Today we finish our robe!
holiday robe sew-along: facings & hems
You’ve made it this far! Today is our PENULTIMATE POST!
holiday robe sew-along: pockets and joining
First of all, thank you, stitchers. Thank you for your emails and texts, and your very helpful feedback – like Kristine, who posted a bit about Bootstrap 8 1/2″ by 11″ assembly (thank you, Kristine!). Remember, I am here to help you if you get stuck!
So there’s no time like the present, to get started! Am I right?
holiday robe sew-along: cutting & marking
It is hard to believe it, but the sew-along is here. This is a simple project – perhaps the easiest in my year-long roster – but due to the large swatches of yardage, it still needs a little TLC. To that end – and given we’re using a somewhat intermediate pattern style – if you have any questions please contact me through comments, through email, or on Facebook!
So there’s no time like the present, to get started! Am I right?
holiday robe sew-along: supplies
As promised, here is a bit of a supplies post for the Holiday Robe Sew-Along, starting on the 10th of this month.
So first, I absolutely love this robe. I generally throw it on after showering, putting my hair up, and donning my undergarments. The jersey is so cool, and the drape and volume give a very elegant but modest effect so I don’t mind, say, answering the door if someone knocks.
For this sew-along we only need our pattern, our fabrics (if sewing a floor-length for an adult, I wouldn’t order fewer than five yards), and optional interfacing for the belt (you’ll want a knit or tricot interfacing; I favor Fashion Sewing Supply‘s products).
And before I talk fabrics, I am well-aware that sew-along peeps usually bend the rules. 🙂
The pattern I am using for the robe SAL is a pattern suited for knits or wovens, and carries a lot of ease. A lighter-weight fabric is the best choice, due to the sheer volume of the robe – especially if you’re going floor-length. My fabric choices below will highlight lightweight knits in either cotton, modal, or rayon (or a combination) – with or without lycra. You want to make sure your fabric is not sheer (unless sheer is the look you want). But remember, you can make this robe out of a variety of fabrics so if you want to try something else, post in the comments and I will give you my advice.
Obvious choices for this robe are solids, yarn-dyed stripes, and florals.
In alphabetical order, a few shops I’ve used in the last year that I’ve enjoyed working with.
Cali Fabrics is a great, quick source for inexpensive, good knits. You can search their knits by colorway. Imagine a glamorous Christmas-evening robe in this gold-on-navy sparkle knit; a playful daytime robe in this wonderful apricot jersey; something dramatic like this rose-print black and red. (You may notice the robe I demonstrate for this sew-along was made from the floral-on-sage rayon knit in this shop.)
Fabric.com is one of my staple sites. Not fast shipping, but free shipping. And they have a huge catalog of knit fabrics. I often search with highest price first, because you can find quality yardage at good prices that way.
FashionFabricsClub is rumored to be in cahoots with Fabric.com (let me know if you know better than I). They have a real hit-and-miss reputation, but the last time I purchased from them their customer service was fabulous. You can do a search on jersey knit or rayon knit to get started.
Similar to Cali Fabrics in quality and price, Girl Charlee carries great knits, and they are fast and inexpensive. Start at their knit section and work from there; cotton jersey and cotton lycra are both great choices, with lycra sporting a springier feel.
If you are interested in a cotton solid, imagine gnats is a great shop and Rachel is a wonderful person to order from! Her knit collection holds several laguna solids, which are great (and gorgeous) all-purpose solids (note: prices are per half yard).
Mood Fabrics has some of the most gorgeous fabrics around. Start in their knit/jersey section and go from there (look at this eggplant with metallic stars!). Fast shipping, too! Their customer service “Chat” function is very disappointing. But otherwise, I’ve been very happy with Mood.
There’s always Nature’s Fabrics – one of my favorite shops, hands-down. They have a lovely selection of cotton jersey prints and stripes. Many of their fabrics are knits, so searching a few other fibers yields wonderful results (like this rayon slub).
So there you have it! More than enough to get you started. Remember, you can email me or comment here if you want any guidance!
See you on the 10th!
holiday robe sew-along: save the date!
Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful time with our Costume Workshop – or whatever it is you’ve been sewing and creating this fall season.
For my November sew-along, we’ll be making the “Classic Long Robe” from Bootstrap:
I will be adding a neckline facing (from each hem and along the shawl collar), and omitting the breast welt pocket. I will also walk you through how to add length – the robe is essentially tea length, and for the version shown here (a size 16 at 5’5″, modeled by my 5’5″ size 8 daughter) I wanted a floor-length robe with a gorgeous drape (achieved!). I will also be walking us through how to create invisible stitching for our facings and hems; and a quicker machine-stitched finish as well.
There are many robe patterns out there; and in fact, Bootstrap has several robe patterns that would work with a rayon knit. The version I selected has a lot of wearing ease, so making it in a traditional heavy terry or even flannel would result in a very cozy, very voluminous experience. This is why we’re using a light knit: making it in a light rayon (or bamboo, which is also a form of rayon) makes it just as cozy, but a lot lighter weight. Of course you can make your robe up in almost anything! Comment below if you have questions. I will be covering fabric suggestions a bit more in our next post.
[ Edit – for those of you who elect to print a Bootstrap pattern on 8 1/2″ by 11″ pages, sew-along participant Kristine has some helpful information as to assembly ]I’ll put up a supply post in a couple days – and we’ll get started cutting and sewing on the 10th!
