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How to Alter a Rajasthani Choli
by Sharon Moore of Mandala Tribal
Let's face it. We American women just come in larger
sizes, it seems, than our Indian sisters. The cholis we import from their
beautiful country seem fit for a child more than a mature tribal belly dancer.
So we have to take matters into our own hands.
Though these pictures may at first seem confusing, study your choli carefully
and you will come to see that altering a Rajasthani choli (or Banjara, or other
cholis of similar styling) isn't as tough as you think. With a little extra
fabric, patience, and sewing time, you can have a choli that fits
you comfortably. Please note: I am assuming intermediate skill in sewing, so
I skip what would, to most, be obvious steps, such as including seam allowance
in your gussets, and leaving length to complete hems. If these ideas are beyond
your understanding, then you may require help from a more sewing savvy friend to
make these adjustments.
1) Where to begin: First, you have to find the choli of your dreams. Now
I am not going to tell you that you can run out and buy an XXXXSmall choli and
fit it on a size 14 frame. You will have to have a choli that has the basic
dimensions of your body to begin with in order to use these instructions. For
instance, the bust must fit roughly across your chest area, but the sleeves need
not fit your arms.
2) Get to know your choli.
Take a look at the rough diagrams of the choli
I have drawn up. (Fig. 1 and 2: I am no Monet, more like a Picasso! :) Your
choli may vary slightly, but the construction should be similar. Try it on if
you can, get an idea of what areas really need alteration, and which will fit
once other areas are adjusted. You don't want to disassemble or adjust more than
you have to!
Click on images to see full-sized
3) Get to rippin'! Grab your seam ripper, gals. Time to tear into this
beautiful piece of art. Remember, you can always put it back together again as
it was if you find yourself in a bind. Just be careful with it, don't tear it or
cut into the fabric.
Where to rip: Tear out the underarm seam. If there is a small triangular
gusset, take that out completely. Then rip out the side seam directly next to
the chest part to down as far as you want your underarm gusset to go (Fig
3). If
you need more room in the bust, then rip all the way to the tummy panel seam (Fig
5). If you mainly need a little larger sleeve and more arm-movement room,
tear to about mid-bust (Fig 4)
If the distance across the chest (essentially from shoulder to shoulder) is
still tight, you may want to remove the seam binding on the V neckline and cut
it a little deeper (Fig 3), then re-bind the edge in a complimentary color to
finish.
Click on image to see full-sized
4) Try it on again.
It might seem silly, but now that you have the choli
taken apart a bit, try it on. Did the areas you pulled out ease the tension
across the areas you want adjusted? If so, then you're on the right track. If
you try it on at this point and it is still hopelessly small, your choli is
probably too small for your body, and will require more alteration than I will
address here. This doesn't mean it can't be adjusted to your body! It just means
it will need more reconstruction than I can help you with in a quick tutorial.
5) Figure out your gussets
. Now that you have it on, you have an idea of
how much you need to add into your choli to get the proper fit. Just look at the
spaces created when you try on your choli. Very basically, you fill that space
in with fabric and it fits. You may want a friend to take some rough
measurements of the spaces you are trying to fill, but being the Kamikaze
Costumer, when I do it on myself I just guesstimate the size and shape and
experiment with fabric swatches until I get the fit I want
6) Start to fill in those holes:
Sleeve
Begin by figuring out your
rectangular arm gusset (Fig 4). This is just how much you need to add to the
sleeve to make it fit your upper arm. Lay down a piece of fabric over the gap
and pin in place. Try the sleeve on. Adjust until you have the fit you need, and
voila. There is your underarm gusset shape (include seam and hem allowance).
Click on images to see full-sized
Underarm gusset
Now that you have your rectangular sleeve gusset
figured out and pinned in place, you should have a long triangular shaped hole
left where your underarm gusset needs to be. Lay your choli out on it's side, as
flat as possible, over a scrap of fabric, so that you can look through the
triangular hole and see the fabric. Take your tailor's chalk and trace the shape
of the hole as best as possible onto the fabric.
Lift up choli to reveal fabric underneath. Draw a seam allowances along all
sides and cut out. Pin this into the gusset-space and try the choli on. How does
it fit? Is this basically your final product? This is your chance to make
adjustments to either gusset. Repeat the above steps as necessary, tweaking as
needed to get the fit you desire. Don't rush this process. It is a much bigger
pain to tear out the wrong pieces once they are sewn in rather than to simply
unpin them.
7) SEW! Once you feel you have your gussets figured out, sew them into
place. I found it easiest to sew in the sleeve gusset, then sew in the underarm
gusset. You may feel another way is easier for you, so just place them in the
order that works for you. Sometimes the tip of the triangles can be tricky. If
they cause you grief, just hand sew the tips in place--it will save your sanity
rather than the madness of trying to squeeze it into your sewing machine
properly.
Fabric suggestions: For most of my cholis, I use a medium weight
quilter's
cotton in solid colors. You could use prints/patterns, satins, lightweight
brocades, or even stretch fabrics! I once used a two-way stretch velvet for my
underarm gusset to gain more lateral movement. It worked, and who cares that it
didn't match perfectly? That's not the point. Just look at your choli and see
how many different fabrics, colors, and patterns were used to make it. Feel free
to be bold with your fabric choices, too! The only requirement is that your
fabric be strong. The points you are sewing these into are stress points and
will endure a lot of wear-and-tear. Don't use something too light or flimsy, or
it will tear away.
There you go. You're beautiful imported choli now fits the REAL you. Wear it in
joy!
~Sharon Moore
Mandala Tribal
Sharon R. Moore
Copyright © 2001-2002 [Mandala Tribal]. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 26, 2002 .