Bluebird of happiness nightgown (and skivvies!)

FRANNIE
Pattern: None
Fabrics Used: knit print, knit cream solid
Made: September 2009
Time: About three or four hours (including embroidery)
Cost: Free!
Made for: Fabric scrap recycling

When I finished my yoga bag, I still had plenty of fabric left. I knew a dress was out, because P hates the fabric and he would tease me unmercifully if I wore it out in public. Ergo, I made a nightgown. Because then I can wear (in five months) in the privacy of our apartment and tease him about "Ha ha, I'm wearing the fabric you hate!".

There wasn't enough bird fabric to make the entire nightie out of it, so I dug a length of cream knit out of my stash for the skirt.

The bodice was shaped from an old tee shirt that I sacrificed for the express purpose of making a pattern. The buttons came from the tab tops of an old set of P's curtains. And it was supposed to have cap sleeves and a patch pocket, but El Padre "helped" me clean and threw away the pieces.

"But wait," you say, "you mentioned skivvies! Where are the skivvies?"

They look rather awkward in this picture, but I can't help but love them. But wait! There's more!
Who doesn't want to have precious embroidery on their bums? Certainly not me!

This was my first attempt at skivvies. I cut apart a pair of Hanes to make the pattern. They're a pretty comfy fit, but all the same, I don't think I'll ever make a habit of making all my skivvies.

Yoga Bag

YOGA BAG
Pattern: McCall's 4261
Fabrics Used: knit print, light green fleece
Made: September 2009
Time: About an hour and a half
Cost: About $12.00
Made for: Fitness Yoga class

I'm taking Fitness Yoga at school, and I needed a yoga mat. Did you know how expensive yoga gear can be? I found a cheap bright pink mat, but I wasn't about to pay $25 for a canvas bag...especially when I knew I had a pattern lying around that I could use.

The fabric was on sale at JoAnn's. I love love love this print...even though Patrick hates it. I also purchased cording and a button (well, two buttons, but I only used one). When I got home, however, I realized that I didn't like how thin the bag would end up. I wanted something a bit sturdier. Luckily, I remembered that I had a vast quantity of light green fleece lying around, so I used it to make a backing.

The main modification I did (besides the backing) was to make a strap using the knit on one side and the fleece on the other rather than using a length of webbing. I thought it was prettier...plus I forgot to buy the webbing. But it worked.

I also didn't add the velcro closure on the pocket. I'm not a fan of velcro, plus I don't feel like I'll be putting enough stuff in the pocket to merit adding it. So the button is just there to be pretty.

Something you'll discover as I post more sewing projects is that I hate interfacing. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I avoid it as much as possible. Therefore, there was no interfacing used in this project. I just used the fleece backing to stiffen the bottom of the bag.

Also, I sewed it with pink thread. I thought that pink topstitching added a nice touch.

What I should have done was measure the length of my mat. There's a good four to six inches of bag that closes over the mat. If I make this pattern again, I'll measure the bag so that it just closes over the top, rather than having all that extra.

So far, it works really well. It's sturdy but lightweight, and super soft. Plus I think that print is super cute.