HOW TO CUT A SALWAR - VIDEO TUTORIAL

Salwar Kameez is one of the most commonly worn dress in India. I have already shared the method of cutting and stitching a salwar and kameez in my earlier posts and in this post, I am going to share my first video tutorial on how to cut a salwar. I have got several comments from readers to start sharing video tutorials, so this is a first on this segment. Hope you all like this video tutorial. Do share your comments and feedback.

Material required for cutting a basic salwar: 2 and 1/2 metres of cloth

Before cutting the cloth for a salwar take the following body measurements

Length of the salwar :( 41”)
Round hip: (38”)
Round ankle: (12” or 14”)

Approximate measurements are given in brackets just for reference. Use your body measurements for cutting the pieces of the salwar.

Construction for cutting the legs of the salwar

0 to 1 = salwar length – waist band width (i.e. 8”) + 1” (e.g. 41”-8”+1” = 34”) 

0 to 2 = 1/3 Hip + 1 ½” – waist band width

2 to 3 = Half hip or full cloth width (e.g. 18” or full cloth width)
3 to 4 = 1 ½”
4 to 5 = straight line
1 to 6 = half round ankle
Join 3 to 6 with a straight line and 3 to 5 with a curved line

Construction for cutting a waist band and ankle band

Cut the waist band using the following measurements

0 to 1 = waist band width (i.e. 8”) +2”= 10”
0 to 2 = full hip +6” (e.g. 44")
1 to 3 = full hip +6”

Here in this video, I have folded the cloth into 4 layers with 2 folds and taken 0 to 2 and 1 to 3 measurement as 11" and cut the cloth leaving 1/2" allowance along the 2 to 3 line.

For cutting the cloth for the ankle band, the measurements are

Length: Round Ankle + 2" or 3"
Breadth: 5”

Method:

First open the cloth fully, and then fold the cloth on the reverse such that the two selvedges are on top of each other. Then fold again into half as shown. Now you will have 4 layers of cloth one on top of the other.

Mark the measurements directly on the cloth using the construction given above. Then join all the lines and curves.

Once the measurements are marked, cut the cloth (all four layers together) leaving 1” allowance along 3 to 6 line and ½” along 3 to 5 and 0 to 5 lines. Now the two leg parts are cut and ready. Use the remaining cloth for cutting the ankle bands and waist band. The cloth near the fold is usually used for cutting the waist band whereas ankle bands are cut using the remaining cloth. For cutting and stitching these three refer Basics for stitching a salwar and How to stitch a salwar.

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