“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” ~Jane Austen
My mom loves good, comfortable lounge wear. Who doesn’t? Up pretty high on her list of comfortable lounge wear are dust robes. There is a problem though, perhaps you have noticed it. When you go to the stores to buy clothing, any clothing, the fabric is garbage. It’s thin, synthetic, and feels weird. Who wants that up against your skin when you are relaxing, or otherwise? I had a solution though!
I told my mom to go through her old sheets. Older sheets are typically made so well that they stand the test of time. They also have a nice weave to them, so they feel nice against your skin. She needed to find one that is a dark enough color that it’s not see through, and a print that she likes.
Of course she found one, and with sheet in hand I got to work. The first step was picking out a pattern. I had a few to choose from. She picked out this one from 1964, and said she liked the one with the polka dots on it.
So, here’s the other thing. The sheet she picked out had a scalloped edge on two sides of it. She said it would be nice if I was able to keep the scalloped edge on either the bottom hem or the sleeve hem. I thought that would be a fun added design element!
I laid the sheet out with the pattern pieces to make sure I would be able to get all of the pieces cut out that I needed.
I pinned the pattern pieces down. I made sure that the hem line of the robe’s front and back pieces lined up with the scalloped edges. I did the best I could with it. All the while I was wondering how it would all sew together. Would the scallops line up right? I had to just hope for the best and go for it.
I had this vintage piping to use around the pockets.
Sewing it on and using the zipper foot on my sewing machine. This gets the stitch right up next to the piping.
Have you ever paid attention to my sewing machine? I’ve had it longer than I’ve had my blog, and since my blog, I’ve really put the mileage on it, so to speak. Well, it died, right in the middle of hemming a prom dress. Talk about stress! I had an old machine that got the job done, but I knew I had to either fix my machine or buy a new one. And I really didn’t want to buy a new one! There are no sewing machine repair shops near me, so that wasn’t an option. I took the machine apart. This is what the inside looks like.
I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry! All I could do was clean out all of the lint and dust. There was so much! Before you say I should clean my machine, I do! But this was deep inside, and no way you could get to it without taking the whole thing apart.
I put it back together, but it still didn’t work. Feeling defeated I looked up the make and model number of my beloved machine, only to find out that they don’t make them anymore. I wasn’t sure what to do. New machines don’t have as many features as mine had, and cost more now. Let me also add that this isn’t the first sewing machine that I’ve used until broken. It’s more like my third or fourth one. They don’t make things to last, that’s for sure! I considered buying a used machine but I could just be buying someone else’s problem. Then I was looking on Facebook marketplace. Someone 15 miles away from me was selling the exact make and model that I wanted, and it was still in the box! It had been used once then put away! I jumped on it and bought my “new to me” machine.
Here it is! Sewing on the piping like a champ! It works perfectly, and I know how lucky I was to find it! BUT, I still have my old machine, I haven’t given up on it. I still think I can fix it! So stay tuned for that in case I do!
Once the piping was sewn on and the pockets prepped, I pinned them into place.
Next, I sewed two gathering stitches on the robe front.
The pattern has you fold over the front to make the facings where the buttons and buttonholes go. It calls for interfacing to make it stiff. I chose to leave the interfacing out. I know my mom, and she would want it to be light and airy. Not stiff and bulky.
I pinned the front sides to the back.
Then it was time to add the collar. I pinned it together and got really nervous. After my last sew, which was Mia’s vintage beach outfit, I knew I had to pay attention to direction! This collar had one edge straight and one rounded. I also wasn’t sure if my measurements were right from my slight upsizing of the pattern.
The collar was flipped to the right side and ready to go around the neck of the robe.
Pinning it all together.
Then came the fun part, picking out buttons! Since my mom’s favorite color is blue, I decided on these “moonglow” vintage buttons. The style is called moonglow because of their iridescent look. They are from the early 1960’s, so they are perfect for a 1964 pattern.
The dust robe was done! Let’s see how I did matching up those scallops! Sleeve one looks good!
Sleeve two worked out! I see a little thread I need to trim, but that’s ok.
And the bottom hem worked out too! I don’t know how, it was truly dumb luck! It is lightweight and flowy. I’m sure it will be very comfortable, like lying in bed!
I am very happy with the way this sew turned out. It’s always fun to challenge myself with my sews. I also can’t help but wonder how many other old sheets my mom has stashed away? I might have to get into her stash for myself! If I do, you’ll know about it!
As for me, onto the next!
