Short Changed

I keep two pairs of pjs at Cornerstones - a pink winter set - tee shirt and trousers, and a navy summer set -tee shirt and shorts. They are both really old - and when I got them I was a little lighter than I am now. Lockdown has left me 'broader in the beam' than I used to be. I was wearing the shorts the first week I was here - but found they were no longer easy to wear, they felt too short in the body. So then I switched to the winter trousers.  Same problem - I was wriggling about in bed tugging at them, trying to get comfy.

I have perfectly good nightwear in Dorset which fits. I refuse to buy anything new. "Borrow my trousers" said Bob in his usual generous way. But that would be a major trip hazard if I had a nocturnal trip to the loo. 

But reading Claire's blog here and here where she turned an old pair of linen trousers and two pairs of jeans into a top and a playsuit I felt inspired. She's a professional - and I couldn't begin to emulate her skill. But I just wanted a comfortable pair of shorts to sleep in, and I like her approach to recycling old gear into new stuff.

I took the old ones, and used them to draft a pattern in newspaper, adding extra cm where necessary. Then I carefully took the pink trousers apart, retaining the side seams. The legs were very flared. Maybe the hideous style and the bright colour was why IKEA only wanted £5 for them!

Being lazy, I cut off the waistband, so I could reuse it, unaltered [my waist is no bigger even if my thighs and bum are] And I cut off the back patch pocket and fixed with a zigzag stitch. I need somewhere for my hanky!

Ta-da! slightly more generous, considerably more comfortable. They wouldn't pass muster for the GBSB, or for wearing in public - but they'll be fine for wearing when I'm preparing breakfast or sitting in the evening watching TV in the hotter weather.

And before anyone asks - no, the remaining gazebo wall is totally unsuitable for fashioning into nightwear. 

Have you altered anything during lockdown, to make it into something fresh?