jersey suki robe

I started working on this robe quite a while ago, but I decided to prioritize Mae's quilt after we ordered her big kid bed. I pushed these pieces to the side of my cutting table where they gathered dust and wrinkles for the last few months. I'm planning to start working on a baby quilt soon, and couldn't stand to have this partially finished robe taking up my work space any longer!

I am definitely a "robe person." I wear one every day after I get out of the shower and often putter around the house for quite a while before I actually get dressed. That said, I know what I like in a robe: comfy jersey fabric, short sleeves, and at least one pocket for carrying my phone.

This pattern, the Suki Robe by Helen's Closet, is written for a woven fabric but it checked all my other boxes. I made several modifications to use a knit instead. I added clear elastic to the pocket openings and the shoulder seams, and I added a strip of bias tape to stabilize the back of the neck so it wouldn't stretch out when using the hanging loop. For the hanging loops and side loops, I just folded twice and zig-zag stitched with a little piece of knit interfacing for some additional stability. I omitted the inner ties but might add pieces of ribbon or twill tape if I find the robe tends to open while wearing. I overlocked all the seams.

I chose this Art Gallery Fabrics sprinkled peonies fabric that has the prettiest little metallic bronze accents. I specifically wanted a fabric that would coordinate nicely with our remodeled bathroom! Yes, I made a robe to match my bathroom. Don't judge.

I changed the construction of the neckband quite a bit. First, I extended the neckband to be the full length of the robe. I didn't want to mess around trying to sew perfect right corners with stretchy jersey fabric, and I like the stability that the double layer of neckband provides to the front edges. I followed the directions for the Camas Blouse for finishing the neckband. Before starting the neckband, I hemmed the robe to my desired length (removing 3") using a twin needle. Then I sewed together the two neckband pieces, serged one of the long edges, attached the un-serged edge of the neckband to the robe with right sides together, stitched the bottom edges of the neckband together just below the hem, flipped the neckband corners right-side out, then pinned the serged edge of the neckband just covering the neck/robe seam and top-stitched it in place. I think this method reduces bulk at the neckline and hides the inner seam decently.

Lastly, I made a few changes to the belt. I attached the two pieces together instead of directly to the robe; it's still plenty long for tying. I stabilized the belt with a strip of polyester lining leftover from another project that I attached in place when sewing the long edges together. Then, after flipping the belt right side out, I topstitched all around to further hold the lining in place. (I ran out of thread with 6 inches of topstitching left, so I had to finish with a dark gray instead. Shh... don't tell anyone.)

Unfortunately you're just going to have to imagine what this looks like on me. There is no way this would close with my huge pregnant belly in the way. And my alternate modeling options are somewhat limited at the moment!