Caftan Convert

This caftan was made from the 1970s Simplicity pattern pictured below.

It was given to a friend as a just-because gift.

I had initially purchased the fabric for a different project,

but wasn’t completely sold on it for that project, mostly due to the print.

I think it had been whispering all along it was a caftan.

I already knew the friend liked the colors when I decided to make something for her,

and it turned out she liked caftans too.

So this project was a win for 2 different reasons.

I whittled my stash down just a bit and had the pleasure
of making someone else happy when they weren’t expecting it.

Once upon a time, if someone had asked me what item of clothing best defined my personality, the answer would have been blue jeans. There are still jeans in my closet, but as I’m getting older (and the waistline fluctuates), I’ve had a growing fondness for athletic stretchy pants (not yoga) and dresses. Courtesy of the hot, humid environment we have at least 6 months out of the year, dresses have become necessary to my survival. I probably wear them 75% of the time when the weather is hot.

I’m really not sure what category of clothing caftans belong to, dress, robe or tunic, but they found their way into my conscience early this summer. Like many hard-core project people, I’ve accumulated a respectable stash in my studio. There is fabric yardage (some for specific projects), patterns, ribbon, trims, buttons, yarn, jewelry making, embroidery and art supplies. Oh, I can’t forget my Angora Rabbit wool. There are a couple of large plastic containers holding the bounty from my very generous bunnies. We’re giving serious consideration to down-sizing, but even if we don’t move soon, we’ve reached the point where it’s time for serious decluttering. Some of the fabric I’ve purchased in recent years wasn’t for specific patterns. I just liked it. If I bought it to make a future garment, there is usually at least a 4 yd. piece to guarantee there is enough to make something. After we got back from our 5-week trip, I started eyeballing some of that fabric, since it was already too hot to do much work on our trailer. A lack of patterns to use with it wasn’t the issue. But a growing scrap stash was.

And that’s how I found myself examining caftans. Those who have studied human history know it’s probably one of the world’s oldest garments from the cradle of civilization. A fine pedigree indeed, and most definitely designed for a part of the world which experiences plenty of hot weather. The caftan made its way around the globe in various forms and has many different names. Due to Colonialism, it probably wasn’t unknown to globe-trotting Western Europeans. If they owned one, they weren’t wearing it in public though.  That didn’t happen until fashion discovered it in the early 20^th century. The Czarina Alexandra wore a traditional Russian robe for her coronation in the 1890s. By the early 1900s, a few haute couture European designers were courageous enough to embrace the caftan as a means of freeing women from restrictive undergarments and fashion. The voluminous garment took a hiatus from the 1930s thru the war years, then started making its presence felt again in the 1950s. During the 60s and 70s it became the ultimate symbol of Bohemian culture, and its ethnic roots provided plenty of inspiration.

Despite being a creative sort, I never really identified myself with Bohemian culture. There’s something funny about getting older, however. You start caring a lot less about what others think. Bonus? Giving yourself permission to be both comfortable, and maybe stand out from the crowd while you’re at it. When I was studying my extra fabric, the first priority was using it in a project which didn’t generate much, if any leftovers. That’s how I found myself considering caftans in the first place, but after thinking about it for a bit, the thought of wearing something which wouldn’t have been in my closet 20 years ago, didn’t disturb me.

This pattern did include the ties,

but they were joined to the waistband in front and left inside.

Reaching under all that fabric didn’t seem very practical to me.

So I made 2 buttonholes in the back to pull them thru.

When researching caftan patterns, I had seen pictures of this one,

including the instructions.

Since its destiny was to be a gift, I decided it would be better to have the actual pattern.

I got lucky and found it on Ebay.

What do caftans have to offer the sewist besides a minimum of scraps? (Scraps or no scraps will be determined by your style of caftan.) There is actually a variety of styles that can challenge your creativity and skills. You can make them more structured or keep ‘em simple. There’s a lot to be said for simple. It’s equally satisfying, kind of like a project vacation where you still feel productive, only with less effort. A wide variety of fabric choices are suitable, meaning you could have a caftan wardrobe for any seasons you want. The vintage sewist is not excluded here since caftan patterns from several decades are available. They can also be a good entry into making patterns or even going pattern free. The first two caftans I made were produced with a tape measure and try-on as I went. I did have a picture from a pattern as inspiration. Since I couldn’t find a copy of it for sale, I didn’t see any reason not to try without a pattern. It looked like two rectangles sewn together. It’s a little more detailed than that, but I’ll provide more information with the photo included below.

The 4 yd. piece of fabric, used here, was large enough to produce ankle-length twin caftans. It was 60” wide. After cutting the yardage in half, each 2 yd. piece was cut in half lengthwise to make 2 pieces 30” wide. This caftan is reversible in that the front and back pieces are the same. The slit making the neckline was cut in both pieces at the same time. I can’t give exact measurements for the following. It’s a personal choice which depends on what you want to do with your caftan. For the neckline, if you want to fold the fabric back and hem for a finished edge, small horizontal slits need to be cut at the bottom of the vertical slits. Double-folded bias tape or other trims are finishing options too. Since I gathered under the bust of each piece, I used 1 1/2” wide satin ribbon to cover the gathering and the bottom of each neckline slit. The shoulder seams and side seams are next. Length of the side seam will be determined by the size you want to make your arm holes and whether or not you want side slits. I opted for the slits. They start just above the knee. This caftan can also be made tunic or knee length.


Don’t think you’re the type to wear a caftan? Try making at least one for home use. They are great for lounging about, and I can’t think of a better reason to give yourself a mini vacation occasionally than a groovy caftan in your closet whispering, “Take a day off”.

The Project Queen