Woohoo!!! I have things to share!  I have been doing a bit of sewing here and there and have a bunch of makes to share with you.  OK, so we are going to start with these two vintage nightgowns that I made.

I’m going to start with the second one I made, first, because it’s my favorite.

Vintage Kwik Sew 630 Nightgown sewn July 2022 (second one)

Measurements at this time:

high bust 39 inches

bust 42 inches

waist 37 inches

hip 48.5 inches

Date Sewn: I started sewing this on July 31st and finished it on the same day. It’s a nice quick sew

Size: large for my bust/waist, and extra-large for the hip

Adjustments: I made 1/2-inch forward shoulder adjustment

Fabric: a remnant from Joann’s. I know people give the doodles/pop line a bad rap because they shrink so much but this was the cutest fabric and I just had to have it. I don’t care. it is a little bit tighter than my first nightgown, but I don’t care. I purchased a one-yard remnant of the pop interlock in this bluish picnic-bees-and-mice fabric. I paid only $5.24 for the one yard and then I used some cotton lycra scraps for the neckline and the sleeves. The cotton lycra was from purple seamstress from some project, who knows how long ago. I keep my scraps in the bucket and then when I need them, I just pull them out. The royal blue happened to match exactly what I needed for this, so win-win. The interlock fabric is 98% cotton and 2% spandex. It’s super soft, doesn’t have a ton of stretch, but it has some stretch and I love it. I bought the fabric on June 14th, 2022.

Thoughts: I find the neckband tight when I used cotton lycra, I feel like it needs an inch more in length. I should have used ribbing for the neck, not the cotton lycra – or added the extra inch. This is a vintage pattern and I know they choose ribbing back in the day. It’s not completely uncomfortable but the arm bands on the biceps are a bit tight, using the interlock.  I just love this pattern for a nightgown. It is the perfect length, it is super comfortable, and I love that curved hem on the sides.

Here is a closeup of the fabric so you can see how cute it is.

Vintage Kwik Sew 630 – Sewn the first time around Jan 23, 2022

Measurements at the time:
Same as the 1^st nightgown above

Size sewn: also the same

Adjustments: also the same, lol

Fabric: Now I will talk about the first time I made the pattern. I used a rayon spandex fabric; I got it a long time ago from fabric Mart (May 12, 2017).  It’s called turquoise white tie dye print rayon lycra jersey knit. I had three yards of this for $4 a yard and I don’t know why because I really don’t like rayon spandex. I have a ton of rayon spandex in my fabric stash and I don’t like the fabric LOL.  I find that it shows every lump and bump, and it pills, and I just don’t care for it; however I wanted to try this pattern and not use any of my good fabric so, it sewed up just fine and it works but it’s already pilling. On the flip side it is soft and really comfortable. I sewed up Miss K a pair of pj pants with my scraps, so we used every inch of these 3 yards of fabric.

I used a ton of wonder tape on this one. the bottom hems are only 1/4″ and curved, that makes for some interesting sewing.  I used wonder tape and then coverstitched the bottom hem but after wearing I found that the coverstitch, even on narrow is too wide for the 1/4” hem.  So the second nightgown (bees and picnic baskets), I used a 3-step zig zag on the hem and I much prefer it.  You can see the difference in the hems below. And you can see the pilling on the tie-dyed fabric.

I just love this curved hem!

This pattern also has a pair of underwear/boy shorts you can make to match your nightgown. I wanted to try these because I’m all about trying different underwear patterns as you can see in my super long underwear post. I sewed the underwear with the tie dye fabric to match on August 15^th. I originally took two inches off the front rise and one inch off the back rise because let’s face it, vintage patterns are too high rise for me. When I laid the pattern on top of my favorite underwear pattern, I could see that it was super wide in the front but in the back it looked ok. That front gusset was very wide, but I wanted to try it. I used 19 inches leg elastic, 29 waist elastic even though 32 is suggested. I also used fold over elastic here instead of the 1/4 regular elastic they call for. I am allergic to latex and actual elastic is too itchy, but I found that fold over elastic works great and doesn’t make me itch.

Here is the vintage undie pattern on the bottom, and my favorite Draft #2 on top of it.  See how much wider it is!

original wide undies.

