DIY: Palm Springs Caftan

We’re in the thick of summer and all I want is a weekend away at a pool with my BFFs. Palm Springs, here we come! To fit in with the desert vibes, I’m thinking vintage patterns, bright colors, and something super retro. A DIY caftan is the just the thing I’m going to make and bring with to lounge poolside in!

I went to JOANN to find the perfect pattern and fabric combo to get my piece started!

Here's what you'll need:
Pattern (Simplicity has SO many cool reissue patterns from the 60s/70s! It took me a while to settle on my pick!)

Fabric (I wanted something bright and desert-y and went with this cotton pattern. I got four yards just to make sure there was enough and to have the option of crafting a belt or head scarf with the remnants.)

Thread (Find something that matches your fabric)

**Depending on pattern, you might also need the following: (Just check out the back of your pattern package where additional supplies will be listed.) Fusable interfacing, zippers, hook & eye closures

I found the perfect pattern while browsing - I wanted to make all three of the options but decided on the top left. (Stripes FTW!) I mean we’re going to Palm Springs, so let’s keep it short!

I checked out the step by step instructions on the back of the pattern and started planning. For any sewing newbie, these steps are super helpful in understanding the best way to piece together your garment!

I began with the pattern and cut out the pieces that were needed to make my caftan option and then pressed the pattern pieces with an iron to remove any wrinkles.

I did a quick press of the fabric as well, pinned the pattern to my fabric, and cut the three pieces out. There’s such a sense of accomplishment once you have all your pieces ready to go!

Following the directions on the pattern package, I cut out fusible interfacing for the collar pattern and ironed it to the fabric.

Now it was time to sew all the pattern pieces together! I began with the collar - following the directions I pinned my piece in place…

...stitched the ends together and then turned the collar inside out.

Next was the rest of the caftan! I attached my collar to the neckline...

...stitched the sides of the piece leaving room for the sleeves and then created a hem.

And just like that, I’m ready for Palm Springs! 🌴 

Colorful and outfitted in a vintage straw had, because that’s how you do in the desert :)

This is perfect for over a swimsuit, or to cover shoulders if you’re prone to burns like I am!

I also had the perfect clutch to pair with my caftan! Yellow straw clutch, FTW!

This is making me want to sew caftans to wear each day of the week!

I’m totally going to become that girl! :) Caftan Party, USA!

Remake: Yellow Floral Chiffon Robe

I hope you're enjoying the costume series that just started! I still want to get a few upcycled remakes posted in-between all of the Halloweening, so today you get a housecoat! I bought this YEARS ago with the intention of doing something cool with it, however I just never seemed to be inspired enough to tweak it.

The print was killer and I loved the chiffon, however at the end of the day, it was a buttoned robe. I finally got inspired with a trip to Palm Springs planned. Kinda seems like something that should be worn in the desert, n'est-ce pas?

First thing to hit the road, besides me (!!) was the ruffled collar.

With help from my seam ripper, I removed all the stitching around the neckline, and had a completely detached collar.

Moving on, it was now time to go short!

I trimmed off the bottom portion of the piece and then pinned under the raw edges to prepare a new hem to be sewn.

I stitched down my neck...

...and then tweaked the hem...

...and was left with the perfect Megan Draper-esque pool cover-up for my poolside afternoon in Palm Springs!

I always lather up with sunscreen but love having some extra coverage to totally avoid the sunburn. This was the perfect piece because it was light and airy, I could walk around the pool not feeling overly exposed, and it made me feel like I was in an episode of Mad Men.

The cabana cushion and pillows were totally in my color palette too. Greens, oranges, and yellows, oh my!! I think I'm going to repurpose this into an actual "jacket" (it's still 90 degrees here in Los Angeles, so I'm using the jacket term quite loosely) to wear on top of a tank top/jeans combo this weekend. It gives just enough flair to make a basic jeans/t pair pop.  I'll make sure to document photographically!

Remake: Green Floral Muumuu

I really loved the print of this muumuu.

The floral print at the bottom was my favorite part, so I started to think about ways to upcycle this into something wearable!

While wearing the piece and looking at all the seams, I knew exactly how I was going to upcycle this!

Time to get out the seam ripper!

Seam, meet seam ripper! You guys are going to get along really well.

I started to remove each of the sleeves.

I really loved the shape of the neck on this muumuu.

And when the sleeves came off, it was easier to see the sharper edges that were made at the shoulders. I wanted to let this be the focal point!

Sharper shoulders, check! I pinned to prep for a little bit of sewing.

On top of the shoulder area, I also took in the piece a bit at the arms. There was a larger hole made from when the sleeves were taken off, so I wanted to close up shop a little as well!

I was headed to Palm Springs, so leaving it long and flowy was just how I was going to wear my new piece!

Hello 70s!!

I went to Palm Springs with two of my best girlfriends for a quick weekend getaway! Even getting out of LA for a night feels like a way longer vacation!

We were taking too many pics in the photo booth at the Ace Hotel!

We went to Las Casuelas for a Mexican feast and met a bunch of new pals while dancing to the live band play everything from Journey to Roy Orbison.

There were too many candids going on at the table!

We had the most fun dinner before heading back to the hotel...

...where the shenanigans continued! I was so obsessed with the window display at the hotel! Hello amazing knots! I posted this shot on Instagram over the weekend and @mackenzie.91 called it "an awesome parrot toy" which I couldn't agree more!

It's got a total retro/nautical vibe going on, which suited my ensemble to a tee!

It was back to the room after that, where we grabbed glasses of water to find them super cloudy. We even checked with the hotel to see what was going on and they said it was because of extra air bubbles in it. (It had an Alka Seltzer-y look because of the color/bubbly texture.) I added a pack of Emergen-C to my bubbly H2O...

...and called it a night!

More Palm Springs pics to come...