HOW TO MAKE THE

FRIDA HUIPIL
ABOUT THE FRIDA HUIPIL

Our Frida Huipil pattern is inspired by the traditional style of Mexican tunic (huipil) worn by the artist Frida
Kahlo.
There are huipiles in Frida's wardrobe in a variety of lengths, fabrics and designs, decorated using machine
chain-stitch, hand embroidery or appliquéd ribbons. There are also examples of 19th-century Mexican
huipiles in the V&A collection.
Essentially this pattern is a rectangle of folded over fabric with a hole cut out for the head; the joy of this
design is that you add your embellishment whilst the fabric is still flat, making it easy to sew.
Treat it like a blank canvas and let your creativity flow!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

FABRIC: The huipil is a versatile garment that will work in many different fabrics to different effect. Try a light
cotton or soft linen for a casual summer look, or opt for a luxurious silk or velvet for evening. According to
your size you will need the following amount of fabric (see size guide on the next page):

Small: 130cm
Medium: 140cm
Large: 150cm
X Large: 160cm

HABERDASHERY: Ribbons of your choice! The amount of ribbon you need really depends on your design. 2-3m
of each colour is a good starting point.

TOOLS/EQUIPMENT: Scissors, sticky tape, tailor's chalk or washable fabric marker, pins, thread, sewing machine,
pinking shears (optional)

PAPER PATTERN: You'll find this on our website as a separate downloadable PDF, ready to print at home. There
are x2 neckline options: scoop or square.

HOW TO PRINT YOUR FRIDA HUIPIL PATTERN

Your Frida Huipil pattern can be printed at home on A4 paper and is designed to be printed in full colour.

It is vital to make sure your pattern prints at full scale or the sizing will not be correct. Your print settings should
be set to 'full scale', '100%', 'actual size' or equivalent according to your printer software. There is a 5cm test
square on the first page of the pattern. Print just this page first and check your square measures up before
printing the rest of the pattern.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR FRIDA HUIPIL PATTERN

Once you have printed out all of the pages of the

pattern, arrange them in columns and rows according
to the letters and numbers in the corner of each page.
The letters are the columns and the numbers are the A/1 B/1 C/1 D/1
rows. It is best to lay out all the pages roughly before
you start sticking them together. Once you have them
laid out, overlap the matching crosses in the corners of
each page and stick the sheets together.

You are now ready to select your size and cut out A/2 B/2 C/2 D/2
your pattern – hurrah!

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 FRIDA HUIPIL

SELECT YOUR SIZE

Use the measurement chart below to choose your size. The sizes are identified on the pattern by different
colour lines.

Taking your measurements

Measure around the fullest part of
the bust, keeping the tape measure
nice and straight. No cheating!

Now you've done the number crunching, it's time to get sewing!

Below are some sewing terms that you might find useful as you work through the instructions.

SEWING TERMS

BIAS BINDING: binding cut on the cross-grain of the fabric so it will curve around necklines and armholes to
make a neat finish. Buy ready made or make your own.

GRAIN LINE: lines on a pattern that instruct the correct angle to place a pattern piece on the fabric. These
are vital to make your garment hang straight.

HEM ALLOWANCE: amount of fabric that you turn up inside the garment to finish its bottom edge.

HUIPIL: tunic style stop, originating in Mexico.

NOTCHES: marks around the edge of a pattern used to line up pattern pieces and the position of darts. Think
of them like friendly signposts – very important for accurate construction.

PINKING SHEARS: scissors with a zig-zag blade.

PRESS: iron – make sure you choose the right temperature for your fabric or you could cook it!

RIC RAC: a decorative braid with a curvy zig-zag shape, that can bend around curves - perfect for necklines.

RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER: placing the sides of the fabric that will be seen (right side) face to face, to ensure you
are working on the inside of the garment.

SEAM ALLOWANCE: amount of fabric that you leave on the outside of the seam.

