Hollywood 1191 (1943): Housecoat

This is actually part 3 of my wacky, fabric-intensive, Good Friday. I'm throwing caution and logical order to the wind today.

Mom had a houseguest this week and it was finally driven home to me, when I forgot my pajamas and had to make a frantic, towel-wrapped, dash from shower to bedroom, that I really do need a housecoat.

This is less of a problem in the winter when I wear voluminous and very opaque pajamas, but in the summer I often sleep in underwear and t-shirts or tank tops. Not an issue when it's just Mom and I, but not really acceptable around non-resident family, and definitely not acceptable around well-bred middle-aged Southern ladies.

The last housecoat--the last three, actually--have not worked out for various reasons. Poor choice of pattern. Wrong fabric. Too short. Overestimated how oversized something could be and still be pleasant to wear.

I have a load of housecoat patterns but finally settled on Hollywood 1191 (1943) as one that wasn't too fussy and didn't look too restrictive or layered--no large lapels--to wear in Houston in the summer:

(the mini-me version in the middle.)

Housecoats and robes are sort of traditionally made in loud paisleys. I'm not so much a loud paisley person but the idea of them is still sort of fun. I am, however, a big Western print person, and there is some overlap. I actually knew exactly which print I wanted, and I knew where I could get it (shout out to GRS Fabrics in Old Town Spring!).

However, I got home with my spectacular blue and dusty-red Western paisley bandana print and realized that it really, really, wanted to be made into another pattern. It also wanted to be a dress. It was darker than I had envisioned for a summer housecoat, anyway, and it just wasn't a stay-home-behind-closed-doors personality.

So . . . back to the fabric store. I justified this by reminding myself that they were having a sale. You picked a plastic Easter egg out of the basket and the saleslady would open it and give you the percentage off that was on the little slip of paper inside. So Bandana Print was 25% off.

I came home with a rust-and-brown-on-buff Civil War leaf print instead. Well, it's sort of like paisley. If you squint.

(15% off!)

But I'm allergic to beige so it will have to have brown piping trim:


Here's my awful, awful, concept drawing:

I may make the sleeves long enough to turn back into cuffs, for detail. I'm also making it three-quarter length. Full length seems like too much for summer, and I believe that at-home clothing shouldn't need to be lifted to allow the wearer to walk up stairs: What if she's got an armload of laundry or something? Not very practical.

However, if I just make it dress length, I'll end up wearing it as a dress, and I need a housecoat.