Floral Rayon Charlie Caftan

YASSSS!  It's caftan weather!!!  Well... sort of.  Man, it's been a rainy summer here in Ottawa!  Now - before making this, I had never actually worn a caftan. HOWEVER - I have lusted after them something fierce, and just haven't found the right one. Thank goodness for the amazing Heather-Lou over at Closet Case Patterns.  Fabrications (local Ottawa fabric shop) teased this pattern a week before it's release in their IG page, and Gillian over at Crafting a Rainbow commented "please be a caftan!" to which I nearly lost my mind because that was the exact thing I needed to add to my summer sewing list.  ANYWAYS!  I literally bought this pattern the moment I got the email newsletter announcing it's release, printed it the following day, and had it sewn and ready to wear the following weekend.  Behold - the Charlie Caftan!

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Oh my goodness am I in love with this pattern.  It doesn't take a crazy amount of fabric like the vintage patterns (as I've been told) and it is a relatively quick & simple sew.  I'm going to fill my wardrobe with these!!  I already have plans for one in the shorter length in a gorgeous Nani Iro lightweight cotton sateen, and I might make a dressier version in a black floral rayon.

Seriously though, I am so in love with this outfit.  Also!  I was looking for a sun hat with a stable brim, figuring I could pick one up at the mall for $20 or so.  I was stopping in through IKEA on my way home from work and found exactly what I was looking for (yes, at IKEA) for ONLY TWO DOLLARS!

Also, the best part about this fabric?  I won (bought?) it for only $10 at my quilt guild's de-stash silent auction!  Woo!  It isn't normally a print I would have picked for myself, but it's navy and white... which if you haven't figured out yet are pretty much wardrobe staples for me.  Because the fabric was so inexpensive, I wasn't too worried about making this version a "wearable muslin".  I never really make muslins.... but I honestly wasn't sure if this look would suit me so I used a fabric I wasn't terribly attached to first.  It didn't turn out perfectly (the centre panel isn't my best work, I got some puckers in the neckline because I'm lazy and didn't stay-stitch, the hem is kinda wonky) but this is the perfect thing to wear for hot, humid, lazy days around the house (or for any future cottage trips!)

I didn't end up keeping any of the photos from the back, oh well!  I was having a bit of trouble with the remote so they didn't all turn out the way I was hoping.  Who knew trying to take blog photos could be so difficult?  Ugh... I might just resort to taking most of my photos with the clothing on the hangers.

We've painted the living room, and the colour we chose (Benjamine Moore Revere Pewter) makes a fantastic backdrop! I have a great spot to hang things up in place of some artwork :)

Because  I am a) lazy and b) hate hand-sewing I just pinned the centre-front panel in place and topstitched.  Seems to have worked relatively ok... although I don't really have the nice 90 degree corners I should have... this fabric was slippery!  I'll try a bit harder on the next versions ;)





I really like the back-ties on this pattern too, it makes the outfit that much more flattering by giving a hint of a defined waistline, without being too restrictive.



Also, I would be remiss to not share this link to an article from last summer:  How to Get Your Body Caftan-Ready for Summer.

Anywhoozle, I'm catching up on a bunch of things I've made, photographed, but haven't blogged... so you might actually see some more activity on here for the next little while.  Or not... who knows.  I got through phases where I'm so excited to blog!  and times where I just feel like keeping things going on instagram.  Either way, I'm still keeping pretty busy with an ever-growing list of things to sew!