The Vintage Pajama Sew Along!

Merry Christmas!

 I thought this would be an appropriate time to post about my pajamas I made for Carla's Vintage Pajama party Sew Along as it will be what I'll wear all day Christmas Day. My family celebrate on Christmas Eve so Christmas Day has been reserved for lazing in pjs, eating leftovers and watching old movies.

When Carla announced her sew along, I knew instantly what fabric I wanted to use. I had bought this rose print fabric from Flashback Fabric few years ago, with the intention of making it into Pj's. Using a Butterick 6995 pattern from my stash I hoped to have enough fabric for a top and pants.

I tend to buy fabric first, then decide what pattern to use. Usually this tends to work out fine as I also tend to over buy fabric yardage. In this case though it was a vintage remnant piece, so I had just enough to make a short robe.

Fabric and pattern

I had thought it would be nice to make some pants to go with the robe but found it really difficult to find a colour I liked. None of the greens where the same shade and I didn't like the idea of making unforgiving slinky cream pants. In the end I found some cheap burgundy fabric that went with a pair of velvet slippers I had. The pants became quite expensive as I ended up lining them in silk cotton, as I thought the polyester blend would be to annoying to wear. I'm glad I did though as they are really comfy now.

To tie in the pants, slippers and robe I use red pipping on the robe and cuff of pants. Then with the extra pants fabric I made a turban using a pattern from  I Make It You Make It.

The turban pattern was meant for knit fabric so I cut the burgundy fabric on the bias, and it seemed to work fine.

Detail of pipping. I notice I seem to have a problem with pocket placement,
like my swirl dress I have sewn the bottom pocket to high  :(

All photos of me taken by Rebecca Hayes, which meant I had to take them in our studio.
Making it my inaugural wear your pyjamas to work day ;)

Not really sure what I am doing here...I think I was trying to strike a graceful pose
 but it looks like I'm checking my invisible watch ;P
Anyway its the best photo showing the colour of the pants.

 Back view.

Having a quick snooze........ 

Project Notes

Pattern: Butterick 6995

Fabric: Robe- from stash/ Pants- $20 from Jimmy Buttons/ 

Pants lining $50 from Clegs

Habby/ Trims: Pipping $5

Pattern Alterations: Shortened the robe and changed the collar to a shawl collar.

Total Cost: $75

The dress that became a blouse...

The final outfit! Photo by Rebecca Hayes

So.... my attempt to gather the skirt did not go well. It was sort of a column with a faint pathetic gather. I should have taken a photo, but I was so eager to try a four gored skirt I whipped it off and started to cut out the pieces. 

I was a bit short of fabric so the seam didn't sit straight at the center back. Not that it was noticeable as none of the checks matched!  It was also too tight across my ahem...abdomen and hips and sort of awkwardly poked out the sides. This time I didn't take a photo because I was having a little tantrum.  

After I calmed down, I was determined to make it work. I started cutting out a pair of shorts. It seemed like a good idea, which became a terrible idea. No photo as I was having a little cry.

The situation

Staring at my pile of scraps I decided to give up the dress. Instead I turned it into a top and decided to make a dirndl skirt. I wondered down to one of my favourite stores L'uccello, in the Nicholas Building. Amazingly there was the perfect coral tomato red cotton which the matched the checks and there was 2.3 meters left- the exact amount I needed! Spooky....

Fabric and card from l'uccello

So although the project changed, I feel like I kept the Make do and Mend spirit (except of course I wasted most of the fabric). But don't worry, the hoarder in me has already stashed it away for a future project ;)

Photo by Rebecca Hayes

Photo by Rebecca Hayes

Photo by Rebecca Hayes

Hello!

Hello my name is Esther,

I'm a costume designer, one part of The Sisters Hayes (a trio of sibling artists) and a shop girl. I'm also an infrequent sewer, slow knitter shopaholic and hoarder of broken things... This blog is where I cut, sew and fix things up.

For my first post, it's very apt that I start with my first made for me dress in two years, which I am making in my first sew along! When Lucky Lucille hosted the first Sew for Victory, I thought I'm definitely joining if it happens again. So as  soon as Rochelle announced the next one, I promptly pulled out my Butterick 5209 and 40s feedsack fabric I had in my stash. I knew there wasn't enough yardage to create as full a gathered skirt as illustrated but I thought the red, blue and white checks matched the theme perfectly.

Unfortunately the pattern and fabric sat in a pile for about three and half weeks. So in my usual form I'm trying to whip up the dress a few days before the deadline. As a girl who likes little to no ease and knowing modern patterns have a lot of ease I made up the lining as a sort of toile. It came together quite smoothly and I thought to myself, I really should sew more for myself it's really easy and fun.

Then I started the bodice....

Why oh why, when I knew I didn't have enough yardage in the first place, did I choose checks!?! Is what I mumbled to myself as I unpicked seams and tried to will them into matching by steaming and pinning a hundred pins per mm. In the end I've managed to match most of the front and back, figuring I can hide the side seams by keeping my arms down or crossed at all times.

The next problem I hit was that I was in serious denial about how much fabric I had for the skirt. The answer is definitely no way near enough. It was kindly suggested on the forum that I make a four gored skirt but I don't even think I have enough for that and I'm trying to avoid matching up seams :|

Looking for skirt inspiration I found this image in Johnathon Walford's Forties Fashions Book.

The ladies are wearing handmade dresses representing the allied countires- America, France, Britain and Russia in 1944. I'm going to try and run up a skirt like the one the American dress. Fingers crossed I succeed, as I really don't have the legs to pull off just the top of a dress ;)