Saturday, June 18, 2016

The Botanical Almada Relaxed Robe in Cotton Lawn

Kitty could not be persuaded to give up the fabric, another had to be selected.    Very lightweight cotton lawn, perfect for the project.  Some neon lace would have been fun to funk it up a bit. It's in a box somewhere, if it surfaces it might be added after the robe is sewn up.  Living out of boxes, no fun.



Changes made to the instructions are as follows...
The center back seam was eliminated, so I drew a line 5/8" in from the center back and placed the fabric fold on the new mark for center back.





The grainline of the tie piece is now down the warp instead of cross grain.  This produced a slightly better yield.



The placement for the ties were brought forward about 1", the original placement created tension on the sleeves.  I'll have to wear it for a bit to see if this will be a problem.

Finishing changes...
Seams are french seam (because I like french seams :)

The center front and cuff edge are bound with a narrow double fold bias trim, which resulted in a contrast touch down the center front, and inside the sleeves. This is a variation, the instructions use the bias as a hidden facing, but I opted to wrap the edge instead.



It's really very cute, there isn't a deep overlap in front, just in case you're wondering.  It delivers everything I wanted from a casual robe. The sleeves aren't so long that it gets caught up in anything, and it's a good length for me.  I will certainly be prepared for the surprise visits from the neighbors with this at the ready.





If you are thinking of making this robe, there are a number of lovely versions online.  It looks especially good in a silk charmeuse, or satin.  Maybe I'll make a fall version in silk.

Update:  Wearing it this morning at breakfast, the cuffs get caught on the kitchen knobs, so be forewarned.

Meanwhile, I may have to consider one of these for the hot days ahead, click here!
If that doesn't scare the neighbors, I don't know what will.
:)





7 comments:

Irene said...

Lovely! Hope you stay cool.

ELMO said...

Thank you Irene, will do!

celkalee said...

Gorra love that cat! I think this fabric is perfect. The bias trim gives it great punch. So glad to see you working the needles again!

ELMO said...

Maybe cat was expressing his opinion on the fabric choice.... he said, I'm keeping this one, you can do better.

Linda L said...

Lovely!!!

AmyA said...

Hi, do you know why there is a need to sew the back pieces together when you can just cut on the fold and om
it this step? Is there a reason for this? Your robe is beautiful!

ELMO said...

Hello Amy, There is no reason to have a seam down the back. It might come in handy if you have a really narrow fabric and can't get both pieces on the fold.