ANGELA PIDDUCK Tuesday, December 5 2006

Eleven-year-old Aaron Chandleur complained to his grandmother, Marjorie Chandleur, that nowadays she only made pyjamas for his two younger sisters and he no longer got special pyjamas.

Marjorie, who designs and sews the most gorgeous clothes, explained to Aaron, “We have a problem because left-over fabric usually comes in small pieces and since you are a big boy there is a problem with the pieces.” Aaron replied, “OK Grandma I have a solution. If you join up all the small pieces and make me a pair of pyjamas then I would not have just pyjamas, I am going to have ‘patchjamas’ so it is simple, join up all the cloth and make patchjamas.”

Marjorie excitedly told a friend who said “that is a real classic, you should do something about it.” Two days later she had made her decision, called back the friend and said, “I am going to start a business. I am going to make patchjamas.” and in less than a week she had registered the sleepwear business.

“I am enjoying this and would rather keep it as custom-made because you know no two of them will be identical,” says one of our best couturiers. For the time being patchjamas are being marketed by word of mouth, but in the New Year the busy woman plans to ask her friends to host “patchjama parties like in the Tupperware days. This will get the parents interested who, in turn, will get the children interested and they could invite their friends on Saturday afternoons, for instance, and serve them refreshments.”

With overseas orders already on her books, she plans to do these in flannelette material. With Christmas just around the corner, Marjorie is concentrating on the children, and some parents have ordered Christmas patchjamas. Each comes in a small drawstring sack.

However, in the New Year she will start making for adults in silk, satin, cotton or whatever material they may wish.

If the idea catches on she will move on to slippers to match the patchjamas, patchshirts, and patchquilts which can be kept in the back seat of the car for when the children go out at night.