Dressing Gown

When I made the nightdresses ( http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com/2011/01/nightdresses.html) I realised that given their lightness and thinness, it would be good to make the matching dressing gown.

I also made bags for the nightdresses to be kept in. I remember having a couple such bags for pyjamas when I was a girl. I'm sure they had a name, which I can no longer remember. 'Sachet' is the word that comes to mind, but it isn't quite right. The smocked nightdresses deserved such bags.

The first was relatively straightforward, using an iron-on transfer from my mother's stash and a monogram from Susan O'Connor's book Monograms: the Art of Embroidering Letters. I outlined and filled the B with stem-stitch, then satin stitched over the top.

The second one was slightly trickier. I always collect the little pieces of smocking cut off to form armholes after the smocking is complete, thinking they must be useful for something. This seemed like an opportunity to experiment, so I used the off-cuts from the nightdresses to form decorative corners on the second bag.

Each corner is two offcuts handstitched together. It worked OK. The B in this one is in stemstitch.

The Victorian Dream for Girls pattern I used for the nightdresses has a gown pattern with it, so I purchased more fabric from Country Bumpkin, this time in a slightly heavier cotton. It pleated and stitched nicely.

 The sleeves have an overlap rather than an underarm seam - quite easy to do. I edged the sleeves and bottom with a cotton/polyester lace left over from the second christening dress for the twins. It is a very easy way of edging - just lace edge wrong side to fabric edge  right side with a fine zigzag, then turn down and straight stitch around on the right side.

I was unsure about the length, but I decided to stitch a pleat around the bottom if it was too long - which it wasn't. Since taking the photo I have added a small pocket and a tag inside the back for hanging on a hook.