Wednesday 4 July 2012

Useful sewing New Look 6816

Dear readers, you are such kind people. I particulary appreciate the encouragement to buy more fabric with the newly revealed space in my stash. I so appreciated this wonderful idea, that the horrible thin Spotlight polar fleece lurking next to the scrappy bits of good stuff came under direct fire. It is an unfortunate circumstance that the less you use up your not-very-nice-fabric, the more it breeds behind closed doors and makes you think there is no nice fabric in there.
This fabric, I remind you, was purchased with some urgency 3 years ago during the winter school holidays, as my daughter fancied making herself a dressing gown. She picked it by the colour, which is rather pleasant aubergine. I assure you that there was no better quality stuff in the shop.
My daughter did not quite get around to sewing the dressing gown, and really, it would be terribly pot - like for her mother to rebuke her for having sewing plans greater than the time available.
I gently mentioned the polar fleece during the following winter, and the next winter, and was strictly forbidden on each occasion to use this fabric myself.
This winter I was more cunning and sewed it up without any warnings.
SDC10285
It did not take very long. The alterations are an added back pleat, so there is a bit more backside room (IMO unisex patterns are usually bottomless and waistless, which does not suit the female figures in this house), a bit of waist shaping and some extra sleeve length. I added a patch pocket, ,backed with quilting cotton, and did not use the in-seam pockets.

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The completion of this garment should mean that my husband will be allowed to wear his polar fleece jacket occasionally.

SDC10284
Can you see how all the applique praise has gone to my head?
You should see the big empty space in the fabric cupboard. I have plans for that.
ETA:Oops, I forgot to say that I sewed this for my older daughter, the original fabric acquisitor, as she is very boringly busy this 4th winter school holidays since her purchase, doing Yr 12 assignments and cannot possibly do any sewing;). She is kindly modelling this for me in a study break. Or was she reading in bed? I had better not ask.


14 comments:

velosews said...

He he he. How wonderful that you've gone ahead and made this for yourself.
No complaints from me!

kbenco said...

I have mislead you. I sewed it for DD the first. ;)

Janine said...

Ha , perhaps I should have taken your lead and left the bird print chiffon my eldest DD ( also in Year 12 ) wants made into a tunic for a few years so she would have finally sewn it up herself !Alas even metres of that stuff doesnt take up much room so I can`t treat myself to more material after I have sewn it. Also you do tend to feel sorry for them studying for Year 12 and straining their brains .

pdiddly said...

amusing post resulting in a very useful dressing gown

Carolyn said...

Haha, I love your posts k, they always make me chuckle :D I can definitely relate; some of my daughter's fabric is far more tempting to me than my own.
Very gorgeous dressing gown, and a very happy subsequent outcome, by which I mean more room in the stash, of course.

shams said...

So GLAD you opened up some room in your stash! I have some fleece in mine, and it does take a lot of room!

Cute robe. :)

Carol said...

OK, now you've got me inspired. I have several pieces of faux fur that take up a LOT of space in my cupboard. I've been threatening to make a jacket out of some of it for months and I could use the space...

gwensews said...

Comfy garment, which I call "housecoat". I have one that is ancient that my husband threatens to throw out. Your daughter will get many years of pleasure in that dressing gown.

Summer Flies said...

What a great colour and I love your appliques always. I hate dressing gowns (except when it is this cold - 4 deg last night and a balmy 7 tonight!) but with a little flower on it - I could learn to love mine. I hope to use some nice black fleece this winter too. I have NO room in my house for any more fabric. I will not buy more. (I hope)

Jillybejoyful said...

Congratulations! Aaaah....I'm envisioning all the yards (or meters, as the case may be) of wonderful silks, knits, cottons, rayons, etc. that will fill only half the space of that fleece!

Marie said...

How nice to be sewing this up for your daughter. Polar fleece robes are great and lovely and warm. Mine is still going strong at 9 Winter's use.

fabric epiphanies said...

Funny, I had a similar conversation with my very bored year 11 daughter today. After being sick for most of the week she now has nothing to do on a rainy cold school holiday. I did suggest she might like to get on with some of her assessments but reading magazines and Facebook seems to be more pressing. To think last holidays she got all productive and made Jalie jackets by the handful. Teenagers are predictably unpredictable.

Sharon said...

Very good use of the stash and love the colour as well as the style.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

Here I was thinking you were being a good selfish seamstress and appropriating the fabric for yourself! It does look like a very cozy robe.