Simplicity 3711 - Dressing Gown

Friday I met up with one of my sewing pals Viv who I met a year or so ago on a sewing course in Birmingham.  She agreed to make the 2 hour train journey up to London so we could go off exploring the sources of fabrics that we have in and around London.

Our fist trip was back to Leather Lane where we both managed to find lots of lovely goodies - but I will save them for another post.  Later we cycled to Dalston Junction, and I took her to Dalston Mills, a great place first introduced to me by Elizabeth, aka ejv from the Stitchers Guild Sewing Forum.

Viv loved the shop and we spent most of the time wandering around going ooooh and ahhhhh because there are some lovely fabrics there (I have my eye on their cashmere).   Viv bought some great fabrics to make some more beautiful couture jackets that she does so well, however, apart from some fantastic embroidered quilting fabric that I will make a jacket out of, my sights were set on some lovely soft fleece to make this Simplicity 3711 dressing gown for my beautiful little granddaughter Alana.

I found exactly what I was looking for - guestimated a metre would be sufficient (she is only 16 months old) and the lady cut the fabric - this should have been my first clue - we were all covered head to foot in tiny pieces of the fleece, and of course, both the lady serving us and myself were dressed in black.  We looked liked we had just walked through a winter wonderland.

Sadly, when I got home and cut out the pattern, I had the same problem, I was once again covered in the tiny pieces of extra extra soft fleece.  This also proved a little difficult when I was sewing it on the serger because it was difficult for the feed dogs to grip the fabric.

Still, I persevered, and here is my end result.

I embroidered her name on the right front, I also found some ribbon with little hearts on too, but only enough for trimming the pockets.  For the front and the bottom edges, I trimmed it with pink and blue ribbon.  I have sewn the belt to the back waist part of the dressing gown, so that it doesn't get lost.  I also hand sewed the belt loops too.  So this is the first of my little Xmas gifts done and dusted.  I have been working on my embroidered squares, which I will make into a quilt for her, but that will have to wait until I get back from my business trip.