When I was done sewing up the underwear they looked quite large. I tried them on and laughed so hard. The crotch is too low, leaving a seam across the lady bits that is not comfortable.  The crotch was also way too wide. There were folds in the crotch because there was too much fabric. I guess it was the opposite of a camel toe in that it just had two much width. I didn’t want to give up on these so I took a marker and drew where I would want the front and the crotch to be and I cut the underwear apart and decide to resew them. I ended up taking 1.5 inches off each side of the crotch for a total of 3 inches out of that crotch!! I tapered up to the front hip and left the back piece alone. Now they fit, but the application of the elastic is not something I care for; it makes it way too bulky. The pattern has you sew the elastic to the right side and then flip it around to the back and sew again so you have 2 layers of fabric sandwiching the elastic. That is too thick and bulky for me. I also found while wearing them that I really do not like rayon spandex underwear they are too hot to wear. So, the undies are a failure but that is ok. I have a tried-and-true favorite undie pattern already.

Here are the fixed, modified narrow undies. They will be going into the trash.

Final thoughts: So I love this pattern for the nightgown.  I love the length, the curved hem, the ease at which it wears.  It is easy to throw on and be comfortable lounging or in bed sleeping.  I will probably make a few more in the future.

Lets throw in a quick picture of Miss K’s pants I also made with this tie-dye fabric.

I sewed these up Jan 19, 2022.  It was the first real make I sewed since brain surgery and I struggled.  I only attempted to sew one other time in Sept 2021, my black leggings, but now I am doing better and able to sew more. Not as much as before brain surgery, but at least I can get in my sewing room and make some things.  I shared these pants on a different post back in March of 2022.

I’ve made this pattern for both of us so many times now:

Jan 2022 these blue tie-dyed, April 2020 green fruit, both for Miss K 

Sept 2017 black stripe for Miss K, Dec 2017 Red yoga for me, Dec 2017 purple stripe for me, Dec 2019 red xmas pjs for Miss K, and Aug 2020 my favorite pair of gray french terry pants for me.

Miss K wears these ALL THE TIME so I must have made a winner.  She loves the pattern of course but she also loves the softness of the rayon spandex.  I love that I used up every bit of the 3 yards of fabric and we had no scraps.

And now a quick health update: A lot has happened since my last health update in March 2022.  I started a different seizure medicine.  It seems to be helping quite a bit and my stomach is tolerating it so far.  This has allowed me to be able to get out of bed more and do more “normal” things for me.  I still spend a lot of time in bed, a lot of time in pain, and a lot of bad days, but they are getting less and less as time goes on.

I had my radiation follow-up MRI in August.  I was so freaking scared.  BUT the best news happened. My remaining tumor has showed NO GROWTH.  This is huge news, very good news.  Now I wait another 6 months and have another MRI.  We just continue to watch the leftover tumor (half was left from surgery) the rest of my life.

On the flip side, the radiation has destroyed much of my pituitary gland so I am dealing with many symptoms from that So now I deal with pituitary hypothyroidism and all that goes with it= hot sweats, dizziness, hair falling out in chunks, weight gain, fatigue, not sleeping, cold as ice, etc. A lot of the brain surgery symptoms such as fatigue and insomnia are made worse with the thyroid issues.  My emotions are a mess as well.  I miss my pituitary regularity.  I never knew all the things it did for me.  So anyway, we just watch and wait and see what damage comes further.

I’m trying to stabilize my emotions, but I’m still so very angry about having the tumor.  I don’t want it. I don’t want to be this person.  It frustrates me daily still.  My hair still falls out in handfuls daily, but it is slowly growing longer again.  I’ve gained 60 lbs since last fall/winter when my pituitary gland crapped out – that pisses me off because most of my older makes do not fit me.  I look in the mirror and I don’t see me. This is not me.  I look so old and tired.  I try to do more normal things, for me, and then they hurt and I”m mad. But when I succeed at doing something I used to do, I’m elated, but exhausted.  It is very much a rollercoaster.  I’ve been trying to repeat this quote in my head when I get really depressed. “Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” by Sonia Ricotti.

That’s all for now, I have many more makes to share so be on the lookout for more!

Happy Sewing!!!

Kristin