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Hi everyone! I’m thrilled to be sharing my Ethan pattern flip along side such talented ladies from this week! This project is one of my absolute favorites.
Each year we celebrate Rakhi at our home… and every year my son wears a t-shirt and jeans. I’ve heard all the complaints– fancy clothes are too itchy, too tight, too hot and too flashy. When I saw the Ethan shirt I knew I had to try my hand at making my son a kurta that he would actually wear.
What’s a kurta? It’s a traditional South Asian shirt that can be dressed up or down. (If you are interested, you can see different versions of kurtas on this pinterest board).
The biggest challenge in doing this flip was trying to figure out what to keep and what to change to make this decidedly ‘western’ pattern fit a more ‘eastern’ style.
In my opinion, the thing that really sets a kurta apart from a dress shirt is the fabric and the collar. Although fancy kurta’s can be made from wool or silk, I chose an uber soft, airy cotton for maximum comfort. The fabric reminded me of traditional Indian “khadi” fabric. Khadi fabric is traditionally handspun fabric that is also a symbol of national pride for India.
Modifying the collar to be the traditional “Nehru” collar was so much easier than I expected! I simply used the collar stand pattern piece as the collar.
Some things that I didn’t change about the pattern: The fit! The loose fit of this pattern worked perfectly for my son.
I also kept the pleats and yoke of the original pattern, even though traditional kurta’s don’t have a yoke. I think it went along way towards making the shirt more comfortable to move in for my son.
Since there isn’t any embroidery on this kurta, I added a cut the placket fabric on the bias. I love how the placket stands out when you look closely at the shirt.
The shirt pattern is very versatile and it offers different lengths for the shirt depending on the look you want. I cut the longest length offered by the pattern. I did cut the bottom straight across for a more traditional look.
But, by far, the best part of this pattern was that he loved it. He really loved it! He wore it for the entire ceremony and most of the day afterwards.
Thank you so much for having me for Flip This Pattern! If you want to read more about this outfit, or about how our Rakhi went this year, head on over to Make It Handmade!
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