Simplicity 9505, View A Nightgown

The inspiration for this one came from The Pile, even though the fabric didn't. I was originally going to make this project from the bacon and egg flannel; however, that fabric really wanted to be pj pants instead. Then I remembered the stripe flannel in the sewing room closet, and decided it would work well for a tunic-inspired nightgown.


I've made Simplicity 9505 before, in a different incarnation. View A is the current project, the blue tunic on the top row of the illustration and also what the girl with the ponytail is wearing:

I cut the tissue as I often do, size Small for the shoulders and armscyes then switching to Medium for the body. The tissue's measurements indicated a Small would work throughout, but I like to test first. I can always go back and resew the smaller size later, not so easy to do the reverse!

Cutting the fabric out was a challenge--I sure can pick 'em! I barely had enough. The pattern calls for 2-1/4 yards, which was supposedly what I had. But, that was the amount I bought. It's been prewashed a couple of times, and you know how flannel shrinks. And it's also an unbalanced stripe. But somehow, I made it work by cutting each sleeve from a single layer, and also by flipping the second sleeve the opposite direction from the first one. I know, this is a major no-no with a napped fabric, but it was a matter of do it or give up the project. Whatever. I'm the only one I have to please.

Here's the finished nightgown:

I think it came out pretty well and I'll definitely make this view again. I did end up keeping the Medium sizing through the body. You have to have sufficient ease to wear a nightgown comfortably, and Small would have been a bit too close fitting.