MPB Shocker: Bizarre Maternity Smock - Baby Doll Pajama Link Revealed!

Friends, I won't lie: I take a sort of perverse pride in knowing that, whatever may be happening on those other sewing blogs (Pretty spring dresses!  Knit jersey wrap tops!), here at MPB we're up to something different.  Very different.

I made an astonishing discovery this morning, when I tried on Cathy's new maternity smock-in-progress.  It's essentially a baby doll pajama top straight out of an Annette Funicello Beach Party movie.



I made this little collage to prove my point.  Isn't it pretty? (Feel free to click on pic to blow it up.)



I don't quite understand the genesis of baby doll pajamas, though I assume it has something to do with dolls...or babies...or something.  (If you know, please share.)

Anyway, whoever the genius was who decided to put this on pregnant women over a pair of cigarette pants deserves a good spanking.



 

As you can see up top, I did start sewing yesterday and, as many of you predicted, once I threw myself into it, things moved rather quickly.  This is cotton, after all, so there aren't many surprises, though in retrospect I might have cut the front yoke of my peppermint stripe horizontal to the selvage instead of vertical, but this works too and it's so much more slimming!



I'm nowhere near done, as I've decided to make the full collar and sleeves version of the pattern so that I can add a coordinating tie or scarf if I want to.



My duster/coat pattern has yet to arrive (from the woman who originally sent me the wrong pattern) and I'm getting a little anxious about it, frankly.  Hopefully it will be in today's mail.

Readers, if I told you that I bought a sewing machine on eBay yesterday, would you think I was a hypocrite?  More about that tomorrow, but I must share that the seller made the strange -- some might say unfortunate, for her -- choice of using the sewing machine case as the primary photo for what is a spectacular vintage sewing machine.  Can you guess what it is?



In closing, readers, did you already recognize the link between maternity smocks and baby doll pajamas before reading today's post?  (Be honest.)

Don't you think it's a little weird -- and yet oddly compelling and even cute?  I guess there are only so many ways you can disguise a tent, but why would you want to sleep in such a thing? 

Have a great day, everybody!