Butterfly Abaya Tutorial (2 different version)
I loovvee this abaya a lot, so I thought why not share the love?
It’s one of the easiest abayas to make, but because of how awesome it looks at the end, people assume it’s hard. The only tough part is that there is a lot of fabric…and I mean a lot of fabric, so that get’s overwhelming Now as you can see from the pictures I’ve made two different types of abayas(even though there’s 3 pics). The first two are the belted butterfly abayas and the last is the regular/plain one. All of ‘em are pretty awesome so I’ll be showing you guys how to do both inshaAllah.
There’s a bit of math before we start, so here goes:
The amount of fabric you’ll need will be based on your height. Have someone measure you from middle of your shoulder to your feet. If you are for example, 5 ft 4″ the length you’ll need is around 54″. The amount of fabric you’ll need is 54inches x 2=108″ or 3yards. (I suggest getting 3 and 1/4 yards or more.) So the formula is: your full length x two divided by 36 inches. (36 inches =1 yard)
Materials:
-Around 3-4 yards of fabric depending on your height. The width of the fabric must be atleast 58″ or 60″ so remember to ask for this width when buying fabric.
-1/4 yard contrasting fabric, only if you are making the belted abaya.
- 1 inch/2 inch Elastic
-Bias tape or you can also use left over fabric to make your own
-sewing machine and sewing stuff
Measurements:
-Have someone measure you from wrist to wrist, add an inch and a half to this and write this down.
-Have someone measure your full length from middle of your shoulder, over your bust down till your toes.
Let’s get started:
**Click the pics to make them bigger**
**Read everything through before making this**
Since there’s a lot of fabric involved I thought it’d be better to show you all how to make this abaya through paper instead of actual fabric.
1) This is just a reference to your fabric when it is laid flat.
2) Fold your fabric length wise. Use pins to secure the ends so that they do not move.
3) Fold your fabric width wise and secure all loose ends with pins. Now you should have two folded sides and two loose end sides.
4) Draw a shape like this on your fabric. (click the pic to make bigger) The width on top is half of your wrist-wrist measurement. Your arm opening should be around 7-8″. (For two of the belted abayas I had to extend the arm since my fabric wasn’t long enough, that’s why you see a different color on the arms.) Don’t worry if isn’t exactly like mine, it’s okay, the awesomeness of this abaya is that it gives you leeway for mistakes (and my abayas are far from perfect)
5) Now make the neckline. The width is 3″ and the depth is 1″. After this, say bismillah and start cutting. If you didn’t leave allowance for your sewing while you drew the shape, it’s okay, because you can just cut 0.5″ outside the lines and it’ll be okay.
6) Open up your entire abaya…it should look like this
7) Fold this in half now, make sure your arms match up. Use pins to stop the fabric from moving. Now measure out a 5.5″ deep neckline and cut away. This will be the front of your abaya.
Now if you are making a plain/regular butterfly abaya, pat yourself on the back, you are basically done cutting, move on to step 16.
If you are making a belted one move on to the next step.Belted Butterfly Abaya:
This is the back of the belted abaya. As you can see the back is super loose and you can’t see any belt. Now how do we do this?
8) Measure your waist and divide this by two. This will be the part of the belt that actually shows, the elastic part will be hidden. Now, where you’ve marked your front neckline open your abaya and measure down 15″ from the fold, mark this down by drawing a line all the way across the fabric. Since we want the belt to be centered, find the center of this line, mark that down. Now take your half waist measurement and divide this in half. From the center of the line we just drew, mark your half-half waist measurements on each side. Take a min to decide how wide you want your belt to be. Let’s say 2.75″, so just draw a line 2.75″ on each side.
9) Take scrap fabric, and turn em into squares/rectangles. They should be around 4″ (if you used 2.75″ for your belt)
10) Turn the edges of squares over twice to hem each side. Press/iron in place. Then sew the square pieces to ensure there is no loose threads.
11) Mark 2.75″ on your sewn squares and draw a box. so like 2.75″ x 0.25″.
12) Match the boxes on each of your belt “openings”. pin to place and sew the 2.75″x0.25″ onto the abaya. After sewing it, cut the center, without cutting through the seams. fold your boxes to the inside of the abaya, press into place. Now top stitch to hold everything together. Now you have two holes for your belt!
