out already

And sometimes it isn't even the same within a maker's lines (can you
see my eyes cross? g)

I bought some 2x men's pj bottoms from Iris Silks - they were definitely
too small; I could get them on, but the elastic waist was stretched out
just about to its limit and I poped some stitches when I sat down.

If you want to, you can probably salvage these with some creative sewing.
You'd probably need to add a strip of fabric down the outside seams, and
another at the inseam, and replace the elastic. May or may not be something
that's worth your time and effort. Depends on how much you like 'em and
how much you like using a seam ripper.

The fix for the pattern, though, is a bit different.

I now have a pair of 3x pajamas from Mystic Clothing:
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/mysticclothing/Men's%20Sleepwear/

chest measurement goes up a couple of inches, while the waist goes
*down*, plus a 3 inch increase in the length. I e-mailed the store,
pointing out that this seemed more like a 3xl tall, but all they did was
thank me politely for my comments.

"Dear sir, our mailbot got some data from your address. Thank you. It
has been carefully placed in the bit bucket." g

The cream SLP25's I have now - the bottoms fit pretty well, although a
bit snug in the upper thigh, and perhaps just a tad bit longer than I'd
like my proposed pj's to turn out in the end; overall, I'm satisfied with
the bottoms, been wearing them for almost a week, now. The top in this

This is good. You can draw in the seam lines on your pants pattern, and
then see how it lines up with the pants you've already got. The four
things that I'd compare very closely are the length of the crotch seam,
the length from the tip of the crotch seam to the waist (the rise), and
the girth at waist and thigh. Those are the critical fit issues.

style - well, I can get it buttoned up, but it bulges out between the
buttons. Fit across the shoulders is fair, but could use a bit more room,
I think.

Sounds like you could use a couple of sizes up from what they sent. Because
you know the fit issues with this jacket, however, you can again draw
in the seam lines on your pattern and then compare the jacket to the pattern
pieces to see what needs to be changed.

It may be that for all practical purposes, I have am a 3x from the waist
up, and a 4x from the waist down . . . .

Or their fit model just doesn't match your body type, also a possibility.

Anyhow, it sounds like you're getting things figured out. Please let us
know when we can help more.

Kay

I have patterns for mens pjs up to size 10xl if anyone is interested.
On 29 May 2006 14:43:57 GMT, BookWight
wrote:

Hi -

I'm looking for pajama patterns in men's 4x. Can someone point out a
source to me?