Category: Sleepwear/Loungewear

Asaka Kimono

Leave a comment

I don’t wear a robe often, but when I do it’s with heels on a windy day in downtown Richmond in broad daylight.

As soon as I realized I was going to need a robe for Camp Workroom Social this weekend, I knew the Asaka Kimono was the pattern for me. Just. Look. At. Those. Sleeves.

img_5360

The sleeve design – two piece and wide cut, with a deep vent from wrist to elbow – is somehow both glamorous (look at them!) and functional (they won’t hang into my cup of tea or ever need to be rolled up).

img_5375

img_5374

Several seamstresses have made this garment to be worn as a dress. You can see my very favorite example here. However, I made mine out of a rather boring but soft and breathable cotton/linen blend, specifically to be worn as a robe. So the thought of going out in public to have my pictures taken was a bit awkward. (And Brian rightfully pointed out the irony when I commented on a passerby wearing his pajamas outside. Touché.) But as soon as the wind hit those sleeves, making them flutter every which way, the awkward feeling passed and I felt a bit like a super hero who happened to also be a movie star. And that led to some twirling. In the empty parking lot. With people walking by and watching.

It is unlikely that I will make this pattern again – how many robes does a girl need? – which is sort of too bad. It was a quick and easy make that really stands out between the sleeves and the nice neat collar finish.

img_5401

Pattern: Named Asaka Kimono, size 6
Fabric: Fire engine red linen/cotton blend with red velvet ribbon trim inside the sleeves
Modifications: Shortened the sleeves by 3″ but left the robe length long
Mural: By Gaia, for the 2012 G40 Art Summit in conjunction with the Richmond Mural Project presented by Art Whino. Located at 11 West Grace Street, Richmond, VA.

Reef PJs: Pastel-y

I’m continuing my quest to get rid of all of my Target pajamas. These are the Reef PJs by Megan Nielsen made out of two remnant pieces of linen I had in my stash.

Megan Nielsen Reef PJs

I’m not sure I’ll make these again, the top twists around my torso when I move around in my sleep, but they gave me a chance to experiment with bias-cut fabric and the different stitches on my machine.

Pattern: Megan Nielsen, Reef camisole and shorts
Modifications: Shortened and slimmed the camisole at the side seams for fit, only put in one pocket due to extra bulk
Fabric: Linen blends from my stash

More Carolyn pajamas

Well, I’ll probably never be accused of being afraid to use color!

12794486_794861007325658_7442405723604418601_n

Long sleeves, just in time for the warmer temps…

12800169_794861017325657_1045863899483138687_n

This isn’t true piping. It’s flat cotton bias tape cut 1/8″ wider than my seam allowance.

Pattern: Closet Case Files’ Carolyn Pajamas, long-sleeve
Fabric: Bright watermelon pink stretch cotton that’s been in the ‘toss’ pile at least once
Buttons: white plastic from my growing button stash

Confession: I’m not done making pajamas yet despite having a brand-new-to-me beautiful vintage cocktail dress up next in my queue.

Carolyn pajamas: Take that, Target

I am not a fan of fast, cheap, it’ll-last-for-a-year-before-getting-tossed fashion for a variety of reasons that I won’t bore you with here (or at least not right now). One of the hardest items of said clothing for me to stop buying has been PJs from Target. They’re normally surprisingly well designed and *so* cheap. They keep sucking me in. Well, never again.

12742417_784765638335195_5574063675725582546_n

I had originally planned to do the collar & pocket top in solid orange, but it looked a bit like a bowling shirt.

12715270_784765645001861_895805803887540245_n

My first notched collar with piping, a fairly well-hidden pocket, and perfectly matched buttons!

12729054_784765665001859_7144437452938450977_n

I can’t believe I found vintage buttons that match so perfectly online.

Pattern: Closet Case Files’ Carolyn Pajamas
Fabric: 100% cotton ‘Metro Tile in Orange’ by Robert Kaufman (which I purchased 10+ yards of for a long-forgotten home project years ago) with scraps of orange Kettle Cloth gifted to me by my mum for the cuffs and piping.
Buttons: Vintage, glass, and hand-painted in the perfect color

Confession: Despite a large pile of different sewing projects in my queue, I’m almost finished cutting my second pair of these and have my fabric prepped for a third.