April in Review...

There has been a lot of unexpected sewing this month.

My sewing projects were influenced by the pandemic and the fact that I've been homebound. I'm trying hard not to live in my pajamas even though sleepwear has been a theme this month.

This month, needless to say, it was easy to sew from the stash. There was the need to locate some of the fabric first. Much time was spent searching for lengths of cotton fabric for scrub caps. This resulted in organizing the fabric and documenting where to find it!

I managed to sew as a distraction from the daily mixed messages from the various news channels (Canadian vs. American Cornavirus coverage) broadcasting political leaders and whiners. In the midst of all the mixed messages that took hold of daily life, I made 2 sets of pajamas, 1 nightgown, 5 washable grocery shopping bags, 27 face masks, 10 scrub caps, 12 reusable Swiffer refills and I even managed to catch up on mending. 

• 36.1 metres of fabric
• 1.55 metres of interfacing
• 2.5 metres elastic
• 10 buttons
• 1 serger needle
• 2 sewing machine needles
• 2 previously used, 1 new and 2 free downloadable patterns
• 1 shoe lace
• 0.90 bias tape
• 28.8 metres of twill tape
• 1.10 ribbon
• 1.5 cord

April was certainly a challenge filled with so much uncertainty and change. There was no new Easter outfit to wear to Easter Sunday service as churches were closed under a state of emergency declaration. Praying became a solitary activity with new meaning attached to the season. I longed for the fun and colourful Bill Cunningham style photos of the New York Easter Parade. Like many events across the globe, the Easter Parade was cancelled highlighted with the fact that Mr. Cunningham is no longer with us. It is with a thankful heart to New York Time's Vanessa Friedman who brought to life Cunningham's remembrance of the "carnival celebration of spring" in this article.

The Fashion Revolution movement played a quieter role under the state of emergencies and lock-downs. In-person events were cancelled and the online presence diminished as news agencies focused on daily pandemic briefings. 

I don't know for sure what next month will bring. Certainly more austerity measures as the state of emergency continues into next month. Thankfully, I have a stash to keep me going for a while longer.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Summer Vogue Patterns!

Oh my goodness what a welcome surprise distraction that Vogue Patterns dropped their Summer pattern collection today.

The first design that caught my attention is the Tom and Linda Platt pattern, Vogue 1691. I adore the loose-fitting style and it quickly came to mind that I have a vintage pattern of a similar style. I can easily adapt the Betty Jackson design, vintage and out-of-print Vogue 1606 to give it a modernized look.   

But let's go back to Vogue's 2020 Summer release because there are so many design elements that are so joyful!  

This Vogue 1708 jumpsuit has a certain level of 1940s beach glamour. It really is a cute design even though it wouldn't make it to my sewing table. It won't fit into the current lifestyle. Hmmm, wonder why sleepwear is absent? On that note, this could be the perfect social distancing in the backyard with a good book and cocktail outfit.  

Marcy Tilton once again did not disappoint with this lovely tunic and dress pattern, Vogue 1694. There seems to be a theme appearing with my favourite picks, ease around the mid-section. Perhaps, I should be sewing workout gear?  

The new summer release has a variety of pant leg styles from fitted as in this Rachel Comey design, Vogue 1704. What I love in this collection is that the pants whether wide legged or fitted, sit at the natural waist or higher.  

Thank you Vogue for the inspiration and the much appreciated distraction!  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

More Face Masks

Just four more face masks.  

The Craft Passion face mask pattern has been updated over on their website and I really like that there is now an optional 1/2" addition for wide cords.  

I did receive some much appreciated feedback from someone.  For a men's size L, cord of 50" (1.3 m) length is the best length. I was guestimating that approximately 44" (1.10 m) would have been a generous length. I was off the mark on that one! And there was also a note that the shoe lace instead of ties were the most comfortable. I agree on the shoe lace observation. I myself prefer it over the twill tape as far as comfort goes. 

Not much else to report on the making of these face mask. The fabric used for these are similar to the others in that they are all cotton. The outer fabric is a denim and the lining is a cotton shirting fabric, all pretreated before hitting the cutting table. I'm running low on mask making supplies so this might well be the last of face mask making.   

The Stats

Fabric:  0.6 metres

Ribbon:  1.10 m

Twill Tape:  0.6 m

Cord:  1.5 m

Bias Tape:  0.6 m

Pattern:  Craft Passion Free Downloadable 

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Scissors, Cutting table, pins, tailor's chalk, pin cushions, iron, ironing board, measuring thread clippers, threads, sewing machine, Jean-a-ma-Jig®, safety pin, and tweezers.  

