When I decided to do a pajama clinic, I really thought that I would have adults signing up. Well, I did. But I also had the grandmother of a 12 year old call me. Emma wasn’t new to me. Last summer I taught her how to do a skirt and a couple other small projects for 4-H.
So, when Pat called me, I thought “sure, why not.” The thing about pajamas is this; when you make pajamas there are so very many concepts involved. You will be doing a pair of bottoms. There are multiple ways to sew a crotch seam. If you’re taught correctly to do pajama bottoms you will see that there are right ways and wrong ways to do a crotch seam. Some of the other concepts are buttons and buttonholes, sleeve seams, how to sew a collar and more.
The pattern that we used for this class had a tailored pair of pajama bottoms. There was actually a yoke in the back so that they weren’t just baggy bottoms. So nice, and another great technique. So, for Emma to have gotten all of these concepts was priceless. I was so proud of her! She will be entering these in the Green Lake County Fair.
When I was growing up I was in 4-H for 9 years. I started at the age of 9 and continued until I was a senior in high school. We had a really large 4-H club, and our club was one of many in Racine County Wisconsin. The competition was very, very stiff. They could only give out a particular number of blue ribbons. Thus, it took me years before I received a blue ribbon. We would stand at the table where the judges were judging and watch as they turned garments inside out and talked about what had been done correctly, what had been done wrong, and why. Then, they would pick up your garment and start. Yikes. The moment of truth. They would pick it apart and discuss why certain things were done right, certain things were done wrong. Very humbling but boy oh boy did you learn. The next time you entered a garment you remembered what to do and what not to do!
So here’s Emma and her pajamas. Well done!
