Dad's nightshirt – Kwik Sew 2650

A Wee Willie Winkie style nightshirt for my dad.

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Headless shot of a very ill Andy doing some last-minute modelling for me.

This is a nightshirt I made for my dad for his birthday in January, following repeated requests for another one. Apparently long nightshirts for men are impossible to buy, and my dad likes them really long. He’s six foot, so I had to add another six inches to the length to get it where he wanted it.  I made the first version of it in a gorgeous tartan doublecloth about seven years ago when I was just getting started with garment sewing, and I remember it being fairly straightforward, so a likely candidate for a gift with my limited sewing time.

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And here’s the back. Not going to get cold legs in this. Especially not over trousers…

I was right about how easy it was. I constructed most of it on the overlocker and the sleeves are set in flat. Even the hem is made before doing the side seams, although I chose to change the order and do mine afterwards as I prefer the way that looks. The pattern instructions for the placket are superb and make the whole thing an absolute doddle. It’s made me think I should just get on with tackling more projects with plackets and button bands, like polo and henley shirts. I do love a good henley. Especially on Andy.

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Side view, where it doesn’t look like I pattern matched at all because of the way the fabric is hanging…

The only thing that challenged me during this sew was the rather cheap flannel I used–hey, don’t judge me for being a cheapskate. This thing eats up 3m of fabric, which put all the good fabrics out of my budget. The tartan pattern made things easy to cut out (really helps you to stay on grain) although I did have to pattern match. That wasn’t really a problem, though. I did such a great job on the patch pocket you can’t even see it in the pictures, although I did end up having to shave off a couple of inches in length due to not having quite enough fabric after the prewash shrinkage. No, it was the loose weave that made the fabric tough to deal with. It just wanted to shift and fray like crazy. I made things easier on the bias cut placket by fusing the interfacing on before marking and cutting, but still managed to screw up at the bottom where it joins at a slight angle. Don’t think anyone but me will ever notice, though 🙂

Just a couple of months ago this pattern was still available for digital download only, but now it’s no longer available in that format. There are a few secondhand paper copies circulating the internet, though, so if you’re interested you might be able to track it down. Okay, so it’s not the most fashionable of nightshirts, but my dad swears by it. Especially when he steps on it while climbing the stairs 😛

One last thing: three cheers for Andy, who agreed to model this for me despite feeling like death warmed up after a stomach bug. These low winter light indoor shots were the best we could manage as I’d only just finished sewing and Dad’s party was about to start!

Ever had repeat requests for handmade garments? I have to admit, it does make me a bit wary of sewing for other people!

What do you reckon? I'd love to hear from you!

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