Happy Sewing!

In Sewing News Today...

There is more charity sewing in the works.

But first I had to clean up the work table.

There was cotton fabrics all over the place as I tried to find enough yardage for the scrub caps.

I have cotton fabric.

Lots of it.

Mostly for sewing microwave cozies.

Most were too short in the length for the caps.

One pirate print was nixed when I asked what was though of it.

Sacrificed some beautiful Japanese cotton I had pretreated for a shirt.

It was worth the sacrifice.

It was a joy to work with the Japanese cotton.

And the scrub caps in the Japanese cotton turned out so well.

Less stiff than the ones made in the quilting cotton.

Not all cotton fabrics are the same.

I now need to make four more face masks.

But I can't find the face mask pattern pieces.

This sort of thing happens when I clean up the work table.

I'm sure they will pop up with I finish sewing the masks.

Went to reprint the pattern.

I noticed that there were some small changes.

There is a Craft Passion watermark on the pieces.

And adjustments to the seam allowances.

Glad I lost the pattern.

The new edited version looks better.

It's important to notice these small blessings.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Fashion Revolution: What Does It All Mean in the Time of a Pandemic?

Today marks the seventh year anniversary of the collapse of Rana Plaza and the birth of a not-for-profit global movement to try to hold fashion brands accountable while putting a spotlight on the devastation caused by fast fashion. Fast fashion and the fashion industry in general have been producing an enormous amount of clothing of increasingly man-made materials that harm the environment.

{Source}

Nothing could have changed consumer behaviour greater than a State of Emergency and lockdown of all non-essential business as retailers tried to shift to expanded on-line business models. I found myself ordering what was advertised as Dr. Scholl's diabetic cotton socks via Amazon only to be disappointed that they were polyester crap that was manufactured in India. Why even bother asking questions about the supply chain when we're just fed a bunch of lies.

Why are the fashion brands lying about the fibre content in their products?

I only wish that I read the reviews hidden below the advertisement that revealed the untruth portrayed in the ad. Instead, I had a misplaced trust that Dr. Scholl's was a good brand. I should have known better to do my research to prevent being ripped off with a polyester sock. That was not what I was shopping for and I certainly learned my lesson about ordering items untouched from an online retailer. Never again.

This is an opportunity to reimagine what could be as the world's global and economic activities has slowed down. A cleaner world has emerged with the slow down. But I have little hope this year that things will continue towards a cleaner world.

And there was a re-imagination of home sewing activities as people dug through their sewing supplies to create and donate face masks and protective gear as politicians call us to help out in this humanity crisis.  And shortly after, as these random acts of kindness emerged, word came that there was an elastic shortage as pleas for elastic donations emerged from online communities. Many again answering that call and offering alternative solutions.

Traditionally held Fashion Revolution week activities such as clothing swaps and film screenings had to be reconsidered in an age of social distancing. This week shows that a fashion revolution doesn't need to be an organized crowded event. A fashion revolution starts with the individual, a change (tragedy or pandemic) that ignites a shift in thinking and re-evaluation of what is really important in a time of need.  

There has been a lot of that happening around the globe this month. Giorgio Armani wrote a reaction piece to the April 2, 2020 article, "Tipping Point:  Will the Flood of Collections Yield to Slower Fashion?"  In Armani's reaction published on April 4, 2020, he highlighted, 

This crisis is an opportunity to slow down and realign everything; to define a more meaningful landscape. I have been working with my teams for three weeks so that, after the lockdown, the summer collections will remain in the boutiques at least until the beginning of September, as it is natural. And so we will do from now on.

This crisis is also an opportunity to restore value to authenticity: Enough with fashion as pure communication, enough with cruise shows around the world to present mild ideas and entertain with grandiose shows that today seem a bit inappropriate, and even a tad vulgar — enormous but ultimately meaningless wastes of money. Special events should happen for special occasions, not as a routine.

The moment we are going through is turbulent, but it also offers us the unique opportunity to fix what is wrong, to regain a more human dimension. It’s nice to see that in this sense we are all united.

Will the pandemic redefine the fashion landscape in a way that Rana Plaza could not? Time will tell if the conversation falls on deaf ears or finally emerges as a call to action that results in a significant industry and consumer change in behaviour.   

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

I've Been Busy & Running Out of Cotton!

