Sewing Project: Summer Nightie

This is a summer nightie for Patsy from Simplicity 2819. I modified it in several ways.

First of all, the pants on the pattern fit just fine, once we made sure we had the correct measurements. She made some p.j. pants a couple of weeks ago, using this pattern, and they fit well.

I decided to re-use the pattern and make a summer nightie with some thin cotton I had on hand.

I ran into trouble immediately. I cut the nightie out using the same size as we had used for the pants. The neck opening was barely big enough for her to get over her head when I tested it. It looked small, so I was nervous, and thankfully had her try to pull it over before I went any further. I made sure that worked, and moved on.

I immediately realized that the back and front were going to be so narrow, and there was no opening, so she was never going to be able to get it on and off with comfort, much less feeling that loose, comfortable feeling we all like to enjoy while sleeping. Instead, it was going to be constricting and tight, and therefore was going to get ripped right away. This is a problem I’ve had before with both nighties and jumpers/dresses when I’ve sewed for some of my other children when they were younger.

I was in trouble, as I was out of pink fabric, so I dug into the drawer and found some white cotton. I split the front piece up the middle, added a panel of white, gathered it all up to fit the yoke piece, and then proceeded. It added several inches of fabric to the front of the nightgown. It made all the difference, and saved the project. Now its looks and comfortable, fits her really well, and looks great. Whew!!!

I have several projects planned for my Covid-19 stay-at-home time. Sewing several items is high on my list. It felt good to get the first one done!

6 thoughts on “Sewing Project: Summer Nightie”

    1. Thanks! Now that I have it figured out, I’m not sure if I want to make a second one, or just try a different pattern:). Either way, she should come out of this epidemic with lots of new clothes, hopefully!

  1. I love how creative you were by inserting the extra fabric. It looks great. We are doing the same things here, tightening our belts and not wasting anything. I too, think this will last for a few months. Already I see how it is affecting me. A five- year old video popped up on my youtube and I watched in horror as people stood close together, hugged, shook hands, sneezed into their hand, grabbed each other’s food, shared a toothbrush (it was a comedy) – things that are now forbidden. It is a different world.
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

    1. I felt quite excited last weekend to get to stay home a bit, but not for the reason why I’m staying home:(. I love the things I’ve been able to get done, and have a huge list. I’ve noticed that we don’t even want to waste any food right now….we keep saying things like, “I’m sure someone could eat that tiny little bit of ____” when we normally would have composted such a small amount. We are well-stocked, though, and the garden is coming along, just with the very early things, though.

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