Rumana sits on a gray couch holding a mug in her hands, looking at the camera and smiling. She is wearing a dusty pink hijab and pajamas with a tropical print featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background. To the right are a few monstera leaves.
Featured design: Whimsical Toucan Forest-Dark/Medium Scale by vivdesign
A close up of Rumana’s pajamas showing the top’s front buttons and pockets. Rumana’s left hand is in her pocket. The pajamas have a tropical print featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background. Behind Rumana is a gray couch and a monstera plant in a raised light bright wooden planter.

Ah, pajamas. Who hasn’t pulled on an old t-shirt and some worn-out shorts and called it a day? It’s comfy and it works, right?! But considering that we spend roughly a third of our lives wearing pajamas, we think it’s time for a reminder about how making your own PJs can not only make you stand out at the breakfast table, it can also bring a bit more happiness and style into your everyday, too!  

Spoonflower Ambassador Rumana Dawood shares why she began making her own pajamas and the things she learned along the way. Read on below to see how easy it is to up your PJ game and take your sleepwear from worn out to wonderful!  

Rumana stands in a living room with a gray couch behind her; a green pillow is visible to her left and a dark yellow pillow is visible to her right. She is looking up and to the right and holding a blue mug. She is wearing a dusty pink hijab and pajamas with a tropical print featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background. To the right of the photo is a monstera plant in a raised light bright wooden planter.

Why You Should Make Your Own Pajamas

Rumana: Today for Me Made May I’m giving a shout out to the humble pajamas! I’m actually a relatively new convert to me-made PJs. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really see the need to sew them? Juggling life, work and home, my sewing time is so precious I didn’t see the point in spending my time on something that I wasn’t going to wear out of the house. I was always an ‘old baggy t-shirt’ type of pajama person. But then I sewed my own underwear and realized the joy of making something just for myself, and that soon snowballed into making my own pajamas. And I can tell you now, it’s addictive. Once you make a set, you’ll never go back to buying them—I love mine that much!

We spend so much time in our sleepwear at night (and let’s be honest, a fair amount of time in them on the weekend, too!) it only seems right to give our sleepwear an upgrade and a little me-made loving. With summer coming around and the promise of warmer days, I wanted to make myself a pair PJs that were comfortable, practical (for me that means they need to be full coverage so I can use them on holiday with friends/a sneaky pop to the shop for milk!) and fun. I’m naturally not a very daring print wearer (I’m working on it!) but when it comes to PJs I love to go all out. For this pair I went with vivdesign’s tropical print Whimsical Toucan Forest-Dark/Medium Scale. 

Rumana’s Favorite Spoonflower Pajama Fabrics

A tropical design featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background.
Whimsical Toucan Forest-Dark/Medium Scale by vivdesign
Repeating watercolor teal, pink and lavender diamonds on a white background.
Boho Diamond-Dreamy by crystal_walen
An image of a design with a cream background and red and yellow flowers mixed in with brown, green, red and dark blue flowers and dark blue berries.
Botanical Block Print (Small Version) by sarah_treu
see more rumana picks


There are so many lovely fabric options, but I chose Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™. You might have seen double gauze used for swaddles for babies but it’s also a favorite for sleep/loungewear. It’s light and airy for warmer nights, but also soft and cosy against the skin. This was really important to me as I still wanted a breathable set of PJs, especially as I was making a full-length set. The fabric has the added bonus of a beautiful, crinkled texture after washing, too.   

Other fabrics that would work well for summer PJs are Cotton Lawn (for a very crisp set), Cotton Spandex Jersey (for a cosy set) or Satin (for an extra-luxurious set, just a note that the polyester may not be as breathable if it’s very hot).

Fabric Pro Tip:

If you do plan to sew with gauze note that it has a natural stretch due to the loose weave, and your cut pieces might ‘grow’ if you handle them too much. Take care and try not to stretch out necklines. 

A close up of the top and neckline of pajamas with a tropical print featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background.
A close up of a front pocket of pajamas with a tropical print featuring toucans, pink and orange flowers and a bright blue background.

Suggested Pajama Patterns 

When it comes to pattern choice, there are so many out there for you to choose from. There are the more traditional collared sets or more casual loungewear sets. You can always hack a pattern you already have e.g., the Gilbert Top by Helen’s Closet Patterns is a great one for beginners. The camp-style collar is super simple to sew, and the whole shirt works up quickly! For your basic elastic waist trousers, you may not even need a pattern, you could get away with tracing around a pair in your wardrobe. 

Here are a few pattern ideas if you do fancy a pattern though: 

  • Paper Theory’s Agnes PJs: In Paper Theory founder Tara Viggo’s signature style, this is an oversized and relaxed set of PJs with comfort at the top of her design. It’s also got her unique pattern cutting to give things a twist. 
  • Closet Core Patterns’ Carolyn Pajamas: A tailored classic! This is the full works in pajamas— the collar, the cuffs and if you want to go that extra mile, piping, to make the most luxurious set of pajamas. 

I went with the Agnes PJs—I really like that they have been designed with minimal seams to rub against the body and I love the grown-on sleeve. It’s also very quick to make. I got most of mine done in an evening (with finishing and buttonholes left to the do the next day!)

Hopefully you feel inspired to turn your sewing attentions to a set of PJs. They are well worth the effort—I feel extra special every time I wear mine to bed and I’m pretty sure my husband is a bit jealous now of my growing collection. No worries though, I’ve already started teaching him to sew, so what better project to start on a pair of PJs for himself! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I make my own pajamas?
Rumana suggests making your own pajamas to have something personally tailored to you! If you’re new to sewing pajamas could be one of your first projects in making apparel. Rumana recommends the Gilbert Top by Helen’s Closet Patterns for beginner sewists.
What are the best fabrics for making pajamas?
Rumana suggests Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™, Cotton Lawn, Cotton Spandex Jersey or Satin. You can find more apparel fabric picks (specifically for PJs) in this post.

Want More Fabric Recommendations?

Rumana has you well on your way to making your own pajamas. If that’s opened the wonderful world of, “What else can I make?” We’ve got you covered. Our friend Meg Fleshman has all the recs on the best Spoonflower fabrics for making your own lingerie?
Read the Recommendations