Part One: Sewing Sleepwear to Wear With a Scoliosis Brace

My go-to sewing patterns for sleepwear have been Butterick 6296 for the top and OOP Vogue 9217 for the bottoms.  I've tried a few other sleepwear patterns but I don't reach for these as much.  Over the years, it's all about Butterick 6296 and OOP Vogue 9217 and when one pair needed replacing, it was another version of the set that made it to the sewing machine.  

That was until the new back brace entered the picture.  Yes, I sleep with this thing.  

And now my go-to pajama top just doesn't cut it.  I can certainly continue wearing my pajama bottoms but I will have to rethink the top situation.  I'll need instead something fitted but not tight underneath the brace.  The goal is to prevent fabric from bunching under the brace, this will help to avoid skin irritation.  I've been wearing these tops in the meantime.  But I want longer sleeves to keep my arms warm and cozy during those cold prairie winters.  

Now, I will give Vogue 1852 a try as my new sleepwear set.  Before I get ready to cut this pattern, I will need to trace it out and make some adjustments.  First up will be adjusting the pattern for the top.  One side of my back is four centimetres wider than the other side.  There is a shoulder adjustment that will need to be made on one side as well.  The length looks like it might need to be lengthened.  

My two resources to help with these adjustment are The Daily Sews 2018 article "How to Alter a Pattern for Scoliosis" which basically paraphrases Sandra Betzina's Fast Fit:  Easy Pattern Alterations for Every Figure's chapter on Scoliosis.  I have more issues caused by my scoliosis than are discussed in these resources.  But they are a good starting point.  

So, let's start this journey.  

I have a moderate-severe S-shape curvature and a significant rotation of my spine.  During measurements for the new brace, I discovered that one side of my front to back measurement has a four centimetre difference from the other side.  One side of my hip sits higher than the other side.  My shoulders are also not even and it is exaggerated more when wearing and moving in the brace.  

No wonder I'm smitten with asymmetrically designed patterns, it mimics my body shape!  So, the next step is to make this symmetrical designed patterns into an asymmetrical designed pattern.  Sounds easy enough.  Or does it?  Stay tuned for part two.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.