Folkwear Hapi Coat (Kimono Robe)

Disclaimer: I did not make this robe. My twenty-something year old DD did.

My DD stayed with us for 5 weeks this summer. She was on a rotation where she worked at a hospital in Asheville, and would leave the house at 4am each morning and drive the hour to work, spend 14 hours at the job, and then drive back. The good part of it (besides the marvelous training she received) was that she came home to a spic-and-span bedroom and bath, bed made, laundry done, and a good supper waiting for her. What is it about us Moms that make us so happy to care for our children, no matter how old they are?

Anyway, the last week she was here, she was doing a pathology research project and could work on much of it online from our house. She used the "extra" hours to sew a kimono-style robe that she had wanted since she was a senior in college. I was advisor on this project, and, outside of helping out with a bit of "unsewing" and refashioning of a couple of tricky areas, she did the entire project herself.

She is so proud of the results!

I'm posting her creation on my 'blog because although she made the robe, I made her. OK, I had a little help. But it's still a pride of ownership thing. (wink).

Oh and one more thought. My heart got stretchmarks from swelling with pride each time I walked into my sewing room and saw her diligently sewing away on my Bernina, listening to music on the Bose iPod speaker system, just as I do when I sew. There was a bit of a disconnect. It was like looking into a mirror, although I didn't know if I was looking backward, seeing myself at a younger age, or looking forward, seeing her, sewing alone, several years hence. Every Mom knows that feeling, when your child does something in nearly an exact replication of your actions, except that they think they're doing it for the very first time. What a marvelous thing it is, to have a child.

Robe Photos:Although the pattern did not call for it, a China silk lining was added. Here's a peek at it, at the lower hem area.

Pattern Used:

Folkwear #129 Japanese Hapi and Haori
Pattern photos:Line Drawing:

Materials:

Fabrics:

Three quilting cotton fabrics from Valley Fabrics, Northampton, MA

China silk from my stash

Thread:

Gutermann 100% silk thread in sewing machine

MaxiLock 100% polyester thread in serger

Machine Needles:

Size 80 Universal

Machines:

Bernina 1630 computerized sewing machine

Elna Pro 905 DCX computerized serger.

Things my DD did with this project (that weren't in the pattern instructions):
Added a lining

Quilting cotton can be grabby, so my DD stash-dove into my collection and came up with a white China silk for lining. She learned that making changes in a pattern requires some thinking ahead. It was a good learning experience for her.

Things my DD learned, or was reminded of in this project:

Where do I begin? It was her very first sewn garment, unless one counts various haphazard Halloween costumes for her and her roomie's annual med student Halloween party at their condo, and the curtains I helped her with for her very first apartment.

Things my DD would do differently, were she to make this robe again:

Not a blessed thing. She was so thrilled with the results.