Finished: a utilitarian nightie

Yesterday I finished a utilitarian nightie that I started about 5-6 months ago, thought I'd mentioned it before but can't find a post.  Anyhoo, its finished and from the Past Patterns late 18thC chemise pattern I've used umpty squillion times before.

As I was pinning the sleeves into the side seams I discovered that at some point (possibly when I started sewing it) that I'd stained the front with something (possibly black tea).  Not large but there to be seen (not in the pic).



It's soaking right now and I'm not sure it'll come out, but it's utilitarian & done. Lets be honest I'd have spilled coffee on it sooner or later anyway. At least it's not work clothing ruined before it's worn

MAGAM theme for November - scanning my stash for ideas

MAGAM's theme for November is "November nights: make something for your November nights".

Hmmm, cos I've started looking for a summer nightie that I can make for weekends away/holidays.  At home I can sleep in an old t-shirt or singlet but as I sleepwalk, I feel the need to wear something a little more covered. Lightweight, but coverage.

I have some cotton voiles and have been scoping out suitable patterns. Simplicity 1260 is sort of what I was trying to mock up last year using a tops pattern, but I bodgied it wrong so don't really want to look at it much. It's not yet available in Australia yet (new), so scratch that from my list.

Part of me wonders if I can get Simplicity 1426 and and a skirt section to View A, with criss cross back straps. No halterneck for me (acreage drag factor on my neck!). That appeals. 



Also on my list of possibles is Burda 7109 - a shorter version  of view A

complete - one robot nightie

My robot print flannelette didn't hang around long enough to be come stash, it's now a nice new snuggly nightie.  Stash thread was used to sew it, and I used up a red bobbin, even though it was a slightly not-quite-right red. Not by much but I'm not entering a competition with it, just sleeping.

the phrase "robot nightie" doesn't mean what it sounds like

I've been working on my robot nightie ... but saying that makes me feel like I must be making a nightie for a robot, not from a robot print fabric.

Anywho, here's the the external neck facing:

Part of me wishes that I'd thought through the placement on the fabric even though a small amount of fabric would have been wasted (or the sleeves that bit longer), as the facing covers the top of the robot's face.

The sleeves are assembled and pinned in ready to stitch tomorrow along with the side seams and the flat fell seam that this makes. Then the hem and it's done.

So a bit more than 1 week from purchase to completion but I'm more than happy with that. At least I'll have used it this winter

contrast fabric for the next nightie neckline

I like to do a contrast neck facing, not as a fabric efficiency measure, as there aren't enough scraps left over to cut one out.  The first time I had to buy extra fabric it had sold out, so I went for a contrast. And realised that I liked it so continue the theme.  I probably should have bought the robots contrast on Saturday but foolishly I didn't.  So after work today I ventured to the store I now call Lincrap (I remember the days when it had a higher quality fabric stock) only to be disappointed.  Their plain colour flannelette's were of such poor quality I don't understand how they sell at any price.

I was left with an assorted and small choice of patterns, and none of them had a siren song but I want to sew this quickly, and it's already cut out saying "robots are awesome".  So i went with a grey & white stripe, that will kinda blend into the grey of the robots. I don't want the blue as royal blue isn't so flattering for me, and it wouldn't make me happy even if it was a great contrast for the fabric.

It's hanging on my shower rail, already pre-shrunk. Hopefully start stitching on Wednesday night.

finished my nightie for June MAGAM

Thankfully I made few mistakes sewing this as it's a pattern I've used a lot before, however the external facing is uneven. Though I can't be too upset as it's sleepwear, not something I'll be seen wearing on the street. Flat fell seams make it comfy, modelled with socks on my feet as I forgot to pack my slippers (pet minding for friends).

 

I'm glad to have got another MAGAM challenge complete (missed one or 2 this year).

I have to admit that my stashbusting hasn't been helped by this garment, as I came home with another length for a winter nightie. This time it's robots!  

a late entry plan for June MAGAM

I need a sure thing, a winner to revive my sewing mojo. It's usually just below the surface and starting to sew anything helps. Especially when you know it's going to be a winner.  I started using the Past Pattern's chemise #002 as a nightgown pattern when I realised that not only is it period accurate in terms of sleepwear for many (despite my flannellette choices) but it's dead simple to make. I sew it with flat fell seams on the machine and that makes it just comfy on the inside too. I've taken to using a contrast fabric for a self drafted neck facing, and must hunt through my stash for some red with white pinstripes. I like penguins in cartoons, they're usually plotting mayhem.


Edited to add: The MAGAM theme for June is "June for the wellbeing of women. Celebrate the feminine with brightness and radiance." This fabric certainly is bright & radiant :D

blast from the past - a pyjama pattern

I was looking for a vintage pattern online and came across this pattern from *cough1977cough* and it was one I made a couple of times!

Now the qualifiers, I was still at school, but my mother had decided that I could make my own clothes cheaper than she could buy them (and yes, that included a new uniform skirt when I needed one.

another summer sleepwear idea

I should have known ... back in 2007 Simplicity had a pattern that's almost a dead ringer for the nightgown I'm trying to finesse from the almost-but-not-quite pattern ... this cover pic of #3893 is from an affordable uncut pattern for sale on etsy.


Hey, not too disappointed though as I'm starting to think that it's not going to be the comfiest to get on/off even with elastic.

