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280 Resort Kaftan Sew Along: Part 2

May 10, 2024

Welcome back to the 280 Resort Kaftan sew along! For Part 1, go here. We left off at finishing the front of the dress by joining the bodice, band, and skirt front. Today we will finish sewing the dress!

Adding Bodice Ties

Adding bodice ties to the inside of the dress allows you to be able to add some shaping to the kaftan when wearing it. You don't have to add the ties; they are optional. When the dress is finished, the ties are tied into a bow in the back when wearing it, under the dress, and pull the front tighter to the body. If you add ties, you don't have to tie them every time, of course. You can let them hang down on the inside of the dress. But, the dress that I made for the post is too short to not tie the ties each time (they hang down lower than the hem when not tied).

If you are adding ties, cut two lengths of twill tape or ribbon to be at least 25" long. You may want the ties longer, depending on the size you are making and how easy it is to tie backwards.

I used some twill tape we had on hand at the office. Place one end of one tie inside the two Center Front Bands, between the outer Band and the facing Band. Tack down the end to the facing Band (the Band on the inside of the dress). Place the end just over the seam line so that it will be sewn into the seam in the next step.

Note that you cannot finish the seams all in one go once the ties are added. I serged the seams, but skipped the area where the ties were placed. You would need to finish the short ends of the Bands before sewing them in place if you wanted them finished/serged.

The tie is pinned inside the Band facing here - you can see this is the inside of the kaftan.

I tacked the tie down to the inside of the facing with a zigzag stitch on my machine. I could have placed the tie slightly more to the inside so when I stitched the seam in the next step, the tie would be more securely sewn.

Both ties are added to the sides of the front.

Side Fronts

Now sew Sides D to each side of the dress front that we made in Part 1. With right sides together, match the notch on Sides to the seam line where the Skirt Front meets the Center Front Band. Sew from the top front to the bottom hem. Be sure to keep the ties free from the stitching, and watch that no gathers or extra fabric gets caught in the stitching. There is a lot of fabric here, so working one side a time is a good idea -- pin and sew the right side, then do the left side. Press the seams open, but if you are using the ties, you will want to press this seam toward the Side since the ties tie in the back.

Matching the notch on Side D to the seamline of the Skirt Front and Center Front Band. Right sides are together.

Right side (as worn) is sewn to the front, and the left side (as worn) is pinned together. I finished these seams separately but pressed both toward the back since the ties tie in the back.

Back

Now sew the center back seam, with right sides together and matching notches. I actually cut my back on the fold, so I skipped this step. To cut the back on the fold, be sure to take out the 1/2" (13mm) seam allowance on the center back.

Next sew the shoulder seams. With right sides together place the back to the front, pin the shoulder seams together and stitch. Finish seams and press the open.

Shoulder seams are sewn and pressed open here. The back shoulder matches the the front and side shoulders.

Side Seams and Pockets

The pockets are added to the side seams. For detailed information about adding a pocket to a side seam (and to get a free side seam pocket pattern), read our blog here. Use a measuring tape to decide how far down you want the pockets to lie - usually a bit below the waist and just above the hip. Pin one pocket piece to the front and one to the back (be sure they are at the distance you decided upon) with right sides of pocket to right sides of dress. Stitch the pockets in place with a 1/4" (6mm) seam allowance. Press the pocket open and the seam allowance toward the pocket.

Now stitch the side seam. Match squares at the underarm and notches and pockets. Pin, then stitch from the square under the arm (back stitch to secure) to the top of the pocket and around the pocket bag. I usually stop stitching after I finish the pocket bag. And then start stitching again at the side seam, a few inches above the bottom of the pocket bag on the side seam. Stitch from the bottom of the pocket to the bottom of the kaftan.

Again, you can finish these seams before you start stitching, or you can finish them together or separately. The pocket seam should be finished together. If finishing separately, you can clip back seam allowance just above and below the pocket to release it to face the front and press the seams open.

Pocket placed right sides together on front of the dress.

Pocket pressed open and seam pressed toward pocket. I marked the place where I would start stitching the side seam on the lower part of the pocket. You can see I finished my seam before adding the pocket here.

Stitch the side seam from the square under the arm, down to the top of the pocket, around the pocket, and down again to the bottom.

