A night shirt, sore knees and a mention in Pretty Nostalgic magazine!

The pattern I'm using from Sew Magazine

I have *finally* started to make something from a pattern! *hurrah* I hear you cry (about time!) So after not actually getting very far with making an A-line skirt which was originally my first item I was going to make - I decided to start with a night shirt. Then if it did go horribly wrong at least only my fella and the cat are likely to see it!

I dug out an old copy of Sew magazine which had a free night shirt pattern with it. It said 'easy for beginners' so thought it would be perfect. It also requires buttons so would give me the chance to have a go with the different button stitches on my sewing machine. 

So yesterday afternoon - I made a start. 

I've decided to make the medium size one so it is nice and roomy to sleep in. 

I carefully cut out the tissue pattern pieces. Then pinned to the fabric - which I'd ironed - and cut out the fabric pieces. I hadn't actually measured the fabric, so soon discovered that there wasn't actually enough to make the long sleeve version!! - so am making a short sleeve version instead (well it is nearly summer...;-)  So that was the first lesson I learnt. Don't trust your eyes!

Then I pinned it all together! And realised I'd cut one of the inside collar pieces the wrong way around. So that meant I didn't have enough fabric left over to cut another one. So I improvised. I have used some contrasting shirt fabric instead. I think it's looking a bit more funky as a result.  

The fabric I've used for the main body of the night shirt was given to me and wouldn't have been a pattern I would have bought - but I think with the different colours and patterns I like it now. I'm going to use a selection of different buttons as well. I did think it looked a bit like an overall before adding the different coloured fabrics!!

How it looks so far!

This evening I have sewn and pressed the pockets - which was a bit fiddly and haven't quite managed to get a very smooth round edge on the bottom of the pocket.  I guess that takes practice?  Would really appreciate any tips. I made a template out of card as the pattern suggested, but found the steam from the iron kept burning my fingers when I tried to fold in small bits at a time to make a curve.  Apart from that am feeling rather pleased indeed with how it is looking so far!

The pockets - getting a neat rounded corner has been fiddly even with a card template...hoping when I come to pin them to the front I'll be able to neaten them up a bit more.

As for sore knees! Well, when I knelt down on the carpet today - ouch - my knees hurt! 'ah' I thought - am I just getting old or is there such a thing as dressmakers knee? Obviously all that time spent cutting out the fabric on the floor had hidden costs!! Maybe I'll make myself some padded knee protectors next!! ;-)

And - welcome to new joiners! Stephanie - who joins us all the way from California - our furthest a field joiner so far and welcome to Emma who has joined after reading about the project in the latest issue of Pretty Nostalgic Magazine! which hit the shelves today! *very exciting* Thank you so much for the lovely mention!!