Another Emma! this time with added lace. I really like how this one turned out, I made the variation with the lace and like how the black lace works so well with the darker style print.
The fabric was picked up at the Sydney Spoolettes first fabric swap of 2018 (2nd from the top in this photo. It was smallish but you need so little for this pattern that I knew I could make it work. It’s super soft and the original owner said she got it from Knit Wit in Perth.
It’s slightly firmer across my stomach where I’m lopsidedly swollen after surgery but am not worried as thats something that is unique to me and not the pattern fitting incorrectly.
Since my last version I’ve sized down the bust area to a size 12 but kept the body at a 14 but apart from that no other changes.
One of the reasons I wanted to do a racer back slip is that I am a very wriggly sleeper. Normally slips fall off my shoulders and I get all tangled up in them. This narrow curving back fits perfectly and stops the slip from moving off me as I wriggle in my sleep. A great solution that also looks flattering.
I also got to use my overstitch machine for the hem, was very exciting. Am still in the early stages of knowing all the ins and outs of the machine but so far very impressed.
Pattern: The Emma Slip by Measure Twice Cut Once
Fabric: Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap 2018 and black fold over elastic and lace from Pitt Trading
Alterations or changes for next time: None
I’ve made this pattern once before for a friend and always wanted one of my own and yet just hadn’t got round to it. Then early last year we had our very first Sydney Spoolettes Swap meet (you can read about it here). Where I picked up this lovely Japanese cotton. It has an ombré fade across it and a printed panel edging on one side. I knew it would be perfect for this robe.
I had to be super careful with my pattern placement so the fade would be consistent across all the panels. But I was running just a fraction short on the front panels. A quick bit of cut and slicing later and there are extra seam lines near the shoulder at the front. Honestly am not even sure anyone would notice if I didn’t point them out but it meant everything fitted on correctly.
The neck band was a great way to utilize the printed border, again I had to add some seams to make it work but it looks so good I’m glad I took the time to sort it out.
Wanting an entirely clean finish I stitched on the underside with the idea of turning under the front and top stitching it down. However when I tried to do this I had nowhere near enough fabric and raw edges to deal with!
I took it into Pitt Trading with me and had a fun time matching trims to cover up the raw edge. There was a lovely lace trim that looked so pretty but I wanted to get it done quickly so I went with this lilac petersham ribbon. It’s just stitched over the top of the raw edges to keep everything neat. The excess I used to create the waist tie with.
Despite being incredibly lightweight it’s a lovely gown to wear. Not great on very cold nights but as a lovely cover up for warmer weather it’s just about perfect.
I like that despite the dramatic sleeves you can still use your arms (in fact am typing this while wearing it!). Here I am tucked up with my robe and quilt, it’s very hard to take a downwards photo while sitting.
It even looked good draped across the bottom of a hospital bed.
Highly recommended and perfect for gifts too.
Pattern: Named Asaka Robe
Alterations: changed front band construction to have clean finish, then had to add ribbon to fix the gap.
Fabric: from Sydney Spoolettes swap, thank you whomever dontated it!
