A Sentimental Refashion

Aaah, house coats. They are an article of clothing that I will forever eschew. I mean, I understand the comfort factor but come on...you're either dressed or not. Does there really need to be a middle ground? I was always secretly horrified by the idea that women may or may not have anything on under those horrid things. Whew. I'm glad they are slowly falling out of fashion!




That said, I will always have great memories of this house coat. It belonged to my beloved Grandma Rydalch, and when I found it buried in my parents' basement, I couldn't help but snuggle my face into it and breathe in the fragrance of Grandma's house. I instantly remembered countless sleep overs, yummy breakfasts, and sitting on the rocking floral love seat next to her while she sliced apples and told my cousins and me stories.

I immediately knew I wanted to repurpose the house coat into a nightgown for my oldest daughter, who has needed new p.j.s for months. I told my daughter about all the great memories I had of my grandma and she was very excited to be the recipient of a sentimental piece. Plus, it helped that she loved the silky, funky vintage fabric (1979 to be precise).




I used my other daughter's nightgown for a pattern and included the existing hem from the house coat. I didn't want the new nightgown to be too frilly, so I skipped the ruffle.




Then, I invented a new sleeve pattern that wasn't gathered. The little petal detail was an accident, but I love it!




I used a strip of pink knit to finish off the neck and that's all she wrote. It turned out to be adorable and the whole process only took 25 minutes. I love seeing Amber in it, and I think of Grandma Rydalch every time she wears it.




Groovy, right?

Check me out at Tatertots and Jello, Kojo Designs, and