DIY: Charlie Caftan by Closet Core Patterns

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Tomiko requested that I sew her a caftan or muumuu. All she wanted was a bedsheet with a hole cut out for her head. I thought that that would definitely not do! Instead, I got the Charlie Caftan pattern from the workroom here in Toronto.

Closet Core Patterns is an indie pattern company based in Montreal, and I’m happy to support Canadian businesses!

I had seen many Charlie Caftans on instagram, and it was the first caftan/muumuu pattern that came to my mind. Tomiko gave me an old bedsheet to use as the fabric. It’s a 100% cotton and originally came from Ikea. It’s old and worn, but since this is a house dress, the fabric didn’t have to be nice.

This is the second time that I sewed a garment for Tomiko. In 2018 I sewed her B6204 out of a cotton sateen fabric. Based on her measurements (a high bust of 38″ and a full bust of 40″), I chose to sew a size 14. She chose view C, which has a gently gathered bodice with as waist tie. Tomiko also wanted a full-length caftan with higher-cut sleeves for a bit more coverage. Other than shortening the length by about 10 cm, I made no other alterations. All versions feature a deep V neckline, short dolman sleeves, inset centre panel and roomy pockets.

This is not a difficult pattern to sew, although some parts were tricky. Of course neatly adding the insert to the gathers was a bit finicky, but the instructions were clear. Instead, the first step gave me the most trouble. And that was just making the two waist ties! On my first try, the safety pin broke just as the tube was turned halfway out. I threw it across the room in a rage, and started on the second tie. Halfway through turning out the second tie, the bit of fabric tore. It took me a couple hours to just get the tubes tied!

Once I got the ties finished, I was able to finish the rest of the caftan in just four hours. I finished all the seams neatly, with flat felled seams on the shoulders. Since the Charlie Caftan has dolman sleeves, I wasn’t sure how to finish the long side seams that go from the underarm down to the side slits. I ended up zig-zagging the seams instead of flat felling the seams with a pocket attached.

Now that I’ve sewn a Charlie Caftan for Tomiko, I want to make one for myself too!

You can get the Charlie Caftan pattern from the Closet Core Patterns website, or from your local craft store.