Saturday, October 22, 2011

Lounging Around

Yesterday I finished up these lovely Beach/Lounging Pyjamas!


Fabric: 4 yds floral print from stash ($6/yd I think...), 1/2 yd red shiney stuff, red ribbon salvaged from too small sweater
Pattern: Wearing History 3017
Year: 1930s
Notions: buttons ($3)
Time to complete: 6 hours (next go round should be much quicker!)
First worn: October 2011
Wear again? Yes!!!!! I'm so in love with this outfit! It's terribly fun to wear and super comfy. Much cuter than my normal pjs.

Total cost: ~$27

I had several hiccups while making this pattern that made for slow going. I didn't make a muslin and the hips hit in a different area than I thought they would. Now, my hips are 12" larger than my waist so I usually grade up several sizes in the hips. I actually made this up in size 18 which is for 1" smaller than my waist. It's a pretty loose garment and I did measure before cutting but I measured the wrong area for hips. I did end up removing 1" from the blouse portion and then it was a bit small for the pants portion. I made it work though! Next time I'll remove the length from the middle before I cut fabric.

Also, I discovered that there 4 buttons in the pattern design were not enough. So, I made a trip to Jo-Ann's for more buttons and I'm now up to 7. And, despite careful measuring, my waist ties were not level so I had to take one off and put it back on. And the fabric was slippery and required lots of pinning.

Ok, on to the things that went well.

I used French seams and bias binding so the inside is all pretty! I got my machine's button holes to look nice so no bound button holes! They are crazy fun to wear! And I've already bought some more material for a winter version as this one is a bit chilly with no sleeves.

And, lastly, tips for those of you who want to make this pattern.Do make it because it's crazy fun to wear!
  • Watch the arm holes as they are kind of small.
  • I made size 18 and squeezed it into 4 yds of 60" fabric though I think I'd get 4.5 yds in the future just to be safe.
  • Add more buttons to the back.
  • There are no illustrations in this pattern and they are not as detailed as modern directions. The sewing isn't too difficult but I wouldn't suggest this as a sewer's first vintage pattern.
I'm still on the fence about wearing this outside the house but my husband's response was "Those are pyjamas? It looks like a regular dress to me." so that's pretty encouraging.

10 comments:

  1. Wow! These look awesome on you. I am totally in love with the fabric/color scheme. Thanks so much for the pointers/tips/review, too!!

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  2. These are fabulous!! I love the floral print, too cute!
    I have authentic '30s beach pyjamas, and last summer I wore 'em all over the place; I did get some looks, but they're just too much fun to limit to the house :)

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  3. Love the Fabric and the red accent! Looks great!

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  4. love, love, love, love, love! This is so great! I really adore that fabric and the trim is amazing! Very glamorous lounging indeed!

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  5. So cute! I love the fabric you chose... gorgeous. :) Now I'm itching to get my hands on this pattern and whip up some swanky 30s lounging pajamas for myself! ;)

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  6. That fabric just makes it! You look so glamorous...where are your high heels, ma'am? I have an original of this pattern but have never yet made it, because I'm always afraid it will look too corny on me.

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  7. Great stuff, they came out fabulous!

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  8. Cool dress! Very creative! =)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  9. This is so cute - I'm thrilled to see that people are still sewing anything at all! Our fabric stores have all closed up, only the quilt shop and good old JoAnn's is left. If you are into fleece (I'm not) it has a great variety but the "real" fabrics are hard to come by.

    Glad I found your blog! I will sure be back!
    Hugs
    Susan

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  10. It's fantastic, you look great. And isn't it fun to have cute loungewear rather than relying on sweats and an old tank? A nice housecoat and cute PJs are on my longer term sewing list.

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