One of my first goals for 2019 was to make a garment from a commercial pattern. For some reason, I was developing a mental block against actually digging into the stash of easy patterns I’ve purchased from Goodwill and garage sales. I’ve made clothes for my son from PDF patterns online, and I’ve drafted my own patterns (with guidance from Melly), but I hadn’t yet taken my scissors to the antique tissue paper that is ’80’s-era sewing patterns.
As I suspected, I really had nothing to fear.
I did make a few modifications to the pattern:
- I used polar fleece instead of cotton or flannel
(since I had a couple yards left over after making my son’s Halloween costume) - I shortened the sleeves (mostly because I ran out of fabric)
- I omitted the interfacing at the neckline
- I chose to leave raw edges on the bottom of the shirt instead of hemming
- I omitted the button at the collar
- I added POCKETS!
The pattern I used is size Extra Large, which is extra roomy on me — if I’d had the option, I’d have made a Large instead. As it stands, I may make a light summer version of this nightshirt later on, and bring the side seams in a couple of inches per side, in addition to taking the short-sleeved option.
My son is so impressed by my new nightshirt that he wants me to make him one, and my mom has pointed out on Facebook that Mother’s Day is coming up….
I’d say my first attempt at making a garment from a commercial pattern was a rousing success!