Sunday, November 20, 2011

Winter Maxi



 A friend of mine was wearing a long sleeve tee dress the other day (from Anthropologie, of course) and I decided I really wanted one.  I wear maxi dresses in the summertime.  Why not make a winter maxi?  I had just finished my stripey green monster dress at the time.  I was happy with that one but there were definitely a few fit issues.  The main one being the extra fabric and ease at the lower back.  I've never needed a sway back adjustment before, though.  I think the issue was from the fact that I frankenpatterned a tee shirt pattern with my a-line skirt pattern.


Anyway, this time around I made a paper pattern and adjusted for the extra ease on the back piece.  I pinched out a dart in the tee shirt pattern I was using (Burda 2-2011 again) and transferred the new shape to my pattern piece.  It was all highly untechnical.  Then I just free handed a curve out to the skirt portion of the pattern.  My a-line skirt pattern was my guide.  The length was a guess.  It turned out okay.  I mean, it is just a tee shirt dress after all.  There's still some pooling at the back, but not as much.  I could use a bit more length.  But now I have a paper pattern to play with anyway.


The black knit is a cotton/rayon blend interlock.  My body is not smooth enough for one thin tee shirt layer anymore so I underlined the whole thing with a periwinkle blue cheap polyester ITY knit.    It gives it a nice drape but man, is it heavy!  I had no idea it would pull downward so much.  I used black braided elastic around the neckline to keep it from pulling too much and some twill tape at the shoulder seams.


I like the style and the silhouette.  I can see this becoming a very useful pattern with a little more tweaking.
Hope everyone has a great week!

15 comments:

  1. i was just pondering the winter maxi. yours is perfect. may i steal?

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  2. I think you definitely created a solid winter maxi dress. It fits well, and looks like it would be both comfortable and versatile.

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  3. It's gorgeous - especially with the pop of yellow!

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  4. It's gorgeous and perfect for winter. I also love the pop of yellow.

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  5. The bright blue inside is really fun. I don't think winter maxi skits would be too practical in my part of the world, what with all that snow we get, but it's an interesting idea

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  6. This is wonderful! Have a lovely week.

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  7. You could have a heap of fun accessorising this - such a great blank canvas!

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  8. Love this long dress! the blue inside is a great touch. you're always so creative with those small touches.

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  9. Thanks, friends! There's lots of options for a black knit dress...

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  10. What a fun lining! This looks like a great piece you'll wear all winter long with a ton of different accessories.

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  11. What a lovely, cozy, and warm dress! I love it!

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  12. I'm totaly in love with this dress!
    kisses

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  13. Very classy, and I adore the fun turquoise lining! I think you've nailed the Tshirt dress beautifully here... Is it reversible?

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  14. Hi Liza Jane ....Great to see all your creative wonders on here !! Keep up the fantastic work and have a wonderful New Year... Mary Jo & Paul

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