And then there were nightgowns

We skipped town last week. The girls were on spring break and we headed South to enjoy warmer temps, salt water and sand. I didn't turn on my computer for 7 days and I read 3 books. We drank beer and margaritas poolside, snorkeled and sea kayaked, went to bed early and slept late. It was the epitome of relaxation - good friends, lots of laughs, not a care in the world. We came home sunkissed and ready to eat vegetables for a week straight. All so good.

Before we left and after I sewed up all the patchwork things, I made the girls some new nightgowns. Sewing pajamas is intensely gratifying for me. The girls will always wear them and if I make a mistake or three, I don't have to worry about the garments being seen in public. I never really use a pattern, but instead make my own. Crazy? Not really. It's actually very easy.  I just take something they already have (a nightgown from Target, in this instance) and trace it. Then I add seam allowances and cut.  This one was only two pieces cut on the fold (a front and a back) and some strips to bind the arm and neck holes.

For these, I used the Oliver + S City Weekend knits - about a yard of each.  This fabric has a lovely hand and the girls confirm that it is super soft. I sewed the side and shoulder seams with the serger, but you could easily do that with a regular sewing machine, too. The neck and armholes were bound using 1.5" strips of the knit, done with the regular machine. On Kate's pink nightgown, I used the serger to make a lettuce edge along the bottem per her request. Jane wanted a regular hem and asked if I could put a bow on the front. Done. It took me about an hour to sew each one up and maybe 15 minutes or so to cut each out. So with the tracing of the pattern, this is about a two hour project.  And now that I have the pattern, it'll be even faster to make a couple more.