Velvet Twist Dressing Gown

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I've probably ranted on here a million times by now about how I'm trying (not always succeeding) to make more practical, generally wearable clothes, and that was the idea behind today's make. These days, I want to put as little effort as is physically possible into getting dressed, yet still want to look extra. This is quite a difficult balance, but I've found that the key is to redefine what "getting dressed" actually means, and do something I never would have considered in the past, and spend all day in a dressing gown. If you never set foot outside your house, the old rules of socially acceptable daywear no longer really apply - well, that's my theory anyway.

I recently posted about a different dressing gown* I made as part of the Minerva Makers team using the Named Clothing Lahja Dressing Gown*, which was more on the snug side, while this one I'd say is more on the glam side of things. I made this using the Studio Faro Twist Dress pattern drafting instructions - if you're not into drawing out your own patterns, the Pipe Dream Patterns Eilidh Twist Dress (view 1) would work well here instead. I have yet to try out view 1 myself, though have made view 2 (post can be found here*) with the twist at the back, and I absolutely loved it.

I've used this Studio Faro pattern before (such as with this jumper) so I didn't have to do any pattern drafting, mock ups, or fitting, which meant I could get straight on with cutting out my fabric. The fabric I used was Crush Glitz Velvet in the colour mocha, provided to me by Tia Knight Fabrics in exchange for a post on Instagram. I'll be honest, I'm not a massive fan of crushed velvet - I find the texture to be a little jarring. I prefer my velvet to be more matte and stroke-able (such as their steam velvets, which I have used oh so many times, such as with some blue trousers, and a red dress or two). But I did like working with a non-stretch velvet for a change, and I think that the extra shine that crushed velvet brings, really worked with the idea of a luxurious, glam dressing gown, so I do think this ended up being the right fabric for the job.

Construction of this garment is a lot easier than it looks. First, you want to finish off all your seams - I did this using a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine, but an overlocker would be better if you have access to one. Then you make the twist - on the front pieces, there will be a section that looks a bit like pacman's face. Interlock the two pacman faces together, and have one side gobble up the other, then pin and sew the first pacman face shut. This will mean the side you've yet to sew will be nice and gathered, which will hopefully start to show how this will come together. Then sew the other pacman face shut, and boom, you have your twist. All other seams are pretty simple - sew your side seams, sew your shoulder seams, hem, and you're done.

I used an invisible zipper to help me get into it - if you're using a stretch fabric, this probably wouldn't be necessary, but as this gets quite fitted around the waist, there was no way I was going to get this on without any closures. The problem is, this is meant to be a dressing gown, so I didn't want anything fiddly, and I didn't want to have to flail around behind me to reach a centre back zipper, so I went for a zipper on the side seam, stretching from the underarm to the waist. This way, it's still nice and easy to get on and off, but is mostly covered up by my arm, so it isn't obvious that it exists.

I'm really happy with this make, and very glad to have something comfortable yet sophisticated to wear around the house on the many days when I don't feel like getting dressed properly. For me, this is what loungewear should be.