TOP STITCHING: a line of stitching that shows on the right side of a garment, can be used for structure or
decoration.

WRONG SIDES TOGETHER: placing the sides of the fabric that won't be seen (wrong side) face to face, to
ensure you are working on the outside of the garment.

ABOUT ALICE & CO PATTERNS

Alice & Co Patterns are designed in London by mother and daughter team Alice and
Lilia. Alice is a designer, pattern cutter and teacher, with over 20 years experience
making fabulous made-to-measure clothes for women under her label Alice&Co.
Brought up in a house full of fabric and pins Lilia has been making her own clothes
since she could thread a needle, and now works in museum textile conservation.

We believe that dress making should be fun, with fast and simple techniques so you
can sew inventive and stylish outfits at home. We are passionate about creating
modern patterns that fit well and are enjoyable to wear.
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 FRIDA HUIPIL

HOW TO MAKE THE FRIDA HUIPIL

Our Frida Huipil pattern is a modern T-shirt length designed to sit on the hips. Once you have mastered the
basic technique, play with the length and width to create multiple looks from crop tops to tunic dresses.

All seam allowances are included in the pattern: 1cm around the neck and 2cm at the side seams and hem.

1 PREPARE YOUR PAPER PATTERN Carefully cut out your pattern, following the correct colour line for
your chosen size.

2 PREPARE YOUR FABRIC Before cutting out it is important to prepare your fabric by washing or steam
t

ironing to sort out any shrinkage – ignore this step at your peril!

Fold your fabric in half and place the paper pattern on the fabric, with the shoulder line along the
fold (see diagram below). The red arrow on the pattern indicates the grain line and should sit parallel
with the edge of your fabric – this will ensure your huipil will hang straight once you have cut it out.

Use pins and/or weights to hold the paper pattern in place on the fabric.

3
CUTTING OUT We suggest cutting out your fabric with a pair of pinking shears – this means you won't
need to finish the edges. Don't worry if you don't have any: alternatives are given at step 7.

Fold your fabric in half, wrong sides together (ie. so the right side of the fabric is facing you).

Cut around the paper pattern piece through both layers of fabric.

Draw around the neckline onto your fabric – don't be tempted to cut the neckline away at this
stage as it is much easier to sew on your ribbons whilst the fabric is still one flat piece.

Mark the notches on the side seams that indicate the armholes.

Be sure to mark the notches and neckline on both sides of the garment.

fold
shoulder shoulder
TIP
armhole

armhole

neckline 'Notches' are small markers in the

seams of a garment that indicate
how you sew it up.

In this case the fold in the fabric

acts as a shoulder seam, so the
notches mark where to start
stitching from to create an
armhole at the top of the side
seams.

You can mark your notches with

tailor's chalk or a washable fabric
pencil, or just make a small snip
with your scissors into the seam
allowance – be careful not to snip
too far though or you will end up
hem with a hole in your seam!
right side fabric

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 FRIDA HUIPIL

HOW TO MAKE THE FRIDA HUIPIL

4
PLAN YOUR EMBELLISHMENT You have now cut out your huipil and it is time to get creative!

Our example uses shop bought ribbons, stitched onto the fabric in a square border design. There
are infinite varieties of colours, patterns, widths and styles, so play around with different
combinations and designs. Or you could even make your own ribbons - it could be a great way to
use up fabric remnants!

We recommend stitching your ribbons using a decorative machine stitch - most sewing machines
have a few, and at least a zig-zag stitch - just pick contrasting colour threads to your ribbons and
play around with the stitch length and width settings.

5
MARK OUT YOUR DESIGN Unfold the fabric and lay it out flat so that the fabric is right side up. Use a
ruler and tailor's chalk or washable fabric pencil to mark out your design.