13) To make the actual belt we need the contrasting fabric. Cut out a front belt half the size of your waist and make it 6″ wide. Then cut out a back belt a few inches more than your actual half waist measurement and make it 6″ wide. Fold each of these pieces so that they are now 3″ wide. Then sew the rough edges together to create two tubes. Turn them right side out and iron in place. Now take some elastic and put in inside the back belt. Sew a little bit, and then start stretching the elastic as you sew until you get to the end of the back belt.
14) Sew one side of the front and back belt pieces together.
15) Put it the belt through one of the holes you’ve made, so that the elastic part is on the inside. Now put the other part of the front belt through the other hole. Sew it onto the other side of the back belt piece. wohoo your belt piece is done!
*16) Sorry I don’t have any pictures for the actual sewing since I can’t sew paper
But trust me this part is super easy. You have the option of making the arm not so big…To do this you can take some elastic and make a casing as you hem the arm openings. Here is a tutorial on elastic casings. Just use a thin elastic piece. Or you can go the simpler route, just hem the arm openings w/o an elastic. Done! After this match up the arms together and sew each of the sides down. Then hem the bottom, by turning over the fabric twice. Lastly for your neckline do this with bias tape.***Overlock/zigzag all the rough edges. Press everything in place.
the black belted butterfly abaya needs some ironing…i was a bit lazy to do so in the heat
You are done!
~Few tips: Since there is a lot of fabric, to keep your stitches from stretching don’t let the fabric drag as you sew. When you wear the belted abaya, put the belt of the abaya on first and then the sleeves.
I hope you guys find this tutorial to be helpful. If you have any questions do let me know.
Here is a link to my other sewing tutorials.
As always, hit the like/follow/share button if you enjoyed this. Have an awesome day everyone!
How to Sew a Simple Caftan
How to Sew a Simple Caftan
- Measure from the nape of your neck down to the desired length: purchase twice this amount of 45″ wide fabric.
- Cut the fabric into two equal lengths.
- Reduce the width of both pieces to 35″.
- From the excess cut-away material, cut two rectangles, each measuring 6″ wide x 12″ long. Fold each in half, lengthwise, wrong sides together, press to crease the folded edge. Set these aside to be used on the neckline.
- Choose one length of fabric to be the front of the caftan. Spread it on the floor or tabletop, right side up, mark and cut the front neck opening as follows:
- Place a pin in the center top edge of the fabric.
- Measure down 8″ and mark with a pin.
- Along the top edge, place pins 6″ to either side of the center pin.
- Place pins 2″ to either side of the bottom pin.
- Cut out the neck opening. Refer to diagram.
- Take the two folded rectangles and pin them to the neck opening, aligning raw edges. (There will be some excess at the top and bottom). Stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
- Turn the rectangles toward the center and overlap the bottom edges.
- Gather or pleat the excess fabric along the bottom of the neck opening and pin it to the overlapped edge of the neckline. Stitch.
- Trim away excess fabric from the rectangles along the top and bottom of the neckline.
- To complete the caftan:
- Place the front of the caftan together with the back, right sides together. Stitch along the top.
- Stitch the sides, leaving a 10″ opening on either side for the arms.
- You may choose to cut a large curve bottom or leave it straight.
- Hem the bottom.
- Hem the armhole openings.
- Hem the back neck opening.
How to Sew a Shoulder-Style Abaya
How to Sew a Shoulder-Style Abaya
- With your arms at your sides, have someone measure from one wrist to the other going across the back of the shoulders.
- Purchase twice this amount of 60″ inch wide fabric.
- Fold the left and right edges so that they meet in the center.
- Pin in several places to hold the fabric in place.
- Referring to the diagram: Cut a V-neck in the top layer of fabric.
- Stitch the seam line across the top.
- At the upper left and right corners, cut openings for your hands.
- The center seam of the abayah may be closed in several ways:
- The easiest thing to do is simply stitch the entire seam all the way up to the neck.
- You could also stitch from the bottom, half-way up, then insert a long zipper, or even several snaps or velcro.
- Cut the bottom of the abayah, large and round.
- Finish the neck opening, and cuffs with satin ribbon or bias binding.
- Hem the bottom.
How to Sew a Niqab
How to Sew a Niqab
Simple Elastic Niqaab
- For a single layer niqaab: Cut a rectangle of fabric 13″x17″.
- Hem the two long sides and one short side.
- Fold the unhemmed sided under 1/4″, fold again 1/2″ and stitch close to the edge of the fold.
