Need Sewing help.. making child's shower wraps..

[tiggger1]

I am making shower wraps for my nieces as a Christmas gift. I found the directions online and it seemed easy enough. I followed the directions to a T and it looks so cute but it is way too small. The directions say to take a chest measurement and add 2 inches for the seam and 3 inches for it to overlap. I actually added 2 more inches to the overlap because it seems to tiny..You then are supposed make a channel at the top so you can put an elastic band so it will gather a tiny bit and fit better.. gathering it it only lost an 3/4 inch.. I had my daughter ( who is the same size)try on the wrap to find out where I needed to put the Velcro and found out it is still about 2-3 inches from closing. I have no idea how much more I should add to make it fit...any ideas? Has anyone made these?

 

[monkeybug]

My guess would be that if your daughter tried it on and it was still 2-3" away from fitting, you need to add 2-3".
I may be missing something (a common occurrence sadly), but if you already have it all stitched together, then all the seam allowances have already been accounted for, so you shouldn't need to factor that into how much to add.
Maybe if you posted the link to the instructions it would be easier to understand exactly what your asking.

 

[smschex]

How about adding a wide ribbon around the short edge? Or maybe a ruffle? That might give you another few inches.

It would look a little like this:
http://www.bayberrymonograms.com/cmc-womansbathwrap-towel.html

 

[NotUrsula]

Personally, I'd add about 10"-12" if it isn't overlapping now. They will need growth room, and it is much more modest with a full-front wrap.

In my experience, when making a gathered-top wrap for a pre-teen, a standard thin-weight bath towel is just about the right size without much alteration. (NOT a bath sheet -- a regular bath towel. I like to add wide-elastic lace straps to the top, just in case of prank-loving brothers.)

PS: When making the elastic casing on a towel, I find that a folded-over casing under the armpits is a bit thick and uncomfortable. It is more comfortable (and easier for most machines to sew) if you make the inside of the casing out of a separate fabric, such as satin or fleece blanket binding.

 

[Deb Quen of Colorado]

I agree with NotUrsula. You need more of an overlap, 3 inches sounds really small.

 

[tiggger1]

thank you! I did add the straps, it is definitely cuter with the straps.... its just wasn't closing enough. What I did last night was make one without cutting it and then fitted it on my daughter. I then pinned it where it had plenty of overhang.. hopefully it will still close after I cut it!