Measure out the length of each ribbon along your design lines - make sure to leave 15-20cm excess,
which will get taken up in the sewing.

side seam 2cm armhole side seam 2cm TIP

Where you place your

ribbons is really up to you,
but bear in mind the seam

2cm
2cm

and hem allowances.

hole for
your The lines you draw should
hem

hem
head! mark where you want the
centre of your ribbon to sit;
this means they will be
covered over when you
sew on the ribbons.
side seam 2cm armhole side seam 2cm

6
SEW ON YOUR RIBBONS Now it is time to sew on your ribbons! Sew slowly and carefully so you don't
distort the fabric beneath.

Choose your stitch according to the width of your ribbon: if it is a narrow ribbon you can just stitch
down the centre, for a wider ribbon, stitch along both edges. Remember to experiment with those
decorative machine stitches!

TIP

Start each ribbon at one corner of your

design, leaving a couple of cm excess.

When you get to the corner points you

can 'mitre' the corners to change
direction without having to cut the fold
ribbon:
fold stitch over
Fold the ribbon back on itself towards the corner
needle, then fold again diagonally in the
direction of your design. Hold in place
temporarily with a pin and carry on
stitching, pivoting the needle at the
corner point.
trim
away
When you get to the end, hide the join by
folding the ribbon under diagonally in the
opposite direction to your design. Stitch fold
down, then trim away the excess ribbon
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 FRIDA HUIPIL

HOW TO MAKE THE FRIDA HUIPIL

7 MAKING UP: NECKLINE Cut away the neckline and fold and press in the 1cm seam allowance
around the neck towards the wrong side of the fabric. You may need to make small snips into the
seam allowance in order to flatten the neck line. Stitch in place.

sn
s 1cm
ip

sn
s
ip

ip
sn

ip
s

sn

s
1cm 1cm neck hole
neck hole

sn

s
ip
ip

sn
s
1cm
s
sn

1cm
ip wrong side
ip

sn
wrong side fabric
s

fabric
SCOOP NECK
SQUARE NECK

If you are making the square neck option you can finish the neck by top stitching flat ribbon along
the neckline, mitring the corners as in Step 5.

If you are making the scoop neck option you will need to use a ribbon that can curve around the
neck, eg. ric rac. Alternatively you could enclose the neck edge using bias binding, or finish with
decorative machine stitching.

MAKING UP: SIDE SEAMS Fold the fabric in half, right sides together.

Stitch along the side seams from the armhole notch to the hem leaving a 2cm seam allowance.
Press open.

It's a good idea to try on your huipil at this stage and check you are happy with the length and fit
before you finish the armholes and hem.

FOLD FOLD

neck
armhole

armhole

wrong side fabric

2cm

2cm

hem

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 FRIDA HUIPIL

HOW TO MAKE THE FRIDA HUIPIL

9 MAKING UP: ARMHOLES Still working right sides together, fold back the seam allowance around the
armholes by 2cm and press in place.

Turn the the right way round and top stitch around the armholes.

r r
shoulde shoulde
top
stitching
neck neck
armhole

2cm

armhole
side right sid
e
wrong c c
fa b ri fa b ri

side seam
side seam

2cm

10 MAKING UP: HEM Nearly there! For the final step, turn the huipil back inside out so you are working
right sides together again.

To hide the raw edge on the hem the 2cm hem allowance is split into two sections: first fold back
the hem edge by 0.5cm all the way around and press to hold in place. Now fold it back again
1.5cm from the hem edge. Stitch down 1.5cm from the edge.

side seam
side seam

wrong side fabric

fold
0.5cm right side fabric
hem edge
side seam
side seam

wrong side fabric fold again

right side fabric 1.5cm

hem edge

11
TRY ON AND ADMIRE! You have now made your very own Frida inspired huipil! We'd love to see your
creations so don't forget to share your pictures with us #InspiredbyFrida @V_and_A

Visit our website to discover more about the V&A's collection of Mexican textiles:
vam.ac.uk/articles/traditional-mexican-dress

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