Gracie Pajama Hack with Ruffles & Bows

One of my favorite things about sewing is finding new ways to use patterns I already love. The Gracie pajama pattern is already adorable as written, but today I am going to show you how to create a whole new look by swapping the standard cuffs for gathered ruffles and adding sweet little bows. It gives the pajamas such a charming, feminine feel, and the best part is that you do it all with the existing cuff pieces you already have.

This hack uses the original cuff pattern pieces for both the sleeve cuff and the pant leg cuff. The only change we will make is in how they are cut. In the original pattern layout these pieces are not cut on the fold. For this version you will place those same cuff pieces on the fold and cut them that way. Cutting on the fold doubles the length of the cuff piece and gives us the fullness we need for the ruffle.

How to create the ruffle cuff

We will begin with one of the pant leg cuff pieces, but the same process will apply to the sleeve cuffs as well.

         1.      Sew the cuff into a loop

Fold the cuff piece so that right sides are touching and the short edges are aligned. Sew along the short edge using a ½” seam allowance to create one continuous loop.

2.      Press the seam

Press the seam allowance open so it lies flat.

3.      Fold to create the ruffle piece

Fold the entire cuff piece in half so that wrong sides are touching and the long raw edges are lined up together.

4.      Add gathering stitches

Sew two rows of gathering stitches along the long raw edge. Gently pull the threads to gather the fabric until the cuff matches the width of the pant leg opening.

5.      Attach the ruffle to the pants

With right sides touching, slide the gathered cuff over the pant leg opening and align the raw edges. Pin evenly around.

6.      Sew and finish the seam

Sew the cuff to the pant leg using a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance, then finish with a zigzag stitch to enclose the raw edges. Press the cuff down so that the seam allowance is pressed up into the pant leg. You can topstitch along this seam if you would like a more finished look.

You can stop right here for a simple and pretty ruffled cuff, or you can keep going and add the sweetest little bows all around the cuff.

Adding bias tape bows

For my version, I used a 35 inch strip of 1 inch double fold bias tape for each pant leg and a 30 inch strip of 1/2 inch double fold bias tape for each sleeve. Feel free to play with both the width and the length, since the final bow size is totally up to your personal taste.

To add the bows:

1.             Find the center of your bias tape strip.

       Align that center point with the inner leg seam or sleeve seam. Topstitch the bias tape around the seam where the cuff is attached, keeping the tails free at the end so they can be tied.

   

   Tie the loose bias ends into bows and repeat for remaining leg and sleeve cuffs.

   

   That is it. You now have the sweetest ruffled and bow-tied Gracie pajamas using a pattern you already love, with only a small tweak to the existing pieces!