Bole Cham Cham Paayal Nigodi (The Green Angrakha Project Part 1)

Screenshot via

This is our "inspiration" piece.

Yes, I know that movies from the 1970s are not the place for historically correct wardrobes. I'm not copying this 100%. In fact, trying to copy it is what was causing me confusion in the post prior. It's just our "pretty" to look at.

I'm also not making it orange (although I totally have a shiny orange fabric that could work). The reason is because the orange I have is so metallic it will just look.... Well, costume-y. The other orange I have is the color of rust and I don't like it much in the way of being something other than lining for brown things (like I used for the pouch to hold the Khayyam pocket books on our Facebook page.)

So now we have some pretty fuel, and for those of you unfamiliar with the clothing terms, something to help visualize what we're going for.

Speaking of, here's the early stages of construction for it. The white you're seeing is the lining for the bodice. It lays better on the dummy than the actual purple, even though they're the same pieces.

Also, please ignore the bra filled with stuffing. I had not make sure the waist, ribcage, shoulders, and armscyes were as close to mine as possible. So to do that, and maintain the proper bust measurement, I had to add an old bra onto the dress form and stuff it. So now it looks silly.

Speaking of the purple, there seems to be a fair amount of sparkle in this purple, a lot more obvious now that it's been interfaced than it was before. I'm not sure if I should stop while I'm ahead and switch out the bodice color or keep on. I suppose because the sheen is from satin weave on it, but something about it is striking me as outright metallic.

But I suppose since, as our last Facebook update indicated, I've found enough fabric to make the angrakha entirely in the green, I won't sweat the purple just yet. I'd rather focus on completely constructing the green part, then come to a conclusion on the bodice later.

Well, back to sewing I guess. In an attempt to make this a comfortable self-supporting garment that can withstand a heavy bust, I'm going to have to mange some in-era engineering.... So wish me luck on that, since I'm not even sure where to start short of sewing a choli into it.