- Cut a length of 1/4″ wide elastic, long enough to go around your head.
- Pass the elastic through the 1/2″ hem of the niqaab.
- Overlap the two ends of the elastic and stitch together firmly using tiny zigzag stitches.
- **Note** Instead of elastic, ties could be added to either side of the niqaab for tying behind the head.
Headband Niqaab
- Cut a 4″ wide rectangle. long enough to go around your head like a band, with a couple of inches overlapping – or if you prefer, make the band long enough to tie behind your head.
- Press a 1/4″ inch hem along both long edges of the rectangle band. Fold the band in half, lengthwise, wrong sides (pressed hems) together.
- Cut a rectangle large enough to cover the face. Double if material is thin. Hem.
- Find the center of the band and the center of the face cover. Match.
- Pin the face cover in the slit of the band (i.e. between the folded hems)
- Leave an opening for the eyes.
- Sew the two pieces of the niqaab together. Sewing from one side of the eye opening out the the end and from the other side of the eye opening out to the end. Refer to diagram
- **Note** This seam allowance needs to be very slight, otherwise the space for the eyes will not stay open.
- Add snaps or velcro on the overlap of the headband, to close. (unless it was made long enough to tie back).
Niqaab with Eye Cover
- This is basically the same as the headband niqaab, except that a thin netting or mesh type fabric is stitched to the headband. This can stay atop the head for better visibility or flipped down to conceal the eyes.
- Cut the rectangle headband about 4″inches wide x the length needed to go around the head.
- Press a 1/4″ hem along both long edges of the headband.
- Fold the headband in half, lengthwise, wrong sides together.
- Stitch the face cover to the bottom folded edge of the headband (with a slight seam allowance) leaving an opening slit for the eyes.
- Pin the eye mesh into the open seam at the top of the headband, (i.e. between the folded hems), stitch the seam all the way along the headband.
How to Sew a Chador – Prayer Outfit
How to Sew a Chador – Prayer Outfit
- This is a chador works great as a prayer outfit, using lightweight cotton material; or as a general everyday outfit, using lightweight silky polyester…or other fabric of your choice. Use 60″inch wide material.
- Measure from your forehead, down your back, to the floor. Purchase twice this amount of fabric.
- Fold fabric in half, right sides together, with fold at top.
- Use pins to mark points A-C, approximately 12″inches apart.
- To find the appropriate length for lines A-B and C-D. Measure from the top of your head down to your wrist.
- Place your hand at the edge of the fabric and pin on either side to mark the opening for your hands [Points B-E and D-F].
- Cut as indicated by the solid lines in the Diagram.
- Cut open the fold between A-C.
- Cut the bottom with a large smooth curve.
- The front of the chador needs to be cut shorter than the back. Cut only the top layer of fabric.
- Cut a slight curve between A-C, for a face opening. Cut only the top layer of fabric.
- Sew along lines A-B and C-D.
- Sew down from E-X and F-X. Leaving the opening for your hands. Fold out.
- Try on the chador and check the length. You should be able to pull the chador over your forehead to cover you hair.
- Hem the raw edges and opening as desired.
- You could attach a piece of elastic or binding to either side of the face (Points A-C) and tie these behind your head to prevent the chador from slipping.
- You could also make a triangular underscarf from the excess material to provide more coverage for the forehead.
How to Sew an Underscarf
How to Sew an Underscarf
Triangle Style
- Purchase .7m (1yd) of fabric.
- Cut a large square of fabric: 70cm (27″) square.
- Fold the square in half diagonally, wrong sides together,pin in several places to hold in place.
- Stitch across the front, approximately 2cm (1/2″) from the folded edge. You could use a decorative stitch in matching thread or a simple straight stitch.
- Stitch again 15cm (6″) back from the folded edge.
- Serge the raw edges or use a simple zig-zag stitch.
Bonnet Style
- Purchase .5m (1/2yd) of fabric. You will also need a piece of 1/4″wide elastic, 13cm (5″)long.
- Cut two rectangles with the following dimensions:
- 34cm x 50cm [13"x19"] This is the front piece.
- 28cm x 40cm [11"x16"] This is the back piece.
- Fold the larger rectangle in half (right sides together). Stitch around the edges leaving an opening for turning. Diagram One. Turn right side out, fold in the raw edges of the opening and stitch closed.
- Fold the smaller rectangle in half and repeat the same procedure as above. Diagram One.
