Being Decent in Ireland

Don't shock the natives.

My friend, Joanie, is teaching garment sewing to quilters. Over in Scappoose. These quilters are under the impression that garment sewing is fussy and finicky. Too funny for words - the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Anyway, the quilt shop owner, Kathy, has started to carry a line of Kwik Sew patterns. I offered to sew a couple of the patterns to use as samples. The last class on the schedule is a robe, Kwik Sew 3177.

Now, normally, I don't wear a robe. Obviously, I don't get out much. I run around in my been-washed-3000-times pajamas. They are a tad 'thin'. But who's gonna see me?

I have to admit - a robe would be handy in the B&B in Ireland- whenever we get around to making B&B reservations! (2.5 weeks to go).
I wanted to make this robe in satin-backed flannel but did not have the time to go over here and settled for Joann's. I also had a picture in my mind of how this robe was gonna look. Do you think they had any satin-backed flannels that went together? In a set of colors that one would wear? Well - no. They had trollop red, radioactive blue, & a very weird brown.
Plan B: Regular flannel. I found a mint green flannel and a matching thin stripe. 

Here's the side story - Have you been watching Project Runway? Where they give the designers 15 minutes to shop?  Really.  I was in Joann's for over 45 minutes dithering over $2.99/yd. flannel.

I was actually trying to match, FROM MEMORY, the colors in a piece of flannel I picked up at Sew Expo this year. Instead of jammy bottoms for my daughter - who is already in Ireland, I'm sewing a new pair of pajama bottoms for me. Yes - sewing for me.   All thanks go to my friend Joanie who has deadlines which have somehow  become my deadlines.

And you know - I love this robe. I modified the pockets using this tutorial. These pleated pockets make the garment. The detail is feminine without being fussy.

This pattern was super EASY to sew. The directions and the visuals matched this time and I finished the robe in less than four hours. I made the same size modifications that I made to the Kwik Sew vest sample I sewed previously. I'm almost 5'4" and I used the extra-small markings for length and since I wear a size large at the store - this is the pattern size I used and it fits very well. No flashing. The pattern clearly shows the robe stopping at mid-thigh. If I had stayed with the large length, the robe would be nearly to the floor.

Actually, it wouldn't - this whole cutting at the extra-small length mark saved me because that $2.99/yd flannel shrunk a whole heck of a lot.

Speaking of fabric,have you seen the new Happy Camper Fabric?