HOW TO STITCH A SALWAR / SEWING BASICS



Salwar Kameez is one of the most comfortable dresses and hence is largely popular in India as a daily wear. The construction and method of stitching a salwar can be found here. Salwars require about 2 ½ metres of cloth and are usually stitched with non transparent materials. Refer How to stitch a Kameez for stitching a Kameez.

Before cutting the cloth for a salwar take the following body measurements

Length of the salwar :( 41”)
Hip: (35”)
Round ankle: (12” or 14”)

Approximate measurements are given in brackets just for reference. Use your body measurements for stitching the salwar.

Construction for stitching the legs


0 to 1 = salwar length – waist band width (i.e. 8”) + 1” (e.g. 41”-8”+1” = 34”)

0 to 2 = 1/3 Hip + 1 ½” – waist band width (e.g. 8”)

2 to 3 = Half hip or full cloth width (e.g. 18” or full cloth width)
3 to 4 = 1 ½”
4 to 5 = straight line
1 to 6 = half round ankle
Join 3 to 6 with a straight line and 3 to 5 with a curved line

Method:

First open the cloth fully, and then fold the cloth on the reverse such that the two selvedges are on top of each other. Then fold again into half as shown. Now you will have 4 layers of cloth one on top of the other.




Mark the measurements directly on the cloth using the construction given above. Then join all the lines and curves.

Once the measurements are marked, cut the cloth (all four layers together) leaving 1” allowance along 3 to 6 line and ½” along 3 to 5 and 0 to 5 lines. Now the two leg parts are cut and ready. Use the remaining cloth for cutting the ankle bands, waist band and draw string. The cloth near the fold is usually used for cutting the waist band wheres ankle bands and draw string are cut using the remaining cloth. For cutting and stitching these three refer Basics for stitching a salwar.

Once the ankle bands are stitched to the legs and the waist band and draw sting are stitched and ready, we proceed to the main part of joining the pieces together. First take one leg piece, fold in the reverse and stitch along the 3 to 6 line. Do the same thing with the other piece as well. Then stitch the two legs together along the 3 to 5 line. Then take the waist band and make small 1/8” cuts (or mark with a chalk) at a distance of 6” from the centre at b and b’. The pleats on the salwar have to be stitched between b and b’. Similarly make a small cut at the centre of the back part of the waist band at a.


First start by stitching the legs to the waist band from the back from a. i.e. Start stitching the joint of 5 to 6 line and a and stitch for 1” distance. Then fold the cloth to form a single pleat of 1” and stitch. Continue stitching till you reach b (or b’). Now stop here and start stitching again from a till you reach b’(or b). Now with the remaining cloth on the legs, take even pleats and stitch it to the waist band. Make sure that the joint in the centre of the waistband coincides with the joint at the 5 to 6 line in front. Once the pleats are done, finish the salwar by overlocking the extra cloth on the reverse to prevent thread from coming out. Insert the draw string through the opening and your salwar is now ready.



4 comments:

  1. i don't know a thing about stitching but i want to learn now from your site :) thank you so much, Amina :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for your concise instructions. All I need to do now is to buy some cloth and start stitching.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent tutorials. Thank you Amina. Can i also request you to provide tutorials for stitching a saree blouse ..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Amina. Marking this one once Im more confident to stitch for myself. I'm currently only doing small projects for my daughter. Thanks,Preethi.

    ReplyDelete

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