One Homemade Dressing Gown

[Shangas]

This is only my second attempt at making one...

 

[Edward]

Very nice. Good length (I find far too many modern ones stop too short, north of the knee, alomst like a too-long smoking jacket). You've got a good proportion on the lapel-width too.

If you're really getting into this, Evadress.com have a pattern for a men's 30s robe that might be interesting to you if you want to experiment with a peak lapel style (think: Claude Rains in The Invisible Man) - you certainly seem to have the hang of the general form and wouldn't need a pattern otherwise. Look forward to seeing how this project develops.

 

[Michael A]

Looks good Shangas. And I love that hand crank Singer. I've been meaning to make myself a robe, but I'm suffering from terminal laziness lately when it comes to sewing.

What fabric did you use to make it?

Keep up the good work,
Michael

 

[Shangas]

Very nice. Good length (I find far too many modern ones stop too short, north of the knee, alomst like a too-long smoking jacket). You've got a good proportion on the lapel-width too.

Thanks! Yes, I notice that a lot of vintage gowns/robes are quite LONG - shin or even ankle-length, whereas most modern ones (unless they're bespoke, or insanely expensive) are really short. I always thought that the first point of a dressing gown was to keep you WARM, so I deliberately cut this one quite LONG to be able to wrap it around myself.

If you're really getting into this, Evadress.com have a pattern for a men's 30s robe that might be interesting to you if you want to experiment with a peak lapel style (think: Claude Rains in The Invisible Man) - you certainly seem to have the hang of the general form and wouldn't need a pattern otherwise. Look forward to seeing how this project develops.

If I ever find some better fabric, I might try making another one. This is only the second one I've ever made. In the end, I modified the lapels and turned them into a sort of shawl lapel. I think the sleeves were a bit WIDE though. If they were maybe 2-3 inches narrower it might've been better, but I was worried about the fact that it's supposed to be an over-garment, and I wanted to be able to get my clothed arms comfortably through, without ripping the seams. I'll post more photos soon.

Oh, I also added in a breast-pocket next to the left lapel, just so I had somewhere to carry my phone with me around the house.

 

[Shangas]

Looks good Shangas. And I love that hand crank Singer. I've been meaning to make myself a robe, but I'm suffering from terminal laziness lately when it comes to sewing.

What fabric did you use to make it?

Keep up the good work,
Michael

My little hand-cranked sewing machine has been my pet for about...oh...10 years now? It's my favourite little machine. The fabric I used was, believe it or not, a set of old curtains from IKEA. I found them at a charity-shop for $10.00. They were pure cotton, and they looked like a nice, solid hardwearing fabric to make something out of.

If I ever try making another robe, I think I will try and find some red fabric, and perhaps find something that's a bit softer.