Ruffled Bed Jacket No. 956, a hairpin lace bed jacket pattern, is a beautifully engineered vintage Hairpin Lace crochet design built from graduated strips that become soft, layered ruffles around the shoulders and upper body. This Dazespast Heritage Edition preserves the original Bear Brand / Bucilla pattern while adding practical modern guidance for today’s maker.

A Vintage Hairpin Lace Bed Jacket With Sculptural Ruffles

This design shows Hairpin Lace used as more than edging or trim. The garment itself is constructed from progressively larger bands of lace, interlaced and sewn in concentric layers to create the ruffled silhouette. A soft Angora contrast at the neckline and a wide ribbon tie complete the elegant lounge-wear look.

The historical pattern uses Bear Brand or Bucilla Twinkle Crepe for the body and Bucilla 2-ply Angora for the neck treatment. The original instructions rely on a Bucilla Adjustable Hairpin Lace Loom and carefully planned loop counts rather than conventional shaped garment pieces.

What’s Included

Complete Dazespast Heritage Edition PDF for Ruffled Bed Jacket No. 956
Preserved original historical pattern pages
About This Edition and historical context
Pattern Record with original materials and construction details
Pattern-specific Modern Maker’s Notes
Modern yarn-substitution guidance
Hairpin Lace construction and joining guidance
Then & Now styling inspiration
Acknowledgments & Author’s Note

Original Sizing

No numbered garment size is stated in the supplied historical source. The fit is created through the original strip sequence, loop counts, joining method, and final assembly. Because vintage sizing cannot be safely inferred from the photograph, modern makers should compare the assembled work against their own desired shoulder and upper-body fit before final finishing.

Original Materials

Main yarn: Bear Brand or Bucilla Twinkle Crepe — 7 balls
Contrast yarn: Bucilla 2-ply Angora — 2 balls, white
Loom: Bucilla Adjustable Hairpin Lace Loom, Article 3947
Hooks: Bucilla steel crochet hook No. 6 and Bucilla white 6-inch crochet hook No. 3
Finishing: ribbon approximately 2 inches wide

Gauge and Pattern Structure

The source does not give a conventional stitches-per-inch garment gauge. Instead, the construction is controlled through loom setting, center-stitch tension, exact strip loop counts, and the way those strips are interlaced. The narrow structure includes a 150-loop Angora strip and a 220-loop Twinkle Crepe strip; the larger body strips progress through 275, 325, 375, 425, 500, 600, 750, and 800 loops.

Construction and Hairpin Lace Technique

This is a modular Hairpin Lace garment. Narrow and wide strips are worked separately, then joined through planned interlacing. The increases created by drawing through different numbers of loops allow the larger strips to flare into the characteristic ruffles. After edging, the strip centers are sewn together in rotation to build the garment body.

The neck is stabilized with crochet edging, softened with a separate Angora ruffle, and finished with ribbon. The historical source specifically calls for seams that remain as elastic as the Hairpin Lace itself, so tight machine stitching would work against the original construction.

Modern Maker’s Notes

Let the loop counts do the shaping. The progression from 275 to 800 loops is the architecture of this bed jacket. Changing those numbers without testing will change both circumference and ruffle depth.

Keep the two yarn jobs distinct. Twinkle Crepe provides the more structured body, while Angora creates a softer halo at the neck. A modern substitution works best when it preserves that contrast rather than replacing both with the same yarn.

Swatch the loom, not just the hook. Hairpin Lace tension is affected by loom width, center-stitch tension, yarn elasticity, and handling. Make a short practice strip with your proposed yarn and block it before committing to the full loop inventory.

Mark your joins. The interlaced increases are shaping steps. Removable markers can help identify increase groups and keep the joining rhythm consistent.

Preserve elasticity during assembly. Use a flexible hand-sewn join or loose whipstitch where the source calls for sewing. A rigid seam can flatten the ruffles and restrict the garment.

Choose ribbon by drape as well as width. The original ribbon is about 2 inches wide. Very stiff ribbon can overpower the Angora ruffle; a soft satin, silk, or rayon ribbon with body but not excessive stiffness will better preserve the period effect.

Modern Yarn Substitution

Because the original yarns are discontinued, substitute by behavior rather than by brand name alone. For the main yarn, look for a smooth crepe-like yarn or a firmly twisted light wool or wool blend with enough resilience to support layered strips. For the contrast, a lightly brushed wool, mohair blend, or other soft halo yarn can suggest the original Angora effect.

Avoid choosing a dense modern worsted simply because it appears visually substantial. This garment contains many layered strips, so excessive yarn weight can make the finished jacket heavy. Swatching and weighing a test strip is especially useful before purchasing yarn for the entire project.

Then & Now

Originally conceived as an elegant bed jacket, this piece can also be reimagined as a cropped evening capelet or special-occasion layer over a sleeveless dress or camisole. Ivory-on-ivory keeps the romantic vintage feeling. Black with charcoal, blush with cream, or deep teal with pale grey can make the layered structure feel distinctly modern while preserving the original design.

Explore Hairpin Lace at Dazespast

Continue with the Hairpin Lace & Maltese Lace Crochet Guide, where you can explore the technique, vintage tools, free archive resources, and other restored Hairpin Lace patterns. You can also browse the Dazespast Archive for related restored garments, accessories, home projects, and technique collections.

Modern Yarn Standards Reference

When comparing modern substitute yarns, the Craft Yarn Council’s Standard Yarn Weight System can be useful as a starting reference. Vintage yarn names do not always translate directly to modern weight categories, so the original construction and your own swatch should remain the final authority.

Craft Yarn Council — Standard Yarn Weight System

Digital Download

This is a digital PDF pattern. No physical item will be shipped. Your purchase provides the restored Dazespast Heritage Edition for personal use as a historical needlework reference and making pattern.

Printing Guidance

For the clearest result, download the PDF to your computer or device before printing. Print at 100% / Actual Size unless you intentionally want the page reduced. Do not use “Fit to Page” when exact page scale matters. The Heritage Edition includes both modern editorial pages and preserved historical facsimile pages.

Dazespast Heritage Editions — Preserve the Archive. Make the Wardrobe.

Ruffled Bed Jacket No. 956 | Vintage Hairpin Lace Crochet Pattern PDF