Ten scrub caps are done and ready to ship just when the post is announcing delays. I hope these get to their destination quickly.  

No idea on how these will fit but it appears to one size fits all unisex pattern.

They have a tie in the back for size adjustments.

The black and white scrub caps are made with the most beautiful Japanese cotton. I actually picked this up many moons ago thinking about a shirt project. The yellow cotton fabric is a quilting cotton, much more stiff feeling compared to the Japanese cotton. Both fabric even though different to the touch worked well for these caps. These fabrics were pretreated with a tumble through the washer and dryer followed by a steam pressing.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Earth Day Project: Reuseable Swiffer Refills

If you want to do something to celebrate Earth Day, may I recommend watching the documentary Planet of the Humans, a look at the environmental movement and organizations.

The big crisis of our time is our minds are being manipulated to give power to illusions. ~Vandana Shiva quoted in Planet of the Humans

I took a break from the charity sewing project yesterday to do another type of sewing while watching the documentary. It's a feel good illusion that this small sewing project is somehow going to help the environment. Or maybe not?  

Lately, grocery shopping trips have to be strategic and only necessities make it into the shopping cart. As the budget has to be re-evaluated and adjusted with the ever increasing and daily austerity measures the province blames on the pandemic, Swiffer refills are now considered an extravagant luxury item. And yes, the disposable refills are not a good option for the environment.

So here's my simple Earth Day project as I consider all the information from the documentary.   

I chose a vintage cotton flannel from my stash and cut slightly larger than a Swiffer sheet. The seams were sewn with a 3/8" seam allowance, corners clipped and turned over.  I finished it by topstitching the opening shut.

It's that easy and it works great with picking up the dust off hardwood floors. And better yet, these are washable. No more Swiffer refill sheets will be ending up in the landfill from here.  Happy Earth Day!

The Stats

Fabric:  1.8 metres (makes 12)

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, iron, ironing board, sewing machine, thread, scissors, thread clippers, pins, pin cushion and coffee.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Special Request: Scrub Caps

I'm making these scrub caps for a dear friend working as a nurse in an Ontario hospital. She sent me this pattern along with the request. 

I not a fan of the war metaphors found in the website along with all the protests across the border surrounding the pandemic. It's even spilled over here with conservative politicians criticizing medical professionals and the World Health Organization (WHO). I'm of the view that war metaphors and hearsay is not helpful. This is not a war crisis, I see this as a humanitarian crisis. When war rhetoric is used in regards to this crisis, it invites an us against them mentality. The world can use a huge dose of kindness and respect to all of the world's scientists, researchers and health care professionals if we're going to get through this and beyond. These caps are my kindness contribution as I mute out any war rhetoric that is broadcasted from the television set, radio and online. I don't need that when I'm sewing. That type of rhetoric does not motivate me to do random acts of kindness. I don't see how it could motivate anyone. Okay, jumping off my soap box.  

The pattern is quite good after you make sure the scaling is true. I found that it didn't print as per scale no matter how set the scale box for printing. So, I would certainly recommend making the necessary adjustments before you cut out the pattern. There should be noted that there are no notches included on this pattern, instead you're instructed to find the centres and mark those before sewing.  There is a marking for where you should roughly start sewing on the ties. I will say that after sewing the first one the pattern appears to be well graded.  

The fabric is a Japanese cotton that I found at Northwest / Marshall's many moons ago. It was pretreated with a tumble through the washer and dryer before hitting the cutting table.

Well, on that note I should get back to sewing the remaining four scrub caps and get this into the mail.  

The Stats

Fabric:  5.5 meters (for 5 caps)

Pattern:  Free PDF pattern

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Iron, ironing board, cutting table, pins, pin cushions, tailor's chalk, scissors, thread clippers, sewing machine, walking foot, thread, screwdriver, tweezers, printer, paper, measuring tape, measuring gauge, curve ruler, L-shaped ruler, pencil and copious amounts of coffee while I tried to fit the sizing / gauge on the printed PDF file (proceed with caution).  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Nightgown: OOP Butterick 5517

Vintage and out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 5517 is not a nightgown pattern, it's a dress pattern. What makes it a nightgown is my desire to wear it as one and perhaps my t-shirt weight cotton knit fabric.   

It's the simple design, raised waistline and pockets that lead me down this path. There were a few minor changes to the pattern. The skirt was raised one inch near the raised waistline so that the pockets would sit higher. On this pattern the pockets are cut as one with the skirt portion. The hemline was lengthen two inches. This makes it a full length nightgown. Yes, I'm that short. The bodice is lined with the same fashion fabric to give it more support as a nightgown. And it works for me.

