Sew Your Own Dashiki

Submitted by Nessa May 28th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner

I collect sewing patterns, mostly vintage. I sew a lot, but I’ll never sew enough to use the over 800 patterns I own! I love patterns, because they are a great way of tracking what society was up to at the time. Along those lines, here’s a little gem I came across a while ago, a true freeze frame of an era… A Dashiki pattern!

There are precious few styles out there that both a woman and her man can wear, but the dashiki is the answer to everyone’s prayers for unisex clothing. I guess.

I just love the illustration. That guy in the back looks a LOT too square for a dashiki. Maybe he got lost on his way to the Christmas pageant where he plays a shepherd. Also apparently wearing a dashiki means you can’t wear shoes, but have to go barefoot or wear sandals.

Dated 1972, which incidentally, is the year “dashiki” appeared in an English dictionary, or so says Wikipedia.

6 Responses to “Sew Your Own Dashiki”

  1. Allee Willis

    The largest part of my kitsch collection is on the soul tip and I’m happy to say that I also own this exact same pattern. If you really want to see it in use, perhaps not the exact same material which is so astounding here with the ever expanding heart shape on the upper torso, but dashiki after dashiki head to Netflix and get Wattstax. That was 1972 as well and LA was full of them that day.

  2. Lisa Rios

    Wattstax was a great movie. I also want to recommend Soul Power. It’s about the concert that takes place in Africa surrounding the Ali/Fraser fight. Unfortunately the Pointer Sisters didn’t make the final version of the movie but look for their clip on youtube. I love early Pointers, when they dressed in their 40’s garb. Such talented ladies. Great stuff.