Hello! I am back to share another upcycled fashion project. I really challenged myself with this one, but am extremely happy with how it turned out! In previous posts, I explained that I have been taking a class which specifically focuses on creating a fashion collection, using only upcycling fashion methods. Over the past year, I have been working on my pieces (off and on) and have absolutely loved this class. I will be sharing the projects and fashion line that I created in separate posts.

Incase you are new to fashion upcycling, it focuses on making new fashion from existing materials. This includes cutting up and re-sewing items you already have or using items found second hand - nothing brand new. Really, anything that is made out fabric could be conceptualized into a new garment. In the past, I have used vintage sheets, towels and even curtains. It also includes dying, painting, stenciling and drawing on fabric, embroidery and other details.

For the line I created, I chose to make pieces for myself that I will love and wear for many years to come. As a reminder, my inspiration for this line was Avatar: Legend of Korra, specifically the Metalbenders aesthetic. All pieces for this collection are done in shades of green with accent colors.

Below is the original drawing and the color rendering I did for this fifth project. I love to wear and sew caftans. They are easy to wear and flattering for many body types. Caftans were very popular in the 70s, but are never out of fashion in my opinion. In this drawing I am showing a simple caftan with a keyhole neck line and button closure, large side pockets and two rows of diamond shaped cut-outs along the hem. The keyhole neckline is a reoccurring element that runs through most of the pieces I made.

When I drew the idea for this piece, I did not know what fabric or materials I would use. I had already drafted and used the pattern for this caftan years ago, and had previously made versions of it for myself. I knew I loved it and that was the easy part. The difficult part came with the cut-outs along the hem. I had never made the kind of cut-outs that I wanted for this piece, and had no idea how to create them.

Once again, I found the perfect fabric at the thrift store. It ended up being a vintage flat sheet that was a very light, pistachio green with a very faint, all-over print.

Below is the rendered drawing showing the fabric, colors and some gathers I added at the waist.

Since I knew the hard part was figuring out the hem, I started with stitching up the caftan and decided to worry about the hem later.

I decided against trimming out the neckline (as shown in the original drawing), but found the perfect vintage button to complete it and create a simplified frog closure. Next was to make the pockets. I wanted to repeat the diamond shape, but a cut-out on a pocket is not very functional. To still get the pattern and effect, I decided to paint the diamond onto the pockets using fabric paint. I used the same paint that I used in project #2. Using painters tape, I blocked out the shape and painted it a brighter green than the rest of the fabric. The color of the paint coordinates with the button I used at the neck.

All that was left to finish was the hem cut-outs and I had a total mental block on how to accomplish that. The caftan hung on my dress form for weeks. Finally I had an epiphany and knew how to move forward!

I made diamond shaped patterns and then drew one vertical and one horizontal line on the pattern pieces, connecting the points and intersecting in the middle. Next, I punched a few holes along these lines and pinned the pattern pieces along the hem. Using a fabric pen with ink that disappears, I transferred the holes I made on the vertical and horizontal lines of the pattern pieces onto the fabric.

I then cut along these lines and folded the fabric pieces back to create a finished edge.

I am not sure why it took me so long to figure out how I wanted to create and finish the cut-outs, but I am very happy with how it turned out. It was so easy once I figured out what to do!

Here is how the finished dress looks on me. I love how it turned out and have already worn it.

Here are some additional close up pics.

I also like wearing this piece with a turtleneck, tights and boots for fall and winter.

Thank you for being here and following along! Let me know if you have recently worked on a project where you knew what you wanted to create but were not sure how to get there.