The Autumn ’25 Edition
- May 19, 2025
- 1:19 pm
This edition of Sewing Club was chosen with the help of all my friends on Instagram. Autumn to me means getting ready for the cooler months and enjoying cosy evenings inside, in comfy clothes and early nights!
I put up a poll on Instagram and the option of a pair of luxurious linen PJ’s was the most popular option by a decent margin. My suspicion is I am not the only one who is seeking comfort this Autumn.
PJs are one of the things I make a lot of. I’ve tried all the popular patterns out there. Frequently, I choose the pattern based on the ease of sewing and speed. PJs are a practical item and I treat them as such. I do however like to have a special pair for trips away or bad days. My last special set was on its last legs so I was inspired to make something a bit fancy. Enter, the Winnie by Merchant & Mills.
While I have made many pairs of PJs in my time, I never took the step of adding piping. I put this in the too-fiddly basket and moved on to things more practical. Having the Sewing Club in mind I decided to give it a go because it really does make them extra special.
The piping you see in these photos was my first attempting at making piping and my second ever using piping (some bedsheets for my little girl’s cot were adorned with pre-made piping some years ago).
Making the piping for the patch pocket, shirt front and collar was a breeze. The instructions for the Winnie walk you through the steps needed, and you don’t ned any special tools or knowledge.
In hindsight, I don’t know why I thought it would be fiddly. You just cut a few bias strips and then fold it over the piping cord and sew. Adding the piping to the pattern pieces was likewise straightforward with only a bit of fiddliness around the tiny pocket. Given how cute it turned out, it was worth the effort.
All in all, I’m a piping convert now. I’m already thinking about other things I want to “pipe!”
Initially I thought I might keep these for “good” or use them as loungewear but I’m happy to report that I’ve been sleeping in them since the nights have gotten cooler and they are, in my experience, very comfy and of course being linen they are keeping me at a comfortable temperature.
They’ve washed up nicely in the machine and dry nicely hung over my heated towel rail. I just make sure the pleats and collar are sitting flat and they come out perfectly without the need for any pesky ironing.
The pattern itself is rated Intermediate, however I think an adventurous beginner could tackle this project with a bit of patience and practice. The pants in paticular are really straigntfowrad and come together quickly. The shirt took a good afternoon and evening sewing session, and was an enjoyable project to work on with a good audiobook playing and few cups of tea.
If you have any questions about this project or have trouble sewing up your own pair feel free to get in touch by email and I’ll be happy to help!
