My mother has purchased and worn Stan Hermann robes for as long as I can remember. I finally got one of her castoffs and took it apart to make a pattern. The wonderful thing about them is a yoke on the back that rests atop the back waistline. The upper part of the back is gathered onto the waist yoke. Into the side seams you sew the ties, eliminating the wrestling and tugging of the freefloating belt.

It is time for me to make another one but I would like to use a stand-alone DS pattern instead of my homemade version. I know I can use my DS to overlay for the correct measurements, but my 2006 wish is to pull it up on the computer and go from there! Have I put a bug in your design brain cells? Hope so. If you need any more details, I will be thrilled to help you.

Have a Happy New Year, Kelly

This can eb accomplished but you may need to make more than one draft selecting the print back seperatly from print front is the front is not also gathered.

I was playing in MPD and started with a waisted dress.
#15382331


I selected a shawl collar that was 3.5 inches wide. But you chose the neckline.

This is when you purcvhase the pattern so you have more neckline and sleeve choices for other garments.

In Options:
Fit level unfitted
gathered sleeve which I would pleat rather than gather into the arm hole ( 3 fronts pleats 4 back)

Front closure would be button placket but INCREASE the placket width to between 3.5 and 4

Now if it is just the back thats gathered print the front and sleeve. and the back "skirt"
(you may wish a bit of back waist ease even now.like 1-2 inches worth as you will be tying this closed and a little extra will be fine.)

then go back to options and on back waist ease add the desired amount for gathering.that will depend on the fabric choice: a chenille is "heavy enough" to not want too much, a nice 200wt PF could take much more, a velveteen would depend on fiber content and the "hand". the softer the hand the better the drape.

so presuming something soft add between 12 and 15 inches(on top of what you asked for the first time around) to back waist ease.the shoulders will fit fine and the excess to be gathered will run from the waist up to about bust level and peter out.

IF you want more at back bust level make sure to add at least 1/3 of what you added to waist ease.

cut a paper back waist for the skirt
and mockup the back gathers to see how close this comes to your design concept and adjust as needed. reprint and have fun.

Oh you might notice this has a flared skirt.I reduced the flare degree from 20 to 12 in my mock up design)

Kaaren

Sounds like a winner. In the back bodice portion, should I just create my own yoke at the bottom of the bodice? The yoke is the back waist measurement plus whatever ease you want in a robe. I like to have the back waist fitted, the back skirt full and gathered to the fitted back waist, and the front an overlapping wrap robe like you taught much earlier. Thanks for the tips. I will probably do it in terry cloth and will send pics when completed. Kelly

Kelly,

I was having a hard time envisioning the back, but I found a picture of both the front and the back at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000BFNOP2/102-1348627-3420967?v=glance

I played with this in MPD, but I think I like the results better in DS.

Back - For the back I used the shirtwaist dress, comfort fit, and added extra back waist ease for the gathers. I was able to choose an elastic waist skirt with a waitband. Extra hip ease would give you enough width for the skirt to be gathered into the yoke, but you would have to cut the skirt off to allow for attaching to the yoke. Perhaps the waistband could be used for the straps. You would have to play with east to get what you like, and the yoke would have to be drafted manually.

Yoke - The yoke seems to be fairly fitted, so I think I would draft a straight skirt with confort ease and no darts, and cut off the top for the yoke (back only).

Front - For the front, use the shirtdress with lots of extra ease and a shawl collar. If you use the same fit level you should be able to use the drafted sleeve.

That's 3 drafts

Here's an idea of how to do it with 1 main draft + the yoke. Use the shirtdress with added ease and print with reference lines on. Cut the back apart at the waist + a seam allowance. Draft the yoke as explained above. Gather the back to the top and bottom of the yoke and true the length at the side seams. The ties are just rectangles, so you probably don't even need a pattern for them. This method sounds easier to me.

This style looks really comfy, and I love the way the back is fitted to the yoke so the straps can be attached and you still have fullness in the back.

Thanks for sharing this syle. Let us know how it works for you.

Carolyn thats a nice piccie of the housecoat,thank you for sharing this,I too had a hard time envisioning the back.

Carolyn, Thanks for the advice. I will use the shirtwaist dress as a basis for the back of the robe. As I like for the bottom of the yoke to fit AT my waist, I will also draft a fitted bodice and cut off the bottom of it rather than the top of a skirt. The robe I am wearing now is the copy of the Stan Herman robe, and I did a beautiful machine embroidery flower bouquet on the yoke. For my niece, I monogrammed her yoke so she wouldn't "lose" it at college. Having smocked baby clothes for years, I think I might borrow a construction technique and take a width of fabric ( probably 25" ) and attach it to the bottom of the yoke.