I really like this pattern, it's a keeper. Even though it is a simple design, this one is all about the fit. I am thrilled where the cap of the sleeve fits. I did omit the elastic casing at the raised waistline as I really wasn't going for a snug fit there.

The fabric is a cotton knit that I found in the discount section at Fabricland a couple of years ago. When I picked up this fabric, sleepwear was the further thought from my mind. I don't know why, it's so comfortable. The fabric was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer before hitting the cutting table.  

The Stats

Fabric:  3.5 metres

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 5517

Interfacing:  1.80 metres Knit 'N Stable tape

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, measuring gauge, pins, pin cushions, sewing machine, walking foot, serger, tweezers, threads, thread clippers, and coffee.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

It Just Doesn't Feel the Same This Year

One of my favourite National Days is upon us, National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, and it just doesn't feel the same this year. This could be that I've been spending more time in pajamas that I would otherwise be if it weren't the pandemic measures in effect. Or perhaps it's because my workplace has been shut down?

I just can't seem to get excited about the thought of spending the whole day staying in my pajamas this year. So much so, I got dressed in regular clothes. Shocking, eh? I guess I have become bored with wearing pajamas in the daytime. It doesn't mean that I'm completely out of the festivities. I wouldn't mind sewing another pair of pajamas for when I get out of this funk.

Besides my go-to pajama patterns, Butterick 6296 and out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9217, I have several options. Yet, I'm thinking something more lounge-y.

I'm looking at making View B in a full length as a possible sleepwear option. I just have to dig through the fabric stash and see what I can try this out in and see if it will spark some of that old excitement for today.

How about you?  Will you wearing or sewing pajamas today?

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Deep Dive Stash Busting

I can't believe that I managed to squeak out three more face masks. The fabric wasn't an issue, it was finding enough length of twill tape for ties. Actually, after deep stash diving and hunting I found enough 1/2" twill tape for two.  For the third face mask, I found braid in the stash. I guess if needed I could sew together some bias tape. Someone suggested making t-shirt ties as well.  I don't have any t-shirts that I want to cut up but I do have some knit fabric that could be used if need be. 

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

  

The Unlikely 2020 Spring Fashion Trend

Wow, who would have guessed that face masks would be one of the hottest 2020 Spring fashion trends? Certainly, not I. Otherwise, I would have been sewing these in a psychedelic or polka dot printed fabric.   

Along with this peacock feather printed canvas face mask, I have finished another nine that are ready to send out.

All of these are made out of denim and have a medium weight cotton Pique as a lining. And I'm done.  I've used up all of the appropriate width twill tape, some 3/4" wide twill tape and some grosgrain ribbon. I've even cleaned out my elastic stash of appropriate options.

I'm ready to sew something more creative and challenging.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

In Sewing News Today...

There has been more face mask sewing.

The text on this one reads, "THIS IS AN ACT OF LOVE." It refers to the recent medical advice not to use a face mask with the thought that it makes you invincible rather that you will be protecting others more than yourself.  

On one mask to be worn by someone who wears glasses I switched to twill tape instead of bias tape used on the very first model.  I thought this would provide more cushion between the wire.  

Yesterday, during a shocking look at Canadian models Dr. Tam, Canada's Medical Officier borrowed a quote from Felix J. Palma's 2008 novel, The Map of Time, 

We are the authors of our own fate--we write it each day with every one of our actions. ~Felix J. Palma

I thought the original quote was more suited but this edited version from Dr. Tam is embedded in our collective recent memory as a call to action.

This couple (Men's and Ladies) set is made in a black 100% cotton denim and lined with a 100% cotton shirting fabric.

And there was one more Alice Cooper inspired face mask in the mix.

I still have more face masks to make as a friend asked me to make nine for her family. Unlike these ones, I won't personalize them. I just want to get them out in the post as soon as possible. It's my pleasure as spending my free time sewing face masks makes me feel like I'm doing something helpful. There seems to be a lot of people doing the same.  I will probably keep sewing until I run out of supplies.

Talking about supplies, along with flour and yeast at the grocery stores, there are local reports that there is a fabric store shortage of elastic used for face masks. Do you find this in your community as well?  I wonder what the online options are like or if this is a local occurrence.

