Jammies: Part 5 (The Collar)

   The collar has proved to be a toughie. Partly because I haven't done much sewing in 2 decades, and partly because the pattern instructions leave a lot to be desired. Yesterday things were going along swimmingly. I installed the box pleat, sewed the shoulder seams, then set to work on the collar.

   This is where I ran into a brick wall. I needed to baste a seam allowance onto one of the collar pieces, then pin the trim on so that the raw edge was lined up with the seam line and sew the trim in place with a 1/4" seam. But I don't have a 1/4" foot for the Bernina, and with the collar covering the needle plate I couldn't see my usual mark (the edge of the feed dogs). I tried to guess at it but failed miserably. I would show you a picture of that first mangled collar but it is too humiliated to pose. What to do? In order for the collar to turn out properly I needed precision. I decided to step away from the project and think about it. This morning I was ready to tackle it again. It had to work this time. I am running out of fabric. I opted to baste a 1/4" seam line onto the trim then pin it to the collar and stitch along the basting line. Success!

Much better! 

This one actually looks like a collar.

   One more scary seam to go. This one will involve sewing the collar to the shirt, sewing the front facings in place and installing bias binding over the back seam. The potential for many things to go horribly wrong.

   This called for pins. Lots and lots of them. Again, success! I even remembered to add one of my hippi chic labels before I top stitched the bias binding in place.

   Even though the written directions are questionable I am really loving this pajama pattern. There are some really nice design details like the contrasting trim, box pleat and bias binding.

   I almost forgot to mention, my new serger arrived. I'll show pictures once I get a chance to play with it. I am determined to finish these PJ's first. It's cold at night.