Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Keeping Cool in a Charlie Caftan

Intense summer weather is very much here in the northern hemisphere, and I thought it would be so lovely to sew and wear a stylish and classic pattern that’s been floating around for several years, not to mention it’s very high-temperature appropriate. Nothing like a light and carefree dress!


The Closet Core Charlie Caftan is a pattern with a few differing views for dress length and pleats versus gathers, and the big design element is the front waist panel. Naturally, I chose the maxi version for all that sweeping drama. There are waist ties that attach to the front panel, and two options of sleeve depth. 



I opted for the higher sleeve opening which gives a little more coverage. View C also includes side splits at the hem for ease of walking in the long skirt. 


Big, deep pockets and a fairly wide and deep V-neck finish the details. 


Like many sewists in the loads of reviews I read, the panel can be challenging; it’s basically a welt pocket which can be tedious and finicky, particularly in lightweight woven like this dress calls for! I found a fantastic workaround that a few people mentioned, and it’s perhaps best illustrated on the Coco’s Loft blog, which I recommend you take a peek at if you want to hack like I did. Basically you cut all the same pattern pieces, but after gathering the bottom of the front skirt to match the front bodice, you stabilize your gathers with a strip of interfacing, and then sandwich that area between the hidden back panel piece and the front panel piece, and simple topstitch the whole thing! So, so much easier, and the end result looks the same. 

I chose to sew this Yale Blue Cotton Leaf Print Voile. This voile is a spectacularly lovely quality. The hand is very smooth and silky, and there is a radical amount of drape for cotton. I can’t comment enough over how SOFT this fabric is. The motif of leafy fronds (or feathers? I can’t decide) goes right along with a breezy caftan, don’t you think? 


Something I’ve been doing for several years is using a lightweight knit interfacing to stabilize all my lightweight woven fabric versus using a woven interfacing, which are somehow never as light and always too stiff. The knit really permits the original drape and movement to shine through as intended, and I suggest you give it a try! For this dress, I grabbed some of the White Poly Fusible Knit Interfacing, and it was perfect. 

The cotton gathers so well! I love those teeny even ruffles. And, of course, cotton voile presses so fantastically. The Charlie is lightweight and fluttery, utterly comfortable, and looks so fresh and airy, even in the heat. 

Summer can get a person all wilty, so I hope you’re finding motivation to sew something comfortable that keeps you cool and stylish!

Happy sewing!


KATIE  @kak513


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: COTTON & VOILE.

Comments

  1. Your dress is beautiful and definitely right for hot weather as it is so cool-looking and fluid, like cool water. Thank you for the interfacing tip - I'm going to try it out right away on a rayon-linen woven top!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great photos and that dress just looks light and cool, cool, cool. I have some voile in my Fabric Mart cart for another pattern but think I'll make this one instead. Caftan's can look nightgowns-ish but the details in this pattern help it avoid that. I appreciate the work around tip and suggestion to visit Coco's Loft blog for construction tips. And great tip about the interfacing too!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Vacation Vibes

We will be traveling to the Caribbean for Spring Break this year, so I started thinking about what I wanted to take with me that would be easy to wear, but also light and breezy.  Personally, I love wearing linen because it looks so luxe while still being really comfortable. Since coordinated sets are still on trend this year, I thought it would be fun to create some pieces that I could mix and match for a relaxed vacation mini-wardrobe.  (I just need to remember to pack my travel iron!)   I went through all of my patterns and came up with five different patterns that I knew would would coordinate well with each other, and that would work well with linen.  I wasn’t surprised when all the patterns I chose came from Pattern Emporium.  Their whole aesthetic is clothing that is on trend, easy to wear and comfortable.  For my first set, I used the Lightweight Yarn-Dyed Chambray Linen in Soft Oat.  This fabric is so incredibly soft and airy. ...

Made By A Fabricista: I Love A Bomber Jacket

Hello friends,  I’m Byrd, and today I’m excited to share my latest Fabricista project with you.  There’s something timeless about a bomber jacket that makes it a staple in my wardrobe. It’s effortlessly cool, versatile, and perfect for layering through the seasons. But what makes this particular bomber jacket even more special is its thoughtfully designed pattern. Not only is it a standard pattern, but it’s also adaptive—meaning the length and closures can be customized to suit your needs, whether you’re standing, sitting, or using a wheelchair. This level of inclusivity in design is something I truly appreciate, and that’s why I’m especially excited about this make! The Fabric: Cotton Poly Poplin For the bomber jacket, I chose a Salamander White cotton-poly poplin , and it couldn’t be a more perfect match. Poplin is a fantastic choice for outerwear because it’s lightweight yet durable, with just the right amount of structure to hold the classic bomber shape. The cotton-poly b...

Made By A Fabricista: Pleated High Waisted Pants And How To Style Them

Hi sewing friends! Today I’m excited to share some awesome trousers that I discovered last year when I was a tester on this pattern. These pants are seriously amazing and magical because they are pretty beginner friendly but you get a real ready to wear and higher end look due to a few clever features. I also think they are flattering on a variety of body shapes and sizes so all in all, this pattern is a winner for me. I’m also going to share three top patterns of different styles that work well with this trouser style. Have I peaked your interest? Let’s go! These magical trousers are the Padget Pants from Petite Stitchery & Co (PSCo). This pattern is size inclusive and goes up to a 5X or 62 inch hip. It also includes a great projector file with mirrored full pattern pieces (yay for good projector files!). Here are a few action shots of these awesome pants: The instructions specify a knit fabric, but many of the testers on the team made them in stretch or even non-stretch w...