I also noticed that I don't have an armscye. The sleeves are part of the bodice. I know there is bound to be a pattern like that somewhere in DS because I have seen it before, and I haven't looked at another pattern collection in four years. Because the front does not have a waist seam, how about a sheath or a jumper for the front? Or, maybe that sleeve/bodice treatment can be lengthened to a full length dress.
If I can't do it the way I did it before, the challenge to design a new pattern with your suggestions sounds like an adventure.
Thanks again, Kelly

Kelly,

I was also thinking that you could start with the blouson dress. That would give you a better line for cutting off the top.

I, too, noticed the dropped shoulder. We have the oversized shirt, which has no real armholes. You could start with that and make it as long as you want.

This style has been on my mind the last few days. I want to make a robe, but need to decide on a style.

I played with the oversized shirt, using a full button closure with 8" button overlap and a 5" shawl collar (or curved wing) at waist depth. I made the sleeve 1" longer and used a hem of 10", which I planned to turn into the cuff. I think I came the closest to the style this way.

Two things stopped me. First, I am not fond of the oversized shirt for myself, so I think I will choose a style with a more conventional sleeve. Then, no matter how I played with designs, I discovered that I just don't have enough fabric for a winter robe. Too bad - I'll have to go shopping for fabric now.

Happy New Year!

Woohoo......what I found
want a waist deep yoke! check out this simple design. you can use any other base dress design
#1481221
fit go to unfitted
slect sleeve and neckline/collar choice desired. ( I used shawl at 4.5 inches)

go to yoke:
look at lowered yoke, flat.

on the back enter a number below the standard.(for me 12 brought the back yoke right to the waist line.) put you waist reference lines on so you can align them.


Since you want the extra at waist I would just change the side seam from about 2 inches down from the underarm out about 5 inches at waist leaving the lower portion alone.

select pockets and belt or tie in extras

I have 5 yards of icre blue minkie sitting in the closet.......hmmmmmmmm

Kaaren

oooo, Kaaren, I'm jealous. Carolyn, I think your shopping trip could produce some great results now that you have a design in mind.

I found the kimono robe and thought it would be a good thing to try because of the "no armhole" design. I, too, don't use the oversized shirt for me because of the bulk. I like to use it for toddlers, but I am just too short to make it look good on me.

In choosing the shawl collar, how would I get the collar to go all the way around the back of the neck? The original robe has a 3" band attached to the closure edge of the robe starting at the hem and going all the way around the edge to the opposite hem. I like the extra fabric on the back of my neck because I have short hair, and the fabric keeps my neck warm.

Kelly

I have really enjoyed this discussion...I love taking everyone's ideas and trying them out on my computer...I would like to see more designing idea input...it is amazing when you see how differently our minds work. Here is my idea for a comfy robe, although not quite the same variety: Use Robe Standard, comfort fit. Go to dart editor and make the robe a princess armhole for both front and back. On the CB piece, cut at waist allowing for seam allowance to attach piece back, which is wider now and slightly gathered. The tie could be stitched into the seam that is the front armhole princess seam. (I just hate it when my robe tie falls in the toilet, don't you? lol) I would use straight sleeves. I wish I could make the sleeves drop sleeves but could not figure out how to do that. Now I HAVE TO GO SHOPPING! I have needed a new robe for years, the one I am presently wearing is at least 12 years old...shhhhh...don't tell anybody! Michelle

A shawl collar has the back neck extension built in. If you emasuire the extension it is 1/2 the back neck plus 1/8th inch for toc ease.

A shawl collar should never be too narrow, it simply wont roll.

3 inch is minimal for a nice robe 4plus would be needed,.I would like 4.5 some like 5

Kaaren

You can "drop" any sleeve by adding to the shoulder extension.

DS thats in "options"
MPD thats in "fit"

remember when the shoulder extends the arm hole depth also increases automatically in both programs.

The greater the extension the deeper the arm hole AND the shallower the cap height.

(sleeve doesnt need to climb the arm up and over the shoulder)

Kaaren

Thanks! Still learning.....

Kaaren, I wasn't aware of the drop shoulder technique and its effect on the armhole. That sounds like a better method of getting the fit of the oversized shirt without adding to the bodice of the garment. As my now 19 yr old used to say," She wikes it!!" Kelly

It all kind of has to balance.otherwise it looks like a bottom side up triangle when worn.

obtaining the balance and a proportion that looks right as well as feels right is all about the design effort.

You are free to create what you like- thats What both programs are all about. Dress Shop does and allows user definition to a point using a series of named patterns.

MPD opens the door much wider allowing creater creativity but still starting with an acceptable balance of proportions.

IT is up to the user to define proportions in any event and fit levels.

Kaaren