Steampunk Pajamas, pair number 2!

I wish I had a good reason for why I decided to make a second pair of pajamas, versus working on bits to finish up costumes for the upcoming convention I am going to.  The best excuse I have is that I shrunk a t-shirt, which I bought at said convention a couple of years ago, and this allowed me to refashion it into pajamas.

Here is the above mentioned shirt from Wild Wild West Convention 2 in 2013.  Many consider Tesla as the leading inventor whose works would be used in the alternate universe of Steampunk.  I loved this play on words for the shirt and was super sad that I shrunk it, in the wash.

To make the shirt fit through the arms and lower torso, I cut slits in the sleeves and bottom sides of the shirt.  I added an eyelet lace and laces ribbon through the eyelets, mimicking corset lacing.  I also cut the neck of the shirt into a more boatneck like style.  Overall, I am pretty happy with how it came out!

  

For the bottoms, I made shorts using the pajama bottoms pattern for Simplicity 9871.  I only modified it by cutting the fabric off at 18 inches to make the shorts, versus pants.  Then I added black eyelet trim and threaded it with a tan ribbon.
This pj pair definitely has more of the steampunk theme I was originally had in mind when envisioning steampunk loungewear.

Steampunk pajamas, sorta...

I love my corsets, petticoats, bloomers and bustles as much as the next girl, but occasionally I need some quick and easy outfits to wear around the hotel when I go to conventions.  My friend has been wanting to do a steampunk movie night where we wear steampunk themed pajamas.  Unfortunately we never got this project/night past the idea stage.  We are both heading to Wild Wild West Con next month and it was decided that we needed steampunk lounge wear for when we were not at the con. 

 I originally was planning on using some Steampunk themed cotton fabric that I had bought a while ago, but I went to the fabric store for some other project and I came home with some floral, vine, owl flannel.....

This was not exactly the color scheme I had in mind and it isn't exactly what I would call steampunk, but I went with it!

I used the simplicity pajama bottom pattern 9871 and I drafted my own pattern for the top.  I was going for a chemise and bloomer style for my lounge wear, to give it a Victorian feel/aesthetic to it.  

I altered the bottoms by adding ruching channels on the lower bottoms of the legs. By doing this, I can adjust the length from ankle to mid calf by tying the strings in the channels.  With the lacing in the bottom of the leg, I can tie the bottoms at the knee.  

Here is the final product:

Evolution of my brown steampunk costume....

I am attending Wild Wild West Con in Tucson Arizona in March and I am in the process of getting my costumes completed.  I usually stay away from the generic brown, which is the most popular color for steampunk.  Heck, there is even a saying that Steampunk is what happens when Goth's discover brown.  I have one outfit that started off as a thrift store alteration, that I keep evolving into different versions of the costume.  Here is the representation of what has happened to it so far:

Steamstress Bracer

This is my new piece for my steampunk character!!  In my local steampunk group, when I first joined, I was one of the few who knew how to sew my own costume.  I was also known for bringing along a sewing kit/costume repair kit with me everywhere we went. I was trying to come up with accessories to help put the "punk" in my steampunk costumes and I thought this would be fun to make, since it is an accessory that played to the above traits.  To create this bracer, I came up with all the bits that went onto it.  The scissors were a gift from a fellow member of the steampunk group I am in. I ordered the bodkin (yarn needle looking piece) on ebay.  The thimble was a cheap one I had in a sewing kit and I bought new bobbins and threaded steampunky colors onto the bobbins.

Steampunk Watch Cuff

In steampunk, I follow a beginners rule for costuming: Start with a Victorian base, then "PUNK" it.  I find that the easiest way to punk it up, is with accessories.