I love pajamas. Nightgowns, robes, shorts sets, flannel jammies etc, yet I own hardly any. So I decided to spruce up the sleeping garment situation at my house with a little Downton Abbey inspired sewing. Now, the intention was to make myself a better night time wardrobe, but as usual I was waylaid by some pretty cotton’s in my stash that I felt would look SWEEEEET on my girls. So these nightgowns were for them.
Last year you could get the Unofficial Downton Abbey Sews Magazine from the Sew Daily Shop. It is actually still available and if you are a fan of the show or the time period there are some pretty nice patterns in there. When I spotted the nightgown it reminded me of the summery cotton nighties my mom would buy me and I knew I HAD to make a few. 2 of my girls agreed they would wear them so I decided to make one for each of them.
The pattern has 3 pieces- a front, back and a sleeve. I traced it long but made these first two short. Mostly because I used STASH fabric and had the exact amount for short ones. As a matter of fact I can proudly say I bought NOTHING for these two nighties. (OK. Technically I bought it over a decade ago but that doesn’t count, right?)
The fabric in this one is a quilting cotton I bought at Joanns well over 15 years ago. I made a little girl dress out of it and this was the leftovers. I know I know. That is a lot of leftover but hey! It has come to some good use now!
The lace is a crocheted cotton lace I found in my collection of lace, ribbons and trims box. I could not even tell you how long I have had it- I do not even remember buying it! It was pure white and this pretty floral fabric was not white. But after pouting on instagram, Sewbrooke and a few other ladies told me to tea dye it! So, tea dye it I did!
I used a variety of teas since I did not have any good old lipton lying around. At first I thought it was going to be pinkish- That Good Earth Spice Tea is delicious but had a decidedly red undertone, but I added in some green tea and feel like the result was pretty darn good!
The sleeve is a a short flutter sleeve, although mine is not as fluttery as the one in the picture. I figure because I used a fabric that was not as light as the one they used. But I love the result anyway.
The back is pretty sweet too. The nightgown has a nice relaxed fit. Perfect for summer nights!
All in all it is a pretty sweet nightie and Kadi asked me to make her another. You know you have a winner when you are asked to make another!
Holly’s is also made from a random piece of cotton I found in my stash. Except I have no idea where it came from or why I bought it! But I loved the pretty floral and the shade of blue was perfect for her.
Now I have to confess I only have 3 pictures of this nightgown, mostly because pinning these kids down for pictures is agony. Sometimes I feel like I should hold a garment hostage until they are ready to smile and say “cheese.” The only pic I have of her wearing it is the one I forced her to take after she had slept in it 2 nights in a row.
Holly’s is a little fuller than Kadi’s. I cut hers out second and realized I wanted to try it with the same amount of fullness that was at the bottom of the long nightie pattern so folded the pattern pieces strategically to get that extra fullness. I like it!
I used the un-tea-dyed half of the pure white lace to trim this one. You will notice the lace is set up higher than the other one I made. My mistake and I did not want to take it out. But it works right?
All in all I think it is a great pattern. Simple, and perfect for a pretty summer nightie. I think I need to make myself one next! Maybe in a soft cotton batiste/ voile/ lawn. 😀
Laurie
xox
PS. Originally I wanted to do this pattern as #1 in my monthly “Free Pattern” series. But it is no longer FREE! (Which is A-OK because I think just having the magazine to look at is worth it!) I do have a free pattern I finished up today I want to share and I will blog about it in a few days. I found it on Pinterest so it was lingering on my Pinterest Free Patterns Board waiting for me to give it some attention. Can’t wait to share it with you!
HISTORY LESSON
PPS. Nightgown vs Nightie. I started out calling this a nightgown, which it is, but as I was writing I was brought back to my childhood when all I wore were nightgowns, and I remembered that my mom called them nighties. I looked it up and learned that nightie was short for nightgown and it came in to use in about 1871. It was shortened for children and used in Britain. Interesting!! Does anyone still use the word nightie? I had to say it like 30 times cuz I really like the word! Guess I am a kid at heart.;)
Sew Exhausted 
These look lovely and cool for the summer. A great tip to dye the lace in tea, I hadn’t thought of that before! My mum always called them nighties too. Lovely work!
Thank you! I think they are perfect for summer too! 🙂
Yep, they were nighties in our household, too! And these are both very sweet, on very cute girls.
Thanks Jen! 🙂
They both turned out so great! Glad the tea dyeing worked well for your lace – it’s one of my favorite tricks when a lace looks too new. =)
I’ve only ever called them nightgowns in my family. For some reason, I think of sexy-bedtime-lingerie-you-wouldn’t-actually-sleep-in when I hear the word “nightie”.
They’re so pretty! Hope you’ll get round to making some for you too, as per the original plan! I’ve only ever heard them called nighties when I was growing up – nightgowns given visions of button up to the chin, very formal sort of bed wear for me 😀
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Well the pattern is still free, but the instructions/material list is not. Boo! Can you tell me what width of lace is recommended for this pattern?
http://www.sewdaily.com/sewing-patterns-and-projects/for-women/maids-nightdress