Beach Robes

As soon as I saw this pattern by Dana the other day, I knew I needed it. That is saying a lot because usually when I see something I want to make, I bookmark it and come back to it in a couple weeks, or forget about it totally. 

But this beach robe is just what I was looking for. It is simple to make and uses thin towels for the material. My boys love snuggling up in their towels after they get out of the shower, so I was sure they would like a robe. Earlier this spring I bought a different pattern for a kids' bath robe, and after opening it up and spreading it out on the floor, I realized it just wasn't going to happen. I'm a pretty smart girl but commercial sewing patterns and I just don't get along. Dana's pattern is perfect. Simple instructions, and open to lots of variation. It comes in three sizes and I made one of each. Max's is a 12-month, so it is still a bit big on him, but I'm sure it will be no time before he has outgrown it!

When I made these robes, I was in a bit of a hurry and wanted to get them done before a weekend trip to Cincinnati. I knew there would be lots of swimming in the hotel pool and the kids would need their robes for the chilly walk back through the lobby and up to our rooms. So I made the simplest version and used store-bought bias tape for the trim. I still think they turned out really cute. I can't wait to make another round of these for the boys, using cute fabric to line the hoods and make cuffs for the sleeves. I may even get crazy and make my own bias tape. Eeek! I was so excited about making more that I bought several towels from Ikea (during the Cincy trip) just for these robes.

The only change I made from the pattern was to shorten the length of the ties.  I made the  version with the attached belt, but after making it the length the pattern suggests for Wyatt's robe, I knew it would be way too long for the other boys. I did change the order in which I sewed the pieces, only because I was using different colors of thread for sewing the pieces together and attaching the trim and I was getting tired of re-threading my machine.

Cutting the towel material made for quite a mess in my sewing room. I was finding little bits of towel everywhere, even after I had vacuumed. Dana suggests serging or using a zigzag stitch to finish off the inside seams of the robe to keep them from shedding little bits of material. My machine has an overlock stitch that basically stitches the seam then sews the thread around the edge of the seam to "lock" it in place, kind of like a simplified serger. That is what I used and I really liked it, only I must have been not paying much attention (me??) when I was sewing because after I threw them in the wash I found a few places where I hadn't gotten them sewn together well enough and had to go back and redo a bit.

Such an agreeable model.

Overall I would definitely recommend this pattern. So cute and easy, I think they will be great for gifts, too.