Before I jump into the pattern review of Simplicity 3696 . . . once again, I know that it has been over 6 months since my last post. I’ve had a lot going on outside of the internet and something had to give. I deprioritized my blog in favor of more critical items like my job, maintaining my health through working out, and taking care of my puppers. I’m also trying my hand at making more YouTube videos (this has been very slow going on account of “a lot going on outside of the internet”), but hopefully things are a bit more under control now, so here we are.
You may also notice a slight change to the look and feel of the blog. I was informed that my old theme (the7) was going to start charging an annual fee for updates. Since this blog does not generate me any money and in fact costs money for domain registration and hosting, I didn’t really feel like tossing another $50 down a year. It took me almost a full week to modify a standard WordPress theme to have a similar look and feel, but this one should be maintained indefinitely so hopefully we won’t have to go through that again any time soon unless I’m feeling like a makeover. Anyhow, on to the pattern!
Today I’m talking about Simplicity 3696. My previous robe was wearing out at the pockets and was almost always too short when I wanted to wear it around the house so it was time for a new one. This pattern is out of print so I can’t link you to the pattern although you can find a bunch on Etsy or eBay. It’s a pretty basic pattern. Straightforward. Loose so not much fitting. Overall, a good pattern . . . unless you decide to complicate things with your fabric choice.
I had this lovely pink flannel-backed satin that I had gotten at Joann’s (RIP) many, many years ago and had always wanted to make a robe out of it because the pink satin reminded me of the robe Shirley Temple’s Sara wears in The Little Princess which was a movie I liked as a kid. I didn’t feel like buying a new pattern and I was pretty sure there was enough ease in this one to just make it out of a woven. Which there was. But again, my choice of fabric left something to be desired.
This satin was a bear to work with. It rippled at the raglan seams. The collar stood up which it probably wouldn’t have done if I had used a knit. And despite pre-washing, it crinkled over the interfacing as if it shrunk further after washing. Now, I did sew this several years ago and I like to think I’m a better sewist now than I was when I made this. But the fact remains, I wasn’t thrilled with this robe when I made it.
Case in point: my personal touch was embroidering the pocket to really give it that princess feel. Here you can see the pocket before and after washing:
I really didn’t feel like it was my best work. Because it wasn’t.
So it sat in my time-out pile for a couple years. Yes, years. I didn’t hate it enough to get rid of it, but I didn’t like it enough to deal with it. I kept meaning to take photos. Finally I did (the ones you see here) and started wearing it because the previous robe had really gotten threadbare. And you know what? Turns out I like it well enough and wear it all the time.
Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But the flannel lining means it is cozy. The length is great. I like the embroidery even if it looks a little jank. It has pockets (of course).
I do kinda hate that the belt is so slippery so it often falls open, but I can fix that with a little tie . . . I just haven’t gotten around to it.
But I do feel a bit like a princess when I wear it. I’d love to redo it at some point even though I really, really hate sewing with satin. Recent projects have reminded me of that. I have some strong opinions about sewing with it, but I may have finally found some versions that don’t make me want to rip my hair out.
So there we have it. A perfectly imperfect robe. I do recommend the pattern, but do yourself a favor and use a knit or at least pre-wash your fabric more than once? I don’t know if that would have even helped. Maybe a sew-in interfacing like muslin. Maybe I’ll remake it and if I do, I might use a pattern designed for wovens like the Cashmerette Fiske, but my last robe lasted ~15 years so probably not any time soon.
Stay tuned for some posts on some exciting projects that I got to be a part of this summer!
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