Flower Power Caftan

Whoa, it’s been six years since I last posted?! Time zooms. Now that we’re six months into this pandemic, I’ve been embracing home projects, cooking, and I finally dusted off my sewing machine. And that has me missing blogging, sharing, writing, and getting inspired by others. I’m trying to not get swept up in the drama of doomsday Facebook posts, or the negativity of accusatory and shaming posts, or the endless political rants. It’s too much. Right now I want to try new recipes, and make my home more inviting, and get back to crafting.

I’m in two Facebook caftan groups, and have met people for caftan walks and photo opps at events. I don’t know where this vintage sheet came from that was in my stash, but I decided to turn it into a caftan using a current pattern, Simplicity 8505.

Of course I always tend to make projects more difficult, but I had my heart set on using the border along the outside edge. I had to cut crossgrain and piece to make this happen, and I didn’t have enough border to go around the back, but overall I think it works. 

I laid the pattern out so the flowers matched up on each side. I wanted them to be reversed, but I messed up somehow on one side and they match. Kinda bummed about that, but no one else will probably notice. 

In areas where I had additional seams from piecing, I covered these up with appliqués. 

Center front:

Sleeves: