Several days before our recent beach trip, I decided I just had to have a Charlie Caftan!
This is another linen from Joanne Fabrics. Not the finest linen ever, but actually quite perfect for a lightweight beach dress/cover up, and the slight rough texture is charming in this context.
I sewed View A, short with the diagonal pleat detail and the wide sleeves. I also covet a floor length, dramatic caftan, but I thought I'd start with the more practical version!
I just LOOOOVE the diagonal darts. So fun to sew, and a lovely design detail.
Following my measurements, I graded out at the hips, and otherwise sewed it entirely to spec. I was not so careful cutting, so I did lose a bit on the center front seam trying to get the stripes to meet in an an elegant fashion.
Overall the fit is quite good, body skimming but not too sloppy. The bottom of the skirt is the tiniest bit constricting... I'm not very good at maintaining lady-like postures, so I might add some side vents next time.
Also, as other sewers have noted, the front V is quite deep, and the wide arms are very wide! This is all fine in a beach dress... desireable in fact! But if I was making one to be a bit more of an everyday dress, I'd raise the front V another inch and use the less-wide sleeve option. I might even like it enough to make another later this summer to wear in the fall to work, I think it would be a nice option.
I love all of the little details on this pattern... the stitched down facing, the angled sleeve cuffs, the front inset, the pockets. Of course, the diagonal pleats... but I've already gone on about those.
The inside seams are all frenched, except for the inset, which I finished with bias binding. I was a little surprised that there didn't seem to be any instructions for finishing the edges of the inset... or perhaps I missed them.
This caftan saw daily wear on the beach this last week-- it was the perfect garment to throw on over a swimsuit or to hang out on the deck in. LOVE!!!
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