This 250 Square Foot Mini-Kaftan? I Made It Myself, Thank You.

I mentioned in the last installment of Blogback Mountain (see two posts down) that I've been taking sewing lessons with my great aunt. Our projects so far have included turning a pair of baggy old man pants into baggy old man shorts (a summer staple for me), embroidering a chili pepper decal from the 80s onto a dish rag from the 50s, and me getting her sewing machine thread so tangled that she said I was the worst student she'd ever had and told me to leave. We have fun.

So, about a month ago I came across a Moroccan kaftan at Goodwill. It was floor-length, and huge--approximately 500 square feet of fabric--but I absolutely loved the color and the embroidery around the neckline and sleeves, plus it was $5, so I decided to buy it and attempt, with the help of my moody yet talented teacher, to turn it into a summer dress.

A few torn hems, a broken sewing machine, and some possibly purposeful pin-pricks to my legs later, I had a new, 250 square foot summer dress:


I'm obviously not advanced enough to take it in or create darts, so we pretty much just hacked off a few feet of fabric, hemmed it, and added the white ribbon along the bottom.

Here I demonstrate how my new dress can make me look like a rhombus, which is kind of upsetting.

But on the bright side, it's comfy, breezy, and perfect for bike rides around town or to throw on over my swimsuit. Perhaps most importantly, whenever I wear it I get to brag that I made it myself, thank you, and that makes me the happiest rhombus in town.