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

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Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

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