The Banyan has Landed

In the final exciting installment of the saga, I have finished the banyan, except for the small detail of adding fasteners.

I ended yesterday with the inside assembled and the outside assembled too, but both pieces still separate. So today I laid them front side to front side and sewed them together along the inner edge and around the shoulders and neck.

Then, as threatened, I put it on, and enlisted DH to figure out exactly how much needed to be taken off the bottom before I could hem it. I wanted it long enough to keep my legs warm, but short enough not to get in the way when I walked. So I was going to be happy with anywhere between mid calf and upper ankle length.

If you fancy making one yourself, I am 5’5″. I don’t know what that is in meters, but out of three meters of fabric bought, I only ended up cutting off about three inches.

I then sewed the bottom together, leaving about a meter gap in the middle, which I then reached into and pulled the whole garment through so that it was now right-side out. Then I hand-sewed the gap together.

Now only the sleeves were unfinished. If you remember, I had cut them all the way to the selvage on both lots of material, which meant that the fur sleeves were much longer than the silk. So I turned them back on themselves and made them into fur cuffs.

The pattern suggested adding additional length for the sleeves, but I liked the fact that they ended at my elbow. That’s going to make typing in them a lot easier, not to mention doing the washing up. So I have left them elbow length.

Having tried it on, I don’t think I need to do anything to the collar. I can overlap it and if I buy some frog fasteners, I can fasten it like this.

And in the mean time the louchely draped open look is very authentic. Apologies for my face and slippers:

I ended up not doing the pleat at the back because I like that I can get a big jumper under it and still double it over in the front. If I end up losing a couple of stone on the diet I am currently on, I’ll reconsider the back pleat then, but that will be next year at the earliest.

Now, I have three inches of both kinds of fabric left. This probably means it needs a matching hat.