- To stitch the front and back together Refer to Diagram Two.
- Find the centre of the front and the center of the back, mark with a pin.
- Pin the two pieces, seam edges together, matching centre points.
- The easiest way to sew is from the centre, down to the end of the back piece, then from the centre again down to the other end. *Don’t fret about accuracy, just eyeball it.
- Place the piece of elastic along the folded edge of the back. Stretch it fit the width of the back piece. Hold the elastic in place at either end and stitch in place with tiny ziz-zag stitches. This will gather the back.
- See Side-View Diagram of completed scarf.
- Place the “bonnet” on your head and tie the two long end at the back of your neck.
Tube Style This style of scarf works best if the fabric is a bit stretchy.
- Purchase .5m (1/2yd) of fabric.
- Cut a rectangle 56cm x 48cm (22″x19″).
- Fold back one long edge (wrong sides together) 12cm (4.5″).Diagram One.
- Use a decorative stitch with matching thread: stitch 1/2″ away from the folded edge.
- Stitch along the first raw edge with a straight stitch.
- Hem the bottom raw edge as desired.
- Fold in half, right sides together, Diagram Two.
- Stitch the vertical seam to form a tube. Fold out.
- Wear this underscarf like a headband, with all of your hair in the “tube”.
- I usually pull it down around my neck, then pull it back so my hair is swept off my face and neck.
Instructions for Sewing a Basic Khimar
Instructions for Sewing a Basic Khimar
- 115cm (45″) wide fabric will give you a khimar that’s anywhere from wrist-length to finger-tip length, depending on your height.
- Purchase 2.5m (3yards) of fabric.
- Soft, lightweight, cotton material works best. If it’s a bit stretchy, that’s even better. Single-knits (a.k.a. “T-Shirt material”) work great. You could also use lightweight silky polyester.
- Fold in half, right sides together, with the fold at the top.
- If the material is silky, pin in several places to prevent shifting.
- Referring to the diagram: cut a large smooth curve from the bottom right to the top left corner. Points A-B.
- Start by cutting a straight line, parallel to the raw edge, curve the line toward Point B, and end with a straight line, parallel to the left edge. This will ensure that the front and back of the khimar is straight and not in a “V” cut.
- In order to make the front and back even, start Point “A”, about 10cm (4″) from the corner.
- Sew up the front of the khimar, from Points A-C. Leaving the rest open for your face.
- Try on the khimar. The face opening will probably need adjusting. It should fit snug under your chin.
- Hem the face opening and lower edges of the khimar as desired.
- Make an underscarf.
Use white cotton fabric to make a comfortable prayer outfit. Follow the instructions above for making the khimar. Purchase 4m (4yd) of eyelet (or other cotton) lace. Stitch the lace along the entire bottom of the khimar, before sewing up the front. When you sew the front [from Points A-C] make the face opening small so that the khimar will cover your hair in the front and you won’t need to wear an underscarf.
Make a simple skirt to go with the khimar.
Instructions for Sewing a One-Piece Open Abaya
Instructions for Sewing a One-Piece Open Abaya
- Measure yourself from one wrist to the other, going over your head. If you can find very wide fabric, you will need twice this amount (the width will be your height). For 45″ wide fabric, you will need four times this amount and lengthen as instructed in the next step.
- Cut the fabric in half and and attach them together along the long edges, so as to lengthen your fabric.
- Broken line in Diagram 1 shows piece one and piece two.
- Once your fabric is wide enough, fold the two sides (right sides together) in so that they almost meet in the center. Leave a gap wide enough for your head. (10-12 inches). Stitch the seamline at the top from G to H. Fold out.
- Cut a small circular shape at the corner of each fold for your hands.
- Now, you have a VERY long abayah. Cut the bottom to a length that suits you. Cut a large curved bottom (from x to x in diagram 2).
- Trim the raw edges of the abayah with pre-packaged bias binding or ribbon.
*In the traditional method of abayah making, the abayahs were shortened from the inside without cutting the fabric.
To do that you would need the help of a friend. Put the abayah on the wrong way. With the abayah on your head, ask your friend to pin the fabric up for you. The pins would come near the line EF, this wouldn’t be a straight line.
This all is done by hand. And finally all the edges and the openings are crocheted. Abayahs used to be made from silk, nowadays mostly silky polyester, but always in black.
This pattern was first posted on the “SalafiSisters” mailing list.
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