Side seam pinned at the top square under the arm hole.

Now you need to clip the seam allowance at the square (just where your stitching ends) to the seamline, but not past it.

Turn 1/4" (6mm) to the wrong side all around the arm hole, and turn again. Then stitch from the top of the square under the arm all around the armhole, stitching the hem in place close to the folded edge. When I did this, I actually turned under and pressed 1/2" (13mm), then pressed under 1/4" from that seam allowance. I also turned under the corners of the side seam allowance under the arms and stitched with a short set of stitches (you could whipstitch them down).

Clipping to the square on the side seam below the armhole.

Clip nearly to the side seam but not through the seam allowance.

I turned under the seam allowance by 1/2" (13mm) in the armhole.

Then turned under 1/4" (6mm) from there to the inside of the seam, and stitched close the the folded edge.

The finished armhole!

I finished the top corner of the side seam, under the square by folding the corner to the inside of the seam allowance and stitching in place. This just gave a nicer appearance to the underarm, I felt.

Facings

If you are going to use interfacing for the facings, you should apply it now. Interfacing can be helpful to give a little body and support to fine and lightweight fabrics. You can use another fabric (like a lightweight silk) or regular interfacing. If you are using interfacing, be sure to use something that is appropriate for the fabric you are using (lightweight interfacing for lightweight fabric, etc.). Also, you can trim the interfacing by 1/2" (13mm) on each side of the pattern piece to reduce bulk in the seam allowances. I did not use interfacing for this dress since the fabric had a lot of body already.

Sew the Front Facing pieces together at the center front, with right sides together, from the bottom edge to the center of the square. You don't have to finish this seam since it will not be seen, but if your fabric ravels easily, it is a good idea to finish it. Press the seam open.

The Front Facings with right sides together, stitched from bottom to square.

Center front seam of the Front Facings pressed open.

Sew the Back Facing to the Front Facing at the shoulder seams, with right sides together. Again, you do not have to finish these seams. Press the seams open.

Front and Back Facings pinned together at the shoulder seams.

To finish the outer edge of this neck facing, press under 1/2" (13mm) on the outer edge of all the way around these pieces. You will need to overlap at corners and some curves. Stitch close to the folded edge to secure. Alternatively, you could serge the outer edge of the neck facing to finish it (or zigzag, bind with bias binding, or cut with pinking shears).

The facing with 1/2" (13mm) pressed to the wrong side, along all sides.

I stitched this fold down close to the edge.

Now, with right sides together, pin and stitch the facing to the kaftan neckline, matching shoulder seams and center fronts. It is best to start and stop stitching at the center front square. If I don't line up my stitches perfectly, I will clip them a bit to get the centers to work well (or unpick and re-do it).

The facing is pinned to the neckline of the kaftan.

It is a good idea now to understitch the facing. Understitching helps keep the facing turned to the inside of the garment. Press the facing away from the dress and press the seam allowance toward the facing. Then stitch close to the seam allowance (1/16" to 1/8" away). You will not be able to get completely to the center front, but that is fine.

Trim, or grade, the seam allowance and clip the curves. Clip the curves right up to the understitching, but try to not clip the stitching. You can clip at right angles to the stitching, or clip at diagonals, and clip every few inches. You can also trim and clip the seam before you understitch, but you won't have much to go by and the clips can get bunched under the presser foot.

A close up of the understitching - the facing is to the left in the photo and the dress is to the right. The understitching is very close to the seamline.

Clipping the curves on the facing and neckline of the kaftan.

Now turn the whole facing to the wrong side of the kaftan and press well. I also recommend whipstitching the facing to the seam allowances at the center back, shoulder seams, and center front. This will help keep the facing in place.

All that is left is to hem the dress. Press up 1/2" (13mm) on the bottom raw edge and press, and then press up another 1" (2.5cm). Stitch in place near the folded edge. For my dress, I had a slightly larger hem since I made last minute adjustments to how short I wanted it. I also don't like cutting my hems too short in case I want to lower the hem line at some point. I used a blind hem stitch which worked great.

Now the kaftan is finished! And share your kaftan makes with us! Send an email or tag us on social media.

I love my new kaftan and will be wearing it often this summer.