So even if my current kitteny attempt is a failure, I've not given up on a short cotton nightgown, but I may change my style direction. I've got another Khalia Ali pattern in my collection #4277 and I have a cunning new plan. I'm going to make it wrap around (overlapping for the back) and instead of halter neck tie (oww on the neck) have the straps cross over.  That way I don't have to struggle with elastic underbust getting stuck on the boobage, and it should be comfortable enough to sleep in. With the short front bodice seam and underarm coverage I shouldn't fall out. That's an important factor given my main reason for needing a summer nightgown is for when travelling, just in case I sleepwalk. And twisted my ankle sometime on Friday night after I went to zzz and before I woke up. There's only 1 way to find out if this new plan is a good one and plenty of fabric in the stash.  Bring it on (after I get my Dr who costume made & a summer dress toile thrown together).

Nightie progress: not feeling the love

I'm writing this as much to because I don't want to give the impression that things always go well - no matter how many years you've been sewing (38 for me) and how extensively it's not always a winning scenario. I once self drafted a kimono dressing gown using the 90cm width of my silk/cotton jacquard fabric as my starting point & a memory of my grandmothers 1920s/30s actual kimono dressing gown.

I'm not feeling as happy now as I did when I swanned around in that - when it was new and when it was near the end of it's life.

Last night I did laundry & some sewing - yayy for getting back into it. Though it's a tad demoralising that the first thing I sew has been ballsed up enough that I may not like it once it's done.  Here's my fix on the bodice ... you may or may not think it's hideous, but I do :(


I've not yet hemmed the arm opening, but I don't think that's going to magically change my mind.  It could be that once the skirt is attached and the waist sewn/elasticated that I might change my mind a little. But at this rate the new pink fabric isn't being turned into this nightmare. (

So far the skirt section is seamed, with the hem overlocked & ready to have the lace stitched onto the hem.

And hmm, having slept on it, the horror that's the fugly front may be improved by my removing the 2 vertical bits of lace.  That'll de-clunk it some.  I thought the lace would disguise the seam, but it's just advertising "hey, ugly fix! Come & look at it!!!"

A plan to fix my cutting error

Today I got some elastic lace to fix my cutting error. It's not too wide, so won't fill in the neckline too much, but will cover up my fix.

My fix is to insert a bodice band across at CF, and if the elastic goes all around the neckline down to the under bust (with the band in between) and also runs around the hem, then the elastic at least looks intentional not bodgy.



I could only get a mid blue the pale was minty, and the pinks were too icky. The only white were very floral. So this was my best fix, and it serves me right for not reading the pattern properly in the first place.

thud as the penny drops - thinking, not stitching

Ugh, ugh, UGH.

So the band around the neck on this pattern, which I just assumed was a facing applied to the outside ...


Actually a separate neckband. Which I totally skimmed over when I looked at the pattern instructions AND I realised this only after I'd cut out the nightie. Possibly I made that assumption because that's how it's done on the pattern I'm using for my Vamps-of-Venice nightie for the Dr Who party.

See, *that* pattern I read thoroughly.

As I'm using this tunic/top pattern as a summer nightie I actually wanted the open neckline, so I actually do not want to fill it in all the way around. So last night packed it all up neatly and left it to my subconcious to decide what to do. So, I'm going to add the band in the CF - I wondered why the front could be so narrow.

I'll be using the contrast lawn I got for the Decades of Style negligee, and make bias binding from that lawn to bind the rest of the neck. Which is what I was thinking of doing in the first place. If I already had pale pink I'd use that - for something different to the DOS. But I won't need all the pale blue for the DOS neck & tie on the back, so this is an effective use of the fabric

time for paper collage to ensue

Yesterday I had the MOANday grumps, so my lunch break was spent with a work buddy which helped me stay perkier. (I think hormones aren't helping my mood either).

Today's lunch break, just over, I cut out the Simp2254 pieces I need to use, measured the hip to be sure it would be loose, and started altering the bodice pieces.

In reference to Monty Python, with huge tracts of land even a simple nightgown needs an FBA (Full Bust Alteration). This is the paper collage moment. Plus I'm trying to decide if I'll do a crossover front as the underbust seam isn't straight across, but rises to a centre front highpoint. Without being pointy if you see what I mean. By the time I get home I'll have decided because I'm going to cut this sucker out & start sewing.

I want to snuggle up with kittehs that don't give me asthma!

sleepwear - switcheroo to the kittens

I washed/dried/preshrank the flies print knit and then remeasured the piece and I have 2m of 140cm wide. So more than enough to make the nightie, and have approx 0.5 left over which isn't much use to me. so I had the 'idea' to make a robe with it instead - something I can use at home or when travelling to have a knee length wrapover robe. But I still want a nightie in this style. Actually need it for travelling. Cos no matter how hot it is (and it can be ridiculously warm on this continent) if I'm staying away from home I make sure I'm decently covered even if it's 40C and humid - because I sleep walk.

I thougth about my kitty print lawn - which I'm using for the Decades of Style negligee - and remembered that I have 5m of 150cm wide so enough for both.
 
At lunch today I'm cutting out the pattern & doing a rough FBA (full bust alteration) on the bodice pieces and measuring the skirt section to see if it's wide enough for my hips.

Oh, and an update on the red poly (that should have been rayon), they've given me a credit for the fabric as it was incorrectly described. I'll be looking at dress fabrics for summer.

sudden whim for a nightie

As I've said, my brain is skittery-skattering across fabrics and patterns and clothing ideas. Anyhoo, a non-sewing/non-costume friend stay over as we were seeing a movie after work and like her I wouldn't want a 90 minute trip home after that!

Long story short - her nightie impressed me as being easy inspiration, and after work tonight I skipped to Spotlight as they now have Simplicity, Burda & New Look patterns for $5.  Can you guess which pattern books I skimmed ... and came hope with Simplicity 2254 which is close enough.

 

View C with instead an overlapping bodice, and view D/E length.

I'm hoping there's enough of this knit fabric remnant in my stash to make it.