I finished my fourth and probably final, for this year at least, Charlie Caftan this weekend. The fabric is a linen rayon blend which means embracing a few wrinkles. The ones you see here are just from putting it on.
The loose straight fit of the Charlie is not figure conscious at all, which is nice because then neither am I while wearing it, although I do wish I had raised the point of the v-neck just a bit. My body type is fluffy, not busty, so I find myself fussing with it often to make sure I’m not showing off my bra.
I’ve made this caftan in all of its versions, maxi with a gathered front and tie waist, mini with a gathered front and tie waist and the darted version you see here twice. I thought the rayon orange poppy’s were going to be my favorite, but while it’s wearable I wish I had saved that fabric for something else. The crisper linen blend works much better for this pattern than the drapey rayon.
I was determined that on this version I was going to have perfect corners on my front placket, but it wasn’t to be. Still the crisper fabric made it easier to be precise in my cutting and sewing.
That precision may not have given me a perfect placket, but my v-neck is nearly perfect! I used a tricot interfacing this time around and I will probably use it more often in the future.
I’m not especially a fan of side seam pockets, so I switched it up to a front pocket echoing the angle of the darts. Someday I’m going to sit down with some scrap fabric and teach myself how to make welted pockets.
It was a bit of a hoot wearing a dress to Canadian Tire to buy car parts. I surprised the older man waiting on me by talking about how satisfying it was to change the strut on my car myself. I know that particular Canadian Tire has, or at least had, a female mechanic but I guess he didn’t expect someone with painted nails wearing a dress to also work on their own car.
Speaking of nails, Joe Fresh nail polish for the win! Two coats of nude followed by one of Revlon clear and here’s how it looked after I replaced the stabilizer link on my car.
You rock Vanessa! Good for you being able to sew and then fix your car! Seriously, I think you’re my hero! LOL I wish I’d paid attention to my mother sewing and learned more while I could. Your work is beautiful and you look great in the dress! Pinned 🙂
My mother used to sew, but I learned everything later as an adult. I watched Nancy Ziemann on PBS every Sunday for a long time and now I use Google a lot to help me find techniques and tutorials.
Man, you are so talented, I wish I was like you, you must have lots of patience 🙂
Thank you so much! Honestly I’m enjoying sewing so much more than I enjoy shopping! I especially enjoy wearing clothes that fit. I don’t think it takes patience so much, but you do have to be willing to care about each step in the process.