Look, friends!  Color!  Haha

Contrary to what one might think scrolling through my past posts for Cali Fabrics, I love color and am a particular sucker for blue and white prints.  For me, it’s a combination that’s easily wearable year-round, can be dressed up or down, and evokes memories of east-coast summers.  So, I’m sure it’s not hard to imagine how quickly this print jumped in my cart!  Isn’t it amazing?!  It looks to me like a Rorschach print, but that may be my psychology studies talking. (If you’re curious, I mostly see things resembling butterflies. My fiancé, however, found Batman haha).

Psychoanalysis aside, there’s no denying I love this fabric and my new caftan!  I used Closet Case Files’ new Charlie Caftan pattern upon recommendation from a friend on Instagram.  I needed a pattern that would showcase this gorgeous, large-scale print and I think this one works very well.  The print is definitely the focus, but the subtle sculptural shape with the skirt pleats add a little something extra, I think, worthy of a Milly fabric.  Oh yeah, did I mention this was a Milly overstock?! Who doesn’t love designer fabrics?!

Being a high-quality cotton, the fabric was very easy to work with, which was essential for the precision needed to construct the front of this dress.  (Though, if you’re making this dress, I recommend taking Heather’s suggestion to interface the edges of the welt-like insert.)  Even print-matching across the center front seam was effortless because the fabric stayed exactly where I wanted it to with minimal pinning. Normally, I don’t think I would have paired a cotton with a caftan, but this one is opaque enough to not need a lining, yet it’s very lightweight and the hand is soft enough to not affect the comfort or add any unwanted pounds. Essential elements for a caftan and essential for a summer dress in general.  I don’t know about you, but I hate wearing double-layers in anything over 80F. In fact, when we took these photos, it was over 90F and I was fairly cool and comfortable.  And, unlike a rayon I would have normally gone for for a dress like this, the cotton was able to hold the pleats without interfacing or other reinforcement, highlighting the awesome shape Heather designed into this view of the pattern.  It really is the perfect combination for an interesting, casual summer dress.

Now, can someone please point me to the nearest beach? 😀

Check out the other cotton sateens available here.  More photos and pattern details to come on my blog.