DIY Striped Caftan: Simplicity 8505

Sometimes my favorite projects are the ones I decide to complete out of no where with little to no plan. Of course, these projects are also the ones that can go horribly wrong. Luckily in this case, the project turned out to be everything I was hoping for: a comfy, casual caftan to feel dressed up and comfortable all at the same time. Read on to see how I made this DIY striped Caftan using Simplicity 8505 and a few modifications.

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In the midst of some more challenging sewing projects, I began thinking I needed a break: a quick sew that was simple and fun. This caftan pattern has been calling my name for a long time and I remebered a striped version posted on ThanksIMadeThem’s instagram page I had seen a while back. I decided to rummage through my stash and out popped my huge (5 yards I think) french terry stripe that I scored while thrifting last year. Although I don’t remember exactly the price I paid, I think it was somewhere around $6 for the whole cut and I knew it would be something super cute one day.

The Simplicity 8505 pattern includes two vintage caftan looks. I have always loved view B and decided to make it in my striped knit. The pattern doesn’t require knits so I changed the direction of the stripe to vertical (the stretch actually runs with the stripes horizontally) to get the look I was wanting. Because of the repeating stripe I had to make a few changes to the pattern in order to help with lining things up and remaining symmetrical.

Modifications:

I started by cutting the large front piece on the fold rather than in two separate pieces as directed. This allowed me to fold the fabric right in the center of the wide blue stripe to make sure it was the center of the finished caftan. If I would have cut two pieces and sewed a center seam, it would have made that stripe smaller and I was trying to avoid that. I then cut the bodice piece out as carefully as I could to match the blue stripe from the large piece. However, there is no way around that center front seam, so the stripe is slightly smaller. Since the bottom portion is gathered, I think it is not as obvious of a difference in stripe width.

To mimic the front of the dress, I cut the back on the fold as well, centering that blue stripe and removing the 5/8 inch seam allowance on the fold side to account for not adding the center back seam. I am not totally sure why the seam is necessary as I didn’t need to add the split at the back neck line to get the garment on or off my head. There is plenty of room in the deep v front that it wasn’t a necessary step, so I completed omitted it from the pattern. I cut the back neckline facing on the fold (removing the seam allowance) to match the back piece as well.

I handstitched my hem so it would be invisible and I serged the inside seams for a finished look.

I absolutely love how flowy and comfy this dress is to wear. It feels super glamorous while also being as comfy as your favorite pair of pajamas. Sewn up in a lightweight fabric this would be absolutely perfect for hot summer days. I plan on making many more! The pattern is pretty simple. Of course I found a couple places to mess up, so my recommendation is to always sew using a basting stitch if you are unsure (especially around the front bodice piece) and then tweak and change as needed before adding the final stitching. I somehow got my ties on the outside when attaching the bodice and had to fix that as well…oops, sometimes even the easy and quick sews require a little fixing.

I hope you enjoyed this look at my DIY Caftan using Simplicity 8505. If you liked this look, you may enjoy these reviews:

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Until next time,

Happy Sewing