Dragon costume pyjamas

 
 
 
The sewing requests from other members of my family have been piling up behind these SWAPS. Here are my son's winter pyjamas, made to his design ideas. I know these don't look a lot like pyjamas, but they are the end result of a long process. I made all in one pyjamas for my babies and toddlers, as they kick off the blankets and get cold - a common trait. When DD1 was about 2, I minded a friend's child overnight, and the friend wore purchased all in one pyjamas with a tail. These took DD's fancy, so for her next pair, I bought animal print polar fleece, and added a tail. No little children's winter pyjamas since have been allowed to exist tail-less at our house(except the frog costume, but that is another story). After a few pairs, someone asked for ears to wear with their lion suit, not a problem. Then there was a horse tail request, and I managed to make a horse head hat. Things took off from there. I use a Kwik sew pattern for the pyjamas, this is goes up to a toddler size 4, and I have drafted up to a size 6, after that pyjamas and costumes are seperate items. The back crest is a folded and gathered lightweight fleece, the spikes are triangles lightly padded, and both these and the tail are sewn into an added centre back seam before constructing the pyjamas. The feet are modified into dragon feet, 3 triangles at the toes of each foot with padded polar fleece claws in the joining seam, and the underneath has non slip glove fabric from Seattle Fabrics on the sole of the original foot pattern. The wings are scraps of red shiny lycra, inserted in the underneath sleeve seam. The head is modified from a hood pattern with a centre strip and 2 side strips. I made the lining in the original hood shape with a long centre piece, and the outside is extended up and to the front in a dragon type shape. Ears are inserted in the two seams on either side of the centre piece, a crest in the centre of this piece, and a few teeth (padded polar fleece triangles in different shapes) in the seam between the lining and top. The eyes are appliqued on.
My son is very happy with his costume pyjamas. He takes the head off before he goes to sleep, but is always happy to put on his pyjamas for a bit of dragon play before bed time. He has passed on last year's pj's to his cousin, but the heads had to stay here. I guess I am up for a cousin sleep-over!