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What You Can Do with Two Scarves

I am intrigued by garments. I am especially intrigued by simple garments. For much of human history cloth was painstakingly handspun and handwoven. Every square inch required significant time. Thus, for ordinary clothing, using all the cloth efficiently was important. 

Last summer I experimented with this. I prefer to sleep in pajamas. However, pajamas can be a little hot in the summer in Atlanta. I've had silk pajamas, but I always end up tearing them, probably because I don't roll in bed but rather scooch so I don't roll over onto sleeping cats. I decided it would be nice to make something silk for sleepwear.

The caftan seems to be having a fashion moment. As it turns out, it is one of the easiest garments to make. It is fundamentally just two scarves with some strategic seams.

My example here was made with plain silk scarves that were ice dyed after the fact. This same process could work for marbled fabric, too. For a skinny person like me, fabric around 35 inches/89cm width worked. For larger frames, you'll want fabric 45 inches/114cm or more in width. I'm tall-ish (5 foot 9 inches) and wanted my caftan full length, which means I needed fabric at least 55 inches/140cm long plus extra to make the sash. 

Materials & Tools:

There are four steps to making the caftan — shoulder seams, side seams, hem, and sash.

Shoulder seams:

  • Start with two large silk scarves.
  • Lay them on top of each other wrong-sides together.
  • Find the center on the short side and place a pin through one layer only.
  • Measure the shoulders of the intended wearer.
  • Place pins centered that distance apart through both layers on the short end.
  • Place a second pair of pins a little farther apart.
  • Try caftan on. Adjust pins until seams fall at the desired location.
  • Take caftan off. (Garment should easily slip over the head.)
  • Sew shoulder seams through rolled hem using silk thread.

For my example, I had a neck opening of about 13 inches/33cm and seams of only 1 inch/3cm. You can make adjustments to this. The neck opening can be wider or narrower — just be certain it fits over the intended head! The shoulder seams could be longer, even running all the way to the edges. I wanted the flutter sleeves to show off my upper arms, which is why I used such short seams. I sewed through the rolled hem, essentially leaving no hem allowance. The two pieces of fabric just butt up against each other.

Side seam:

  • Pin sides of caftan together from about bust height down to hips.
  • Put caftan on.
  • Add pins closer to the body at widest point (likely hips), checking for fit and ease.
  • Add more pins directly above in a straight line, leaving enough space for sleeve opening.
  • Add more pins directly below in a straight line to base of torso.
  • Check fit and ease once more.
  • Take caftan off.
  • Adjust pins so all sewing lines are straight and symmetrical.
  • With public sides of garment facing out, sew two straight seams through both layers using silk thread.

For my example, I got my hip circumference, added 4 inches/10cm of ease, then divided by 2. The center of my caftan has a body opening width of 20 inches/50cm. The seams started 9 inches/23cm from the top to allow movement in my upper arm and ran 16 inches/40cm in length. The lower side of the caftan flutters open well up my thigh. This is fine as bedroom lounge wear and appreciated by my husband. If you are planning to wear your caftan in public, be sure your seams run far enough down for modesty. This approach to garment construction allows you effectively to preview garment fit and style.

Hem:

  • Put caftan on.
  • Place pins about ½ inch/1cm closer to floor than desired hem line. You will probably need a friend to do this, so you can stand tall, straight, and still.
  • Take caftan off.
  • Cut both sides at pin line.
  • Using silk thread, sew rolled hem.

If you use shorter scarves, you won't have this step and won't need to sew the hem. Because I used long scarves, my caftan was much taller than I needed. I cut about 26 inches/66cm off the bottom. The first time you make a caftan, you won't know how long to make it. After you've made one, you can use it as a template. However, that extra fabric has a purpose!

Sash:

  • Use the two spare pieces of fabric cut from the bottom of the caftan.
  • Using silk thread, sew rolled hem along cut edges.
  • Using silk thread, seam short ends together through the rolled hems.

While the caftan looks nice plain, I think it looks even better cinched. 

Once complete, the next step is to add color. I followed Dharma Trading Company's tutorial on how to ice dye. For that you will need:

Some notes about what I did:

  • I did not have the fabric on a rack. I left it in the muck. Trust the muck!
  • I folded the caftan vertically longways.
  • I covered the fabric in ice then sprinkled the dye on top in a gradient starting from the top center.
  • Apologies I did not leave myself good notes. I think I used 131 Imperial Purple, 189 Magenta Galactica, 46 Brilliant Blue, 153 Mermaid's Dream, and 33 Avocado? (I have L-13 Fatigue Green — which is a special order — in my dye stash, but I don't remember why?)
  • I left the ice to melt and the dye to batch for three days, then rinsed as recommended.

The turquoise did not take as well as I would have liked. Next time, I should have exposed it to higher heat (about 130°F/55°C) after the ice melted but before rinsing. A car on a summer's day will easily get to this temperature. All the more reason if you like turquoise blue, do your fiber-reactive dyeing in summer.

I decided it might be fun to add a ponch/shawl to this outfit. That's tomorrow's post!


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