A Pyjama Top Converted Into A blouse dress of the day 514

I bought a tarten pair of pyjamas in a red and black and white pattern. Label Senza Sleepwear.

Angela Lansbury wearing a red, white and black pyjama set by label Senza.

Then I bought a similar patterned shirt by label Shein. 

Angela Lansbury wearing the Shein shirt.

Why buy another garment so similar? Well, one was pyjamas, the other a shirt, or blouse.

One day I was rushing to an appointment when I accidentally put on the pyjama top instead of the blouse! 

They looked so similar, I don't suppose anybody noticed. I had a jacket on top most of the day. I felt happy. 

The only difference was that the pyjama top had an open neck.  It looked so similar that I don't think anybody except me would have known the difference.

The pyjama top felt and looked better. It is in a soft fabric, loose and comfortable. 

It goes with a black skirt, a perfect match. It is an alternative to wear if I am washing the shirt by hand overnight and it is not yet dry next morning..

In fact, I prefer the  pyjama top 'blouse'. The two sides of the front match up. The horizontal lines meet. 

The real shirt by Shein has a lopsided look. Why not wear the Senza pyjama top instead as a day garment?

The only problem is the Sena sleepwear closure. It's not that it looks more like a pyjama top than a blouse. An open neck is cold when worn outdoors at this time of year. I prefer a closed neck in the chilly weather of springtime. I did wear it with both a filler and a cravat, but this spoils the neckline and loses the pleasure of the plaid pattern.

Yes, I definitely want to wear the pyjama top as a shirt, but after I have added some form of closure. Besides, when it is pushed together I think it looks smarter, like a mandarin collar. 

Curved Collar

A curved collar pushed upwards makes a mandarin collar. That makes a change, a new look, different from most of my blouses.

Adding A Button Fastening?

I thought about adding a button. A larger black or red or white button would do, one without holes but a shank. But that would mean having a neck button which didn't match the other front buttons. 

Also it entailed the time and stress of making a buttonhole by hand. Challenging and possible untidy. 

An alternative to making a buttonhole is adding a fabric or ribbon loop. More work.

Press Studs (snaps)

Therefore I decided that the simple answer was an inconcspicuous press stud. (The Americans call that a snap fastener).

I have a stock of small black press studs in my sewing box. So, late at night, I decided to sew one on. 

Sewing late at night by hand in poor light is not ideal. But, I was in the mood, so I did it. 

Matching Cotton Challenge

The needle I came across first was already threaded with red cotton. Should I change it to black? Not a big challenge. It was a self-threading needle.

But why bother? The needle was already threaded. It is easier to see and sew red, rather than black on black. Besides, the garment contained red in the plaid paattern (tartan). And thirdly, the snap was the underside of the piece which folded together. 

So, I started to sew with the red cotton. However,. after only two stitches I could see that this was not a success. It looked untidy. If the snap came undone, the revealed black snap with red cotton looked wrong. I would see the untidy unmatched red cotton each time I took the garment off or put it on and it annoyed me. 

It was easy to pull out the red thread, find black cotton and start again.

Measuring Where To Sew The Press Stud (Snap)

The top of the fabric where the two pieces met and where I wanted to sew on the press stud (snap) was not square but curved. This meant I had to do my sewing downwards, and slightly to the left, to be sure the two curves did not overlap which pulled the garment out of shape and spoiled the horizontal line.

The garment was lined and I decided to sew the snap onto the lining of the top overlapping side. I thought that would ensure that the stitching did not show through to the top. I made a mistake. When the snap was closed, the top pulled away from the lining which was held in place by the press stud. Not only did it hang wrongly. The white pattern on the lining showed against the black and red outer layer. It looked lopsided and wrong. 

No need to resew the top snap. I just needed a couple of stitches to hold the outer layer and the lining together.

Verdict

Now I shall look with renewed interest and admiration at the snaps sewn onto the collars of some smart blouses, shirts and dresses. Not only does the garment have the extra cost of the snap and the time taken to sew it on, the placing of the snap has to be chosen carefully. Your more expensive garment which comes with extra fastenings looks like it was easy to do with hardly any extra cost. But every little seam and snap (press stud) is carefully measured, sometimes re-measured, re-sewn at the design stage.

Buying Press Studs (Snaps)

Press studs come in various sizes, from the tiniest for fastneing silk and chaffon clothes, to the largest, thickest, heaviest for fastening thick fabrics such as leather and denim. You can find them in silvery colour as well as black or white, mostly round, occasionally square and/or white.

Studs In Sewing Kits

If you want to add a fastening to a collar in a hurry, you may already have a two pairs of press studs (snaps) in a sewing kit at a hotel, or in your suitcase if you've saved a sewing kit from a hotel. 

You also find them in large sewing boxes containing sets of threads. I had some in a thread set from Lidl. You are also likely to find them in some of the sewing sets in Spotlight store in New Zealand.

Piping Noticed

In addition I now like my Senza pyjama top even more. I notice that the mandarin collar and the placket are edged with red piping. Altogether a much classier outfit. 

Success & Satisfaction

My little effort has been rewarded by new insights and new pleasure. I hope whether you do the same, or just read about it, you, too, have derived insight and pleasure.

Useful Websites

Senza clothes

Shein clothes

Amazon, department stores, fabric shops, craft shops for press studs (snaps).

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