Emma's Closet Core Patterns Charlie Caftan Dress

Hi there fellow fabric lovers!

I’m Emma (@sewemiesew on Instagram) and I LOVE sewing! Mostly for me if I’m honest (am I allowed to say that?!) and often for my two young boys but never for my hubby (he’s way too picky!)  So when the lovely Katie from sewsewsew asked me if I wanted to write a guest blog post with a bit of free fabric thrown in … it was a no brainer!

 

 

The Fabric

Even though I love having a good feel of fabric in a shop, you can’t beat a reliable online fabric company like sewsewsew for a payday shopping fix or midweek “I definitely deserve a treat” moment! I have made lots of purchases from Katie in the past because of her excellent customer service and reasonable prices.

I had a hard time choosing my fabric as Katie has so many beauties on offer. I finally decided on the gorgeous Louise Viscose because I was drawn to the vibrant shade of green and I can’t resist the drape of a viscose!  It is covered in a bold flower and leaf design which is really eye-catching both up close and from afar.

 

The Pattern

After choosing such a striking material, I knew that I would need to pair it with a sewing pattern that would show off the large-scale design to its full potential … the Charlie Caftan by Closet Core Patterns (until recently known as  Closet Case Patterns) immediately came to mind.  I’d made two variations of this fabulous summer staple prior to this and there’s definitely scope for more! I love it when a pattern has lots of different options to choose from – feels like you’re really getting your money’s worth!   

The Charlie Caftan comes in two different skirt lengths, with two depths of sleeve and a choice of either pleats or gathers under the bust. There is also an optional waist tie to cinch it in even further which is really flattering. I went for the higher sleeves, gathered bodice, waist tie and the longer length with a side split.

 

The Sewing

As soon as my beautiful fabric arrived from Katie and I’d paraded it in front of the mirror with it draped around me like a cape (doesn’t everyone do this?!) I threw it straight in the wash so I could crack on with the sewing. I used my trusty rotary cutter to cut the pieces as viscose can sometimes be quite slippery. I also made sure to put a fresh needle in my machine to reduce the chance of snagging.

The construction of the Charlie Caftan is really straightforward. Inserting the centre panel is slightly more tricky, but, as with all Closet Core Patterns, the instructions are clear and well written. There are also additional resources on their website to make the sewing process a dream. I chose to raise the neckline by 1cm on this version as it is quite a deep V and I’m not one for flashing my bra as a rule!

 

The Result

I absolutely love this pattern and fabric combo! I love the striking colours with the thick contrasting black outlines and I think the style of dress shows off it off beautifully.

I originally had visions of swishing about in this number on an exotic beach, drinking cocktails and generally living the glamorous life. And then I remembered about Covid 19 …. so the south coast of England it is! Fish and chips anyone?!