the homemade dressing gown

I wouldn't say this was the easiest project in the world. In fact there may have been a whole night of unpicking involved. But it's done and it's serving it's purpose. Which is keeping Julia warm on those frosty mornings. After growing out of her old dressing gown I have been promising her a new one.

I used an old pattern found at the op shop, I think it is an older version of this one. I decided to make the outer with an old wool blanket, and line it with a flannel sheet. The pattern didn't include instructions for the lining, so I was on my own there. Never having lined anything before that wasn't specified in the pattern. And I certainly need more practice in that area I can tell you. There was lining that didn't match up and awkward bulky wool binding. So I re-aligned the lining and used some vintage cotton (I suspect it may be an old Liberty) as the binding instead. Success! Though it did take a night of hand stitching that binding.

I had that discussion with Daniel. Why am I making something when I could just go and buy it? Why go to all that trouble? It made me think about why I really do it. Why stay up late sewing like a crazy lady? Sometimes it's hard to explain to someone who doesn't always get the homemade thing. Because it doesn't always make practical sense to sew. But it is ethical, it does cost next to nothing if you use recycled fabrics, and you get something that cannot be bought in the shops. I'm thinking that  it's a little prettier than the standard cartoon character dressing gowns in the chain store here.

Then there is that something you can't really put into words. That has to do with that warm fuzzy feeling when you think back to your own childhood and recall the things handmade for you. Except we called it homemade back then.

(Of course it was terribly dark when I photographed this. Sometimes lighting just doesn't co-operate.)



So Julia is happy, I'm happy and Daniel is happy (that it is finished).