Kaftan Style Kurti Cutting & Stitching

Earlier, we learned about the regular kurti.
Here we will learn the designer and stylish kurti style i.e. kaftan style kurti.
Kaftan is a designer kurti in which the sleeve part is not separate, it is completely open.
The most common fabric used for kaftan is cotton.
However, the thin and loose fabric is used to make kaftan style kurti like rayon, silk, etc.
You have to take 2-2.5m of fabric (Roughly, the fabric should be twice the length of the kaftan).
There are different types of kaftan according to length.

Required Measurements For Kaftan Kurti Cutting:

Here is the method to take body measurements.

• Length – measure from shoulder till the length to be kept
• Chest – measure from the top of the breast in a round
• Waist – measure 7-8″ below the chest till the thinnest part of the waist and take measurements in the round (Waist length – from shoulder to waist)
• Seat – measurement should be taken around the hips

Method:

• After taking measurements, it has to be kept in 2 folds i.e. 4 folds for the cutting method.
• 42″ width fabric should be taken, which means keeping 21″ width for cutting, as shown in figure(a).

Steps with the figure:

CUTTING METHOD

• Now after taking the updated measurement take a sample of any measurement to know how much more fabric to cut for sewing.
  • Length: 40″
  • Chest: 36″
  • Waist: 32″
  • Seat: 40″
  • Front neck length: 6″ (roughly take 5-6″)
  • Back neck length: 2″ (roughly take 2-3″)
• Firstly, measure the full length and add 1.5″ to that.
  • Total length = 40″+1.5 = 41.5″
• Shoulders are not to be taken in the upper part.
• We will directly take neck width for that take 1/12 of the chest, as shown in the below figure(a).
  • Neck Width = 36″/12 = 3″
• The length of the front neck can be taken as 5-6″ while the back neck can be taken as much as 2-3″.
• In the part of the lower side, as long as the length is taken, cutting can be done in rounds as shown in figure(a) with the dotted line i.e. 2″ round taken (this is optional and up to whatever an individual like and in the final drafting figure(b) we haven’t taken the round cut).
• If you don’t like the width, it can be cut from the side part.

STITCHING METHOD

• To stitch, first, make a neck strip for the front and back neck and make a neck.
• If it is open from the shoulder, stitch it first.
• If there is a folded part, keep it as it is.
• A waist belt(lace) has to be made from the top to the height of the waist.
• Two strips are placed on the inner side to attach the waist belt(lace).
• 1 in the front part and 1 in the back part to tie at the front side by passing the waist belt(lace) through them.
• The cutting of the side is done in a straight part from the top.
• For the armhole, take 1/4 of the chest from the top and subtract 1 from that.
  • Armhole = 36″/4 = 9″-1 = 8″
• For side stitches, take 1/2 of the chest and add 1 to that, refer to the given below figure(b).
  • Side stitch = 36″/2 = 18″+1 = 19″
• For the waist belt, take 1/2 of the waist and add 1 to that.
  • Waist belt = 32″/2 = 16″+1 = 17″
• From the seat, take 1/2 of the seat measurement and add 1 to that.
  • Seat = 40″/2 = 20″+1 = 21″
• After that, take the seat measurement and sew up to the bottom, as shown in figure(b) by a dotted line.

Other Objectives:

• If we make it short in length, then it is worn over the jeans-like top.
• If done up to the knee length, then it is worn like a kurti over a straight pant or palazzo pant.
• If we make it full in length, then we can also consider it as nightwear.
• Many different designs can also be made.

Conclusion:

• I hope this method of cutting and stitching the kaftan style kurti will help you.