Sari into a dress

Earlier this year we popped to Kuala Lumpur, and I found a great sari shop near to the hotel - the lady running the shop was so helpful and, completely, understood me wanting a length of sari fabric to make a western-style dress. I was too dopey to take a note of the name of the shop but am sure to go back so will post an update to this post when I do.


So, for $20 (Singapore dollars) I bought a fabulous sari

I got about 6m of fabric for $20! not possible in Singapore

I had to decide how to cut it and a Sari length does have a natural break where the top separates from the sari length and I did cut it there to make the bodice for the dress.

6m of fabric meant I could create a pleated skirt and, now it's finished, it does puff out a bit and i'm pleased to have put in the work - I didn't make a pleat template but did measure each pleat (honest!) and pinned it. I sewed a basting row of stitches along the pleating. The whole pleating process took hours, over several days and, so, I don't know I would do it again.

I was attracted to this particular sari 1) because of it's turquoise colour and 2) that feather border print. So, when I cut off the bodice part of the sari, I removed that border print.

In the photo, above, you're seeing the reverse of the panel - it has a ribbon attached to it which I've left on the panel as it acts as a weight to the skirt.

I attached the feather border to the top of the skirt, as a very wide waistband

at this point I floundered as I had no bodice pattern! I've never drafted a bodice before and, looking back, I should have just tried that. However, I didn't and now know why sari's don't have sleeves, as such, on the blouses. I hacked a Tilly and The Buttons Megan dress bodice.

I don't think this is silk, but a poly-silk, but it still frays like nothing I've ever worked with. I attempted to stabilise it with interfacing

I sized it to the Megan I made before (the curtain that became the embroidered cherry tree dress) but it wouldn't fit

I unpicked it, REALLY carefully but there isn't enough fabric to re-make a bigger bodice. This pic is before I attached the bodice to the skirt - and I knew the bodice would be short (it's why I added that border to the top of the skirt) but it doesn't fit across the back and i'm really sad about it <sad face>

Upshot is, I removed the bodice and the border and I've got a floaty, pleated, vintage-esque, poly-silk skirt. 

So, it never became the dress I thought it would but I'm wearing that skirt a lot

and I need to find a use for that brown/white spot and feather border print...

sew on!