4 years ago
I took some time out at the start of the year to plot out my Make Nine. Over the nine months since I have been sewing, I’ve amassed a lot of patterns; alas, there isn’t enough time to make everything I want to make so I sat down with my pattern stash (the ones I have never made) and picked out those patterns which I thought would suit my wardrobe styles and every day realities. I wanted a mix of comfort, work wear and occasion wear. The Sew Over It Maisie dress could easily be any of those things but when I got this navy-blue heavy weave jacquard, I knew that it would make a gorgeous office appropriate Maisie dress.
The Maisie pattern is very reminiscent of an old RTW style I used to buy in every possible colour and print. Maisie is the epitome of 1950s style with its fit and flare shape; it is fitted with darts and has a beautiful fixed wrap front which is pleated into the side seams. It has raglan sleeves (which make for very easy sewing) which are also shaped with darts. The back bodice is a mirror image of the wrap V neck at the front. While I love my old RTW dresses, they are not cut modestly; now, this is fine by me, but they can’t really be worn to work because they tend to attract unwanted attention! While it angers me that a woman even has to consider this, it is a sad reality, so the Maisie offers me the same style of dress but with a higher cut.
Now, given that the pattern recommends a light to medium weight woven fabric for this pattern, I was pushing my luck a little by opting to use this fabric; however, it may be heavy (after all, with the snow and the ice outside, that’s exactly what I need right now) and structured but it still has enough movement in it so that it embodies that feminine style of the Maisie dress. In fact, I’d love to make a jacket out of this fabric to team up with some of my workwear. With the subtle pattern in the weave, it makes something plain that little bit more interesting.
In terms of the actual sewing of this fabric, I would highly recommend it. Super easy to cut and mark, the darts, which I was worried might be too bulky when wearing, pressed really well. I made some fit adjustments – to ensure no gaping – which made the darts larger than usual, but they sit neatly. The same is the case with the pleated wrap seam. Specific to this pattern – and this is because I used a much heavier fabric than is recommended – was that I had to neglect using the bias-cut binding pieces on the neckline and opt for a lighter bias binding which I happened to have at hand anyhow.
I’ll definitely make this pattern again – and I’m already scouring the internet for a jacket pattern to make in this fabric.
Mary-Ellen x
#minervamakers #minervamakes #handmadewardrobe #diyfashion #maisiedress #sewoverit #workwardrobe #officewear #lockdownmakes #jacquard #sewingwovens #navy #heavywovens #sewingblogger #northernirelandsews
The Maisie pattern is very reminiscent of an old RTW style I used to buy in every possible colour and print. Maisie is the epitome of 1950s style with its fit and flare shape; it is fitted with darts and has a beautiful fixed wrap front which is pleated into the side seams. It has raglan sleeves (which make for very easy sewing) which are also shaped with darts. The back bodice is a mirror image of the wrap V neck at the front. While I love my old RTW dresses, they are not cut modestly; now, this is fine by me, but they can’t really be worn to work because they tend to attract unwanted attention! While it angers me that a woman even has to consider this, it is a sad reality, so the Maisie offers me the same style of dress but with a higher cut.
Now, given that the pattern recommends a light to medium weight woven fabric for this pattern, I was pushing my luck a little by opting to use this fabric; however, it may be heavy (after all, with the snow and the ice outside, that’s exactly what I need right now) and structured but it still has enough movement in it so that it embodies that feminine style of the Maisie dress. In fact, I’d love to make a jacket out of this fabric to team up with some of my workwear. With the subtle pattern in the weave, it makes something plain that little bit more interesting.
In terms of the actual sewing of this fabric, I would highly recommend it. Super easy to cut and mark, the darts, which I was worried might be too bulky when wearing, pressed really well. I made some fit adjustments – to ensure no gaping – which made the darts larger than usual, but they sit neatly. The same is the case with the pleated wrap seam. Specific to this pattern – and this is because I used a much heavier fabric than is recommended – was that I had to neglect using the bias-cut binding pieces on the neckline and opt for a lighter bias binding which I happened to have at hand anyhow.
I’ll definitely make this pattern again – and I’m already scouring the internet for a jacket pattern to make in this fabric.
Mary-Ellen x
#minervamakers #minervamakes #handmadewardrobe #diyfashion #maisiedress #sewoverit #workwardrobe #officewear #lockdownmakes #jacquard #sewingwovens #navy #heavywovens #sewingblogger #northernirelandsews
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