Made By Lex

How to Make A Kaftan

You say caftan, I say Kaftan. I still don’t know which way to spell it.

One of my favorite summer essentials, a breezy kaftan. This is EASY! It’s just a giant, loose robe so follow along! I used this golden yellow RIT dye.

I knew I wanted something transparent for my kaftan, so against advice I used a polyester sheer material. I knew in my dying experience  that it would still dye, just very light which was fine by me. So for the record, if you use a polyester it will barely pick up the dye.  I got a large pieces and folded in it half over at the head. Here it is pinned on my mannequin so you can see what I did. (notice there’s no head hole yet)

I cut a slight shape out of the sides. After unfolding it, sew the sides together.

Next, fold it in half again and at the top folded corner, cut a little hole out for the head.

Now slip it over your mannequin or lay it on the floor.

Now I cut a diagonal slit across the front. I wanted the opening to be across and open at the leg.

Then I took some pins and opened it up the way I wanted it to lye on the front. Notice how it’s taking shape?

Repeat that on the other side.

Then from there you can cut off the excess and sew the openings, along with the hem and it’s complete! I love the way it covers and flows in the beachy wind!

For an optional belt I got two extra strips of the fabric along with some teal grosgrain that matched my scarf perfectly. I braided them all together.

For the ends I got a small piece of grosgrain and glued them closed.

Here’s the belted kaftan.

I have some more summer inspired tutorials coming so stay tuned!

Summer Scarf

My next beach essential is a light, summer scarf. I live in a cool, coastal town so it doesn’t get too hot here. I always take a wrap with my in case I get chilly. I used this RIT dye to create an extra long and skinny scarf.

I wanted to get a gradient effect on my scarf  so this is how I do mine. Get two buckets next to one another. Put about 70% of one dye in one side and 30% in the other. (Follow the other instructions on the box in terms of water temperature, etc…) I dipped each end of my scarf in one side then teeter totter it back and forth. That way each end will come out a different color and the middle will be blended.

After drying I took each end and cut little strips to add fringes.

Then I tied them in little knots.

It’s a great way to stay warm against any cool breezes.

Wedding Dress

Remember last year I found this dress and remade it for my fashion show and it was then used in the Green Wedding Shoes photo shoot?

photo by Carlie Stratsky

After the shoot it went up for sale and I had the sweetest bride to be, Alexis, buy it. Here she is at her wedding. I had to share the pictures with you because she looked so beautiful in it. I love the way she styled it with her vintage style red shoes.

photos by Shwarzenfeld Photography

Girl’s Summer Frock Tutorial

I love quick, summer play dresses. You can never have too many of them! Here’s a really easy girl’s frock that takes no time at all!

Sew your fabric together to make a big tube. Make it about 1.5 times your child’s chest measurement.

Find the center of the dress and mark it.

Bring both sides in and pin in place.

Stitch it down the center a couple inches.

For the chest band get a piece of fabric and fold it over to create a thick band. Make sure it will fit over your child’s head and shoulders.

Attach it to the dress and sew together. (I gathered my dress slightly in the back so it would have a little more movement.)

Make a couple straps and attach them where you like.

All done!

I topstiched along the front chest band for a nice detail.

I also v’d my straps in the back.

Total time- about 45 minutes. So easy!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Easy, Elegant Teacher’s Gift

Hello blog land! I’m back! This move was a hard one for me, probably with the girls being older and having more things and being possessive of where they all go. But we’re mostly settled in now. I can’t wait to show you some pictures when things are all squared away!

For my daughter’s teacher’s gift this year I knew I wanted to make her teacher an elegant scarf. I went to Harts Fabric (of course) and found this gorgeous Italian fabric. It’s a cotton/wool blend and was absolutely stunning. (Here’s a few other prints in the same type of fabric.)

I bought 3/4 a yard and cut it in half to make two pieces that I sewed together. Then I did a rolled hem all the way around the scarf.

Then I added this pretty floral lace trim around the two ends. I added it to both sides of the ends so you would see it no matter how the scarf was laying.

Here’s the finished scarf.

It makes a beautiful gift for someone (or one for yourself). The total cost of the project was about $10!

Have a beautiful weekend. I’m back Monday with a beautiful giveaway!