Made by a Fabricista: Springtime Style - Simple ITY Maxi Dresses

Now that spring is officially on my mind, my makes going forward will be spring clothing that transitions into summer. Maxi dresses or skirts are great staple pieces to have. I was ready to start the creation of my Spring makes and when I came across these two great ITY prints I knew they were perfect for dresses. Unfortunately, they are both sold out but these are two great ITY (Interlock Twist Yarn) knits available in solid or floral that would definitely work for this style.

The beauty about maxi dresses is that they are a no worry one piece that can be dressed up or down. I wanted to find a pattern that was easy and selected Simplicity 8595 as a start.

This Floral ITY maxi dress is a staple piece because you I can wear it running errands during the warmer days here in South Florida or to work with my blackwood cardigan (Made here). ITY is a cool and fluid knit fabric that has an incredible drape and does not wrinkle.

I wanted to find a TNT (tried and true) easy to sew maxi dress pattern and based on the cover, I knew VIEW D with and without sleeves was perfect for my pear shape body. This style is only 4 pattern pieces, front, back, neck and sleeve band.

As usual, I had to make a few modifications to the pattern to fit my body type:

1. Graded the size small to the medium from the waist.
2. Added 4 inches to the length

My original plan was to create another maxi dress using McCall 7122 but the sleeve style and the fact that the back piece was not cut on the fold, would require a bit of matching and lining up the print. I opted to reuse the same simplicity pattern as I am in love this print. I layered it with my leather jacket and boots earlier this week when the temperature dropped.

The ITY knit is light enough for the Florida weather and perfect for a maxi or wrap dresses. I am in love with both maxi dresses and can’t wait to make another style VIEW D using some designer ponte knit.

Thank you so much for reading and please don’t forget to check out my latest blog post of the top I made for Valentine’s Day. Be sure to stop by my Instagram page to see some of my recent makes. Have a wonderful day!

One Love,
Marica - Overdriveafter30

Made By A Fabricista: Speaking My Truth

Happy Saturday All! In these unsettling times, I hug my children a little tighter, spend quality time embracing them, and cherish every moment even more. This pandemic has allowed me to appreciate deep conversations about racial injustice, police brutality, and their feelings about growing up black.
My daughter Arielle, a happy go lucky child, shuns away as she is always being questioned about her race and which box she checks off on an application. She hates the fact that she is consistently asked by her peers and teachers at school if she is biracial, Hispanic, or Black. She has often times questioned her own identity, yet she gladly responds to anyone who asks, “ I am black and I am a part of the human race”.

My son despises the news media (especially social media) and doesn't watch it at all. The death of his older brother and guns triggers a fear that we pray he overcomes. Over the past few weeks, I have read some of the most unreal remarks and comments about "all lives ma…

Made by a Fabricista: Summer Time Blues

Hello again and happy July! In April, I started sewing a work wardrobe in red and black, and I decided to expand that work wardrobe to include blue and white. I just love the combination of blue and white especially in the summer! For my work wardrobe, I want fabrics that do not wrinkle easily, can be laundered, and can mix and match with other fabrics. I ordered several coordinating fabrics- a white ponte, a blue chiffon print, a blue geometric crepe de chine, and a blue double weave suiting. Most of these are still available as I write this, but are in the 60-70% off categories, so if you like any, I would order soon!

Have you ever used a Burda Style pattern magazine? I used to always subscribe the Burda Plus magazine which is for larger sizes, but they stopped making it in English and I stopped my subscription. I missed it so much, that I took a chance and ordered it in French directly from France on burdastyle.fr. It wasn't expensive- about $15 total including the po…

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