Black History Month Inspired D.I.Y

This outfit/post was inspired by many things!… The main 2 things are Black History and the dashiki! According to fashionhistory.com “A dashiki is a loose-fitting, pullover shirt usually sewn from colorful, African-inspired cotton prints or from solid color fabrics, often with patch pockets and embroidery at the neckline and cuffs. The dashiki appeared on the American fashion scene during the 1960s when embraced by the black pride and white counterculture movements. “Dashiki” is a loanword from the West African Yoruba term danshiki, which refers to a short, sleeveless tunic worn by men.” To continue reading the full article click the following link! http://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/clothing-types-styles/dashiki

I knew I wanted my next D.I.Y  to be something that was African inspired and I actually have wanted a dashiki for a while now. The only reason I didn’t buy one is because I saw so many cute styles from boutiques on Instagram that I couldn’t decide what I wanted, so I just decided to make my own. lol @midget_giraffe @grass_fields @dashikipride all served as inspiration for this outfit. So if you don’t sew and want to purchase something similar to what I’m wearing you can check them out on Instagram! Although mines is a little different than the traditional dashiki, it still uses the traditional cotton fabric. Which I purchased from a boutique I found on Instagram also! lol Every time I log onto my Instagram I wanna spend money or I get inspired by something. lol. (small businesses get me every time) Anyway this fabric is from allthingsankara.com (@allthingsankara on Instagram) and I love it! It was affordable, quality is great, and it came in a timely manner! I know I’ll be ordering from them again. If you do sew and want to make your own outfit there is your fabric source! lol  Also, a very easy tutorial for how to make a basic dashiki can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvXXwstgvNs

I pre-washed my fabric, (which was 6 yards) on a delicate cycle and hung it out to dry, before I used it. My top is from my favorite pattern McCalls 9172. I told y’all I use this pattern for everything. lol I made the sleeves quarter length, added slits on the side. Superrr easyyy! It took less than 2 hours to make the top. For the pants I used McCalls pattern 6707. Which is pretty much my go-to pattern for a skinny trouser pant. This is the pattern I used to create my “skant.” It’s crazy how these basic patterns can be transformed sometimes. The pant is an easy project also, it has a waistband, a fly front zipper, and you can also do a contrast stripe down the side of you want. The pant may take a little longer like 2-3 hours if you know how to sew. I love this outfit came out, and I liked working with this fabric, its really lightweight, colorful, and dries quick! Happy Black History Month! I hope you all enjoyed this post and are catching up on your black history facts this month! Feel free to leave a comment or ask questions about this look below!