I've been noticing that a lot of face masks are being made out of polypropylene fabric sourced from recycled reusable grocery bags. I would never have thought of using this material and at first I thought it was an odd fabric choice.  It seems that polypropylene fabric is also used for sportswear, cold weather undergarments, military wear and diapers. Many reviewers are claiming that this is the best option but I'm happy with cotton fabric. It's breathable, comfortable to wear, resists static electric build-up, and can withstand heat, detergents and bleach. Okay maybe mixing bleach and the black denim might not be a good combination. If you're making face masks, what's your fabric of choice?

Well, that all in sewing news today. I should get back to work.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Additional Notes on Sewing Personal Face Masks

Right now I'm focused on sewing the Craft Passion face mask pattern for others. I've read some reviews that say that the sizing is slightly off and I just want to address this issue.  

I find the gauge on the pattern to be true and if your 2" scale doesn't match up check your printer options.  

The default on my printer is for "Fit to Page," change this scale option to "Actual Size" and you should find that this will resolve any sizing difference issue on the scale. 

There two patterns have been printed with both options.  The cut pattern piece was printed using the "Fit to Page" option.  The uncut pattern piece was printed using the "Actual Size" option.  

You'll notice there is a slight difference.  

On another note, here is the latest face masks made today. I was having some fun with Sectrum Noir™ felt markers that I have in my sewing supplies and playing around with the embroidery script feature on my sewing machine.

It reads:  "If you can read this you're standing too close."

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!  

Living in Pajamas: Butterick 6296 and Vogue 9217

Yes, I made another pair of pajamas and yes, I will admit that I feel like living in them lately. The only thing that is stopping me is that I don't want to get these dirty.

These pajamas were made with my go-to patterns, Butterick 6296 for the top and out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 9217 for the bottoms. 

The fabric is a medium-weight 100% cotton Pique that has a bit of sheen. Even though the fabric was pretreated prior to hitting the cutting table, I decided to give the bottoms a bit more ease by adding a wee bit to the side seams. Just in case there might be some further shrinkage in the future. Hopefully, this will be an over abundance of caution.   

Same changes to the pattern as the previous one,

• extended back yoke
• shortened sleeve 
• omitted breast pocket and piping.

The pants on this pair have the side pockets, I miss them from the last version. There was an inch added to the pant leg length.   

The Stats

Fabric:  4.5 metres (140 cm width)

Interfacing:  0.80 metres sew-in 

Buttons:  5 recycled buttons

Pattern(s):  Butterick 6296 and (OOP) Vogue 9217

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Ironing, ironing board, cutting table, pins, pin cushions, scissors, thread clippers, tailor's chalk, hand needle, threads, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, tweezers, screwdriver, safety pins, Jean-a-ma-Jig, serger needle, cutting board, hammer, buttonhole cutter, tailor's wax, sleeve ham and coffee.  

Stay Home & Happy Sewing!

  

Unexpected Sewing Project: Face Mask

If you told me at the beginning of the year that I would be searching for and sewing a face mask pattern, I don't know if I would have believed you. Yet here we are. While staying at home and listening to the Queen's address to the commonwealth, I got to work.  

This is the face mask that I made with the pattern from Craft Passion. It's free to download and comes in a variety of sizes. There is an instructional video on the site as well. I chose this one because it seemed to have the most positive reviews in the online sewing community and I like that it has an alternative option to the elastic around the ear.  

I like the ties.  I am able to take it off safely while keeping my hands away from my face.  

This pattern is for a lined face mask that has opening for a filter and a casing for wire to give a closer fit over the nose.  

Instead of cutting the casing for the wire out of the fashion fabric I used a remnant of bias tape from the stash. I don't have a wire that I can currently use.  The instructions suggest using pipe cleaners but I'm seriously not going shopping for anything that is not essential.  I can live without this feature.  There is an online suggestion from another reviewer that twist ties can also work. Might be something to try if you're inclined to try out this pattern.  

The fabrics are all cotton that were previously pre-treated with a tumble in the washer, dryer and stream press. The "fashion" fabric is a cotton denim and the lining fabric is a medium weight cotton Pique remnant.  

The Stats

Fabric:  0.15 metres

Tie:  1 shoelace

Tape:  0.15 metres bias tape

Pattern:  Free downloadable from Craft Passion

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, tailor's chalk, scissors, thread clipper, sewing machine, cotton thread, iron, ironing board, tweezers, pins and pin cushion.  

Stay Home and Happy Sewing!  

