patternSo, now you have chosen the pattern, but you want to make some changes.

First, how do you make a fancy nightgown?  You bought or created the night shirt (t-shirt style) pattern, but what do you do?

First trace the smallest pattern that fits you (that way, if you make a mistake, you don’t ruin your pattern). Trace only the front and back and trace the sleeves from a slightly larger pattern. The sleeves you will keep the same, but cut the front and back so that it is only about twelve inches from the top. The pattern will look almost  like it is a sleeveless crop top.

Now, make a rectangle that is about one to one and a half inches wider than the widest point in the front and back of the pattern. On the long side, be sure to write cut on fold and add your grain line making it parallel to the long side of the rectangle. Make sure it is about an inch and a half longer than you want the bottom of your nightgown to come, measuring twelve inches from the top of your shoulder. Do you want to add lace?

Most patterns will have you pin the pattern to the fold. Be sure to fold your fabric in half so that it is long and thin.

Pin your front and back patterns to the fold as close to the top of the fabric as you can to reduce waste. Most patterns will have you cut out the front and back twice (One set becomes the facing which does a lot of things including helping you avoid a traditional neck hem). Pin the rectangle to the fold and it cut out, and repeat one time.  Most patterns have you pin the sleeve away from the fold so that you are cutting out two at once, so pin your sleeve pattern so that the grain line is on the grain of the fabric and cut it out.

If you are using a pattern that already has these pieces, the steps should be the same.

Now that you have all the pieces, you are ready to put it all together.

Stay tuned next week for putting the nightgown together!