1986 Vintage pattern

A neighbour’s parents are currently downsizing and in the ‘clear out’ I have been the grateful recipient of several lengths of fabric. In return I have made a bespoke nightdress. There were several stipulations e.g. must be cotton jersey, must have long sleeves, be be full length – 58 inches and not Pink in colour. After a browse on the internet I also visited Salisbury and the local branch of Fabricland where I was fortunate to find some great cotton jersey with a ditsy floral print in Blue. I bought 3.5 metres at a cost of £3.59/metre.

Searching through my patterns I found the one I was looking for which is McCalls 2827, a vintage pattern from 1986. I checked dimensions and cut out the nightdress. Although the pattern was originally drafted for a woven fabric I thought it would work in a jersey.

Making the tucks on the two front bodice pieces was slightly problematical but I managed at least one good set, the first set being a little ‘haphazard’!

Most of the stitching was done on the 4-thread overlocker. I drafted the long sleeves and cuffs which are circles with no fastening, made from double thickness of fabric. The neck binding was cut on the bias as a double fold. In the final check, I decided that the front placket was too thick to make buttonholes so the buttons are purely for decoration. The scoop neckline provides sufficient space for the nightdress to be ‘pullover’ style. The hem is overlocked and finished with twin-needle stitching.

Apart from a couple of small inconsistencies in the tucks I am very pleased with the result. I will be looking for some more cotton jersey to make a second nightdress. Next time I will use the Merchant & Mills pattern Dress shirt pattern that I have previously used to make a nightdress for me which I am confident will be easy to ‘hack’ to make a long-sleeved, full length version.

 Merchant & Mills Dress Shirt Design