Washable Shopping Bags: McCall's 4851

The appearance of COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our lives, that goes without saying. For some, this includes what we've been sewing. This shopping bag is an example of this type of project.

I want to move away from the thick plastic re-useable bags that are in my car to all homemade washable fabric bags that I can throw in the laundry immediately after grocery shopping. Especially after reading that the COVID-19 virus can live on plastic surfaces. That bit of news jump-started this project.

I have in the past made some bags for grocery shopping. Some of these were gifted, I think that I only have one left. And there is the bag that I made from out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 8705 which I still have and use. I just want to sew some fabric bags to add to these two.

Out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 4851, a Nancy Zieman design, was adapted for this project.  It's not lined nor interfaced and I left off all the pockets and inserts. I really like how deep and wide the bottom is, it will hold larger items if needed.  The straps on the first one were shortened through placement and the plan moved to shortened them even more moving forward.

The prototype with the longest straps (second from the left) is perfect for carrying the shopping bag over one shoulder. The others are better for hand carrying. For these lengths I added about another six inches to the pattern piece, stitched, turned over, pressed and then cut in half before slip stitching the ends closed.  They were then top-stitched in place.

The fabrics are a canvas weight that I have found in the home décor department at Fabricland. They are strong, durable and washable. Just what I need. The fabrics was pretreated with a tumble in the wash, followed by the dryer before hitting the cutting table.

And in the news, this story appears questioning whether washable and re-usable bags are better than plastic. The next great debate?  

The Stats

Fabric:  5 metres

Pattern:  OOP McCall's 4851

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, bar stool, pins, scissors, pin cushion, sewing machine, serger, thread clippers, threads iron, ironing board, ankle brace, heat pad, lots of breaks and coffee.

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!

Silk Pajamas or New Pantsuit?: Butterick 6296 and Vogue 9217

Silk pajamas have been on my wish-list for a very long time. Now, I'm thinking these might be too fancy for sleepwear.

The top was made with Butterick 6296, a Lisette design. This has view A's hem length with view B's long sleeves that have been shortened a wee bit for a better personal fit. The back has an extended yoke that I adapted after reading Kathryn Brenne's silk pajama article from Vogue Sewing magazine.

The buttons are vintage (circa 1970s), recycled and were found in the stash waiting for a project that calls for green buttons.

The pants were created with Vogue 9217, a Kathryn Brenne design. Even though these were not designed as pajama bottoms, I find this design to be perfect for the occasion. The hem design was changed to eliminate the curved side slits.  The pockets were also eliminated only because I ran out of this one-way designed fabric.

Sadly, they are currently a little snug. I would like to blame it on the fact that I left off the pockets but to be completely honest it's because I gained some weight. Recovering from a sprained ankle didn't help with trying to get my Fitbit steps in and the extra pounds off. Hopefully, the pants will fit better in the next few weeks. And then I can decide if these pieces will become my new pajamas or a pantsuit.  

The fabric is an embroidered silk that I found a few years back at the home décor department at the local Fabricland store. I will admit there was some apprehension in cutting into this gorgeous piece of cloth and in the end I'm grateful that this project turned out and that I did take that first cut. Prior to hitting the cutting table, it was pretreated with a tumble on the delicate cycles and a gentle steam pressing. Just in case there might be additional shrinkage, this garment will be strictly hand-washed in the future.

In order to avoid any fusible interfacing bubbling, I opted for sew-in interfacing. It was worth all the extra time to sit and hand sew the facing and collar pieces. Plus too, I don't think the fusible interfacing would have worked over the bulkiness of the embroidered areas. I know the delicate nature of silk, these garments will likely not withstand the wear and tear of let's say flannel pj's but I can tell you I will enjoy wearing these fancy pj's until the day they will need to be repaired or replaced.

The Stats

Fabric:  3.5 metres (147 cm width)

Interfacing:  0.75 metres Pellon® Lightweight Sew-in Interfacing

Elastic:  1 metre (2.5 cm width), recyled

Buttons:  5 vintage buttons

Patterns:  Butterick 6296 (top) and Vogue 9217 (pants)

Additional Supplies & Tools:  Pins, pin cushions, cutting table, bar stool, scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, measuring gauge, iron, ironing board, clapper, hand sewing needle, thread clippers, tweezers, sewing machine, serger, threads, sewing machine needle, walking foot, buttonhole foot, screwdriver, cutting board, buttonhole cutter, hammer, sleeve ham, safety pins, ice packs, ankle brace and many, many breaks.  

Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!