My kids love nightgowns. I think that they’d live in their nightgowns if I let them! We also love the Kids’ Mandy Fitted Tank pattern! So, I figured, why not put the two together? I can do a nightgown hack on the Mandy to make it longer and turn it into the perfect nightgown! I like this pattern as a nightgown because it is fitted and therefore has less fabric to get bunched up while sleeping! You could also use this nightgown hack on any pattern that you want to make longer! I’m already planning on doing a nightgown hack for the Penny Pajama Set in the winter so it’ll be a nightgown with sleeves! Did I mention that my kids want to live in nightgowns?? Haha! Alright, let’s get started on the nightgown hack!
Materials
- Your preferred pattern printed and taped together
- You can find the Kids’ Mandy Fitted Tank here if you need it!
- A ruler
- Pen and extra paper
- Fabric that you want to use for your nightgown (follow the fabric recommendations of your pattern!)
Determine how much length you want to add
- Measure your child, or whomever you’re making a nightgown for, from the shoulder down to where you want the nightgown to end.
- Find the finished measurements chart in the pattern tutorial for the size you’re making.
- I’m making a size 4 so the finished length measurement of the Mandy Tank for a size 4 is 16.25
- I want my nightgown to be 20 inches for the knee length and the maxi length to be 30 inches.
- Now, you take your desired new length and subtract the finished measurements from the pattern.
- In my case, that would be 20-16.25=3.75. So, I need to add 3.75 inches of length
- For the maxi version, it is 30-16.25=13.75. So, I will add 13.75 inches of length to get a maxi nightgown.
Time to make the nightgown hack on the pattern
- Take your front bodice piece and lay it on the table.
- Tape a piece or two of paper to the bottom right along the hemline.
- For the knee length, I only needed a scrap of paper, but for the maxi, I needed 2 sheets of paper.
- Be sure that you tape the paper straight from the fold line all the way down. You want the fold line to stay straight.
- On the fold line, measure from the hem of the original pattern down by how much length you want to add. I measured 3.75 inches for the knee length nightgown.
- Do the same thing on the other side.
Keep the paper straight on the fold line and measure straight down 
Add a little bit more width to the bottom
- I wanted to add a little bit more room at the bottom of the pattern, if I extended the side seam straight down, it wouldn’t provide much room for walking, especially on the maxi!
- To do that, I measured from the mark I made on the fold line 7 inches across and made another mark. This is for the knee length dress. For the maxi dress, I measured 8 inches across. This measurement will depend on how much roomier you want the bottom to be and what size you’re making. I used a nightgown that my daughter wears and measured the circumference of the bottom. That gave me a good starting point. I also wrapped a measuring tape around my daughter’s feet to make sure that she had enough room to walk. It was silly, but it worked great!
- With 7 inches at the bottom, my finished circumference is about 26.5 inches. With 8 inches, it is about 30.5 inches.
- Now, you’ll need to draw a diagonal line to connect the bodice with the bottom mark that you just made. This is on the side seam, the side with the fold is going to be a straight line between the end of the pattern and the lengthened mark that you made.
- Place a ruler on the bottom mark (mine is 7 inches from the fold) and line it up to the bodice. You’ll want to extend up past the hem line a bit so that the line blends nicely.
- Draw a line.
- Now, draw a line across the bottom connecting the two marks.
- You’re done with this pattern piece!
Repeat that whole process on the back bodice piece
- After you do the same thing on the back bodice, you are done with the nightgown hack! You are ready to follow the instructions in the pattern to sew up a new nightgown!!
Ta Da! Your nightgown hack is complete! You have a brand new, awesome nightgown!
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