A Kaftan Top

Happy fall! Today is the first day of autumn and the overcast skies and 60 degree temperature certainly is appropriate to welcome in this new season. I put this shirt on this morning and realized I had lost most of my pictures of it. Last week I was at the lake with Malachi and when I pulled out my phone to take a picture of a fish he caught, my phone dropped forever into the dark water below the dock and so, most of my pictures were lost! Including the ones of this shirt, and the process of making it. 😑 A huge thank you to Judah for taking new pictures today. I don't have any of the construction process, but since there is no shaping except a neckhole, it's pretty darn straightforward!

So this spring I got a few yards of black knit fabric from Wal Mart and used some of it to make a cropped t shirt. I discovered that this thin, drapey material did not work well for a t-shirt and put the rest of the yardage up, waiting for inspiration to strike. It took a few months but at last I was inspired to make a rectangular kaftan top, after finding one at Goodwill that I loved and wore to death. I used the dimensions from that Goodwill shirt to cut this one. It's basically just a big rectangle with the 6" around the edges cut into a fringe, and a neckline cut and bound in the middle of the rectangle. To keep the sides together, I sewed up about 5" from the waistline towards the armpit on each side. That's it!

While the rectangle was laid out on my floor in my sewing room, it looked very plain. I had recently been reading about reverse tie-dye and decided to try to pretty up my fabric with some designs using bleach. I had no idea how it would work, or even if it would work but if it failed I was only out a few dollars worth of fabric. I figured I'd at least try!

To make the designs on the shirt I used a fork and a cotton ball, dipped in bleach. It took a few minutes but I was thrilled to see the black fabric start to turn a peachy pink beneath the dye and soon I had gone a little over board decorating my fabric. 😂 Still, when the sides were sewn up and I was able to try it on I was ridiculously thrilled with the result! This loose, drapey, airy shirt has been a favorite since I made it. 

60 degrees is a little cool for it today, but it still works. When it gets cooler I can wear it with a long sleeved t shirt underneath. I was so happy to find something to make with my black material. although I do still have some left. No idea what to make with it - I guess I'll need to wait for inspiration to strike again! 

 

I hope you all have a blessed first day of autumn. It the most magical time of year, the most beautiful, the most filled with deep joy. Love to you all!

Love,

Sarah