The Gabriella Pajama Suit by DIBY Club {and a Thumbhole Tutorial}

You know how little babies have the cutest, comfiest looking footie jammies and you’re always like “I wish I had those in my size?”

Just me?

No. It can’t be just me.

You know you want these.

And now you can have them. They’re the Gabriela PJ Suit from the Do It Better Yourself Club, and they are amaaaaaaazing.

I am a huge fan of DIBY Club patterns, and this one is no exception. In addition to loads of options (like a hood, drop seat, and multiple sleeve and leg-length choices), you get super detailed instructions and complete tutorials for grading, length adjustments, and Full Bust Adjustment. Jessica and Kelly are super devoted to making sure you get a perfect fit, and it shows.

The only thing this pattern is missing is thumbhole sleeves. So I added them myself. And since I want you to love these jammies as much as I do, I’m going to teach you how to add them, too.

I don’t know what it is about thumbholes in sleeves, but for me they automatically make any shirt 1000% more comfortable. I learned this method for sewing them a couple of months ago and have vowed never to make another cuffed sleeve without them. So let’s do this.

It’s a little complicated, but once you get the hang of it they are pretty fun to make. That moment when you turn it all out and it looks perfect is so satisfying.

This hack works for any pattern with cuffed sleeves. Obviously I’m working with the Gabriela, but all you need to start is the pattern piece for whatever item you’re making.

The width of the cuff (the side perpendicular to the grainline) will stay the same, but you may need to change the length in order to accommodate the hole. I like my thumbhole to be about 2 inches long (longer if the fabric doesn’t have vertical stretch), and positioned about 3/4 of an inch from the end of the cuff. You then need another inch or more for the bottom of the cuff and the seam allowance. Since the cuff is folded over, this means your fabric needs to be AT LEAST 7 inches long.

I prefer even a bit longer. Keep in mind that sleeves are drafted to hit at your wrist, so pulling them down halfway down your hand adds about 2 inches. A typical sweatshirt has enough ease that you don’t need to add all that length, but an extra inch or half inch can help a lot with comfort. Also I just kindof like the look of long cuffs.

I added an extra inch to the cuffs on the Gabriela.

Now I need to mark where my thumbholes will be.

Find the center by folding the pattern piece in half width-wise.

Mark 3/4 inch above and below the center line.

Mark 2 3/4 inches above and below the center line (or 2 inches from the previous 2 marks).

You now have 4 points marked along the side of your pattern piece. From top to bottom, consider these marks A, B, C and D.

This is where it gets a little puzzle-y. Bear with me.

When you cut your fabric, transfer the 4 marks from your pattern piece to both sides with little snips.

The first section you want to sew is the center, between points B and C. This will eventually be the end of your finished sleeve cuff–the part that sits above your thumb.

With your fabric still folded length-wise and right sides together, sew from B to C with the appropriate seam allowance. I like to place pins to help with precision here. Use a securing stitch to start and stop.

Now, fold the corners of the top layer of fabric diagonally out of the way, so you see the right sides of the fabric.

Fold the whole thing in half width-wise, matching mark A to D, and B to C, and sew between them.

QUICK TIP:

You want to hit that B/C point really precisely, and make sure you only sew through 2 layers of fabric.

I use a pin to mark the point…

…and with my presser foot up, use the hand wheel on my machine to place the needle down *right* where it needs to be.

You’ve now sewn the seam of one side of your thumbhole. Now we need to flip the cuff around and sew the other.

Poke the top right corner inside out and lift the bottom left corner to turn the cuff. Trust me, this is easier than it sounds.

Now you’ll once again sew from the B/C point to the A/D point, with your finished side tucked up out of the way.

Almost there!

We just need to sew the cuff together below the thumbholes. Unfold the cuffs and pinch the opposite corners together…

…So you have this wrinkly looking V. On each side you need to sew from the A/D point to the end.

It’s easiest and cleanest to do this as 2 separate lines of stitching rather than trying to pivot.

This is how it will look when all the stitching is done. All you have to do is flip one end like you’re turning a tube, and it will basically fall right into shape for you.

Like this! You’re going to want to try it on immediately. And you are going to love it.

You did it! Now all you have to do is attach it to your sleeve. Quick tip: instead of lining up the seams on the sleeve and cuff, I line up the thumbhole with my actual thumb. To do this, I try on the top and mark where my thumb hits when my arms are hanging comfortably at my sides.

I know this is a long tutorial and it seems a lot more complicated than just making simple cuffs. I’ll admit that the first time I did this I was kindof confused the whole time and wondered if it was going to be worth it. But it was, and the second time I was able to do it from memory.

I hope you’ll try it. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or need clarification.