Aqua Robe - Burda 9/10 #127

Taming the Blue Beast

While the fabric I've chosen for my daughter's robe for a Christmas present is soft and cuddly, is sure does shed!  The first step in working with the fabric was to realize that there wasn't much I could do about it and to get out the vacuum.  Using the serger for some of the construction and for finishing the rest of the raw edges was a big help.  In case you're planning to sew this sort of stuff, I used the differential feed on my serger and set it to the largest stitch length.  I also used safety pins to mark major points such as the top of shoulder - there really is no other way to mark this stuff except for tailor's tacks and this was quicker and easier.

I will have to say, once I figured out how to work with the fabric, the body went together rather quickly.  I did change the pattern a bit to make it work for a robe rather than a coat and to work with the fabric's properties.  I did two major things: eliminate all the darts and changed the buttonhole.  Regarding the darts, a robe is a garment that doesn't require shaping.  If this would have been flannel, I would have left them in.  In this fabric, less is better it is too thick to do darts well.

For the buttonhole, there was no way I was going to make a buttonhole in this fabric, so I opted for an inseam buttonhole since there is a waist seam.  This is very easy to make, and in wool or silk, looks very elegant.  Paco has used this technique in some jackets recently and it looks very clean.  It is even in his new pattern.  In this case, there's nothing elegant about this fabric, but the buttonhole is very functional.   All I did was to leave an opening large enough for the button in the waist seam. I'll have to do the same with the facing, but I won't have to make a buttonhole.

I worked on it quite a bit this morning and got the entire body constructed:

I'm not sure I'm liking it 100%.  I think what's bugging me is that the body is a bit long.  I may take off the skirt, trim the bodice length a bit and reattach it.  After that, all that's left is to attach the facing, hem it and attach the button.  I should be done with it tomorrow, but I've got to finish up the wedding gown before I bring out the shedding blue beast again.

Parting Shot:  Where's Wellie?  This time he was in the kitchen cabinets.  He got up there when my son was making sandwiches this morning.  This is a definite no-no for him.  He can go anywhere else, but not the dining room table, kitchen counters or cabinets!