A few years ago on a whim we took Lucy’s bathrobe to the pool and I decided that it was the only way to go. The robe was warm, cozy, and didn’t fall off as she tried to eat her post-swimming snack.
So instead of taking our towels to the beach and pool, now we take our robes!
And I often get comments from people asking where we bought them.
I love surprising them with, “I made it.”
Now you can surprise them too! These robes are easy to make and don’t require any special skills or tools.
THE BEACH ROBE PATTERN – $8
Purchase the Pattern HERE in the SHOP
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The Beach Robe is made from a large beach/bath towel and bound with simple bias tape. You can also use normal terry cloth fabric but I find that the cutest terry cloth is in the towel aisle of your local retail store.
What I love about the Beach Robe:
* My kids love them and are excited to get out of the pool and put them on.
* The robe is fun to sew and so cute when it comes together. My husband’s sick of hearing “awww” coming from my sewing room.
* It’s a great go-to sewing project for birthday gifts! Every niece, nephew, friend, and child should have one!
* The Beach Robe is good all year long since it can be used for summer fun and also at home, after a bath or shower.
* The robe makes an excellent “dressing room” when changing clothes. With the robe on, my child holds the front open slightly and we discreetly pull off their swimsuit and slip on the undies and clothes. I really love that aspect.
* And most of all….the robe comes with options:
Make the robe long-sleeved or short-sleeved.
Give it a hood lining.
Go hoodless!
It’s a choose-you-own adventure kind of project.
The robe is unisex, comes in 3 sizes, 4 looks, and with 12 pattern pages that are printable from your home computer, on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.
Here are the nitty gritty details….
* This is a 29-page PDF document, which means you download it after payment to your computer. The pattern is not mailed to you. When you open the download pattern link, make sure you save the pdf file to your computer so you always have it for future use!
* The file size is about 2MB
* The first 17 pages are filled with colorful photos and step-by-step instructions for making a beach robe. You don’t need to print these pages, if you plan to reference it your computer as you sew.
* The last 12 pages are pattern pieces that can be printed and taped together
* The pattern contains detailed info about sewing fabrics that have “nap”, such as Terry Cloth.
The pattern comes in 3 sizes
The sizes are wide-ranging since a robe is loose and accommodates many sizes.
* 9 months-18 months
* 18 months-3 Toddler
* 3 Toddler-4 Toddler + (my daughter is a skinny 5 year old and the 4T yellow robe above fits her great)
There are 4 looks (and plenty of room for your own interpretation):
* Long-sleeves or short-sleeves
* Lined hood
* Hoodless
* Partial ties or Full tie
Skill Level
The pattern is aimed at the “experienced-beginner” level and up. Anyone can tackle it but it’s probably not a first-time sewer project.
Fabric and Supplies needed
* 1 to 2 large Beach/Bath towels (or 1 3/4 yards of terry cloth fabric)
* 3 packages of 1/2 inch wide, double-fold bias tape (or about 7-8 yards of handmade bias tape)
* Standard sewing machine and standard presser feet – no fancy tools (a Serger is optional)
We’ve also added an alternate method for sewing the sleeves. Check out our updated tutorial HERE:
Go from this.
To this:
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THE BEACH ROBE PATTERN – $8
Purchase the Pattern HERE in the SHOP
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Frequently Asked Questions:
* Will the Beach Robe Pattern come in larger sizes?
I had no idea you’d be so interested in the Robe for older kids. I don’t offer larger pattern sizes at this time (and nearly killed myself getting the current 3 sizes put together). But you can try to enlarge the pattern yourself by extending the pieces and using something your older child currently wears as your guide. Sorry, I don’t have step-by-step info for that but it’s the kind of sewing I love….winging it and figuring it out!
* Do I need a fancy sewing foot or other equipment to make the robe?
Nope! I sewed all of my robes on a standard sewing machine with a standard machine foot, using normal old thread, and at one point I even used a ball needle (which is typically used for knits) since my Universal needle broke and I was out! Haah. So there you go, “winging it” Sewing 101.
One of my pattern testers recommended a Walking Foot for terry cloth that is very thick. But if you sew with thinner towels (as discussed in the pattern) you’ll be fine with a standard foot.
* Does the pattern print to paper sizes other than U.S. Letter (8.5 x 11)?
Yes…though you may have to juggle it just a bit. The pages print right to the edge of the paper (borderless) and the pages are meant to butt up right next to each other, so that the dotted lines meet. When you print to another paper size, the image should still be true to size, but you may have a bit of a border or space on the edge. You need to line up the dotted lines with each other and you should be set. One of my pattern testers from Belgium printed on European paper size and said she had to shimmy the pages a bit here and there but got it to work fine.
* My child is a bit more “round” at the waist than most kids. Will the pattern fit?
The robe is designed to accommodate many body types, since robes are loose fitting. So yes! Owen has worn his with over a bulky life vest and it still fits.
And that’s it!
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Sewing.
