Jersey maxi-dress

When we were in New Zealand I bought some jersey with the intention of making a maxi-dress. I wasn't sure where I would get a pattern from but I knew I wanted such a dress. Then I did a performance-wear sewing class and made a fitted-to-me leotard pattern. I used the leotard pattern as the base of my maxi-dress pattern. I widened it a fair bit, because a dress doesn't need to be as snug as swimwear. The leotard pattern came with long sleeves so finding sleeves was no problem.

During my sewing classes I learned a) that I had broad shoulders and b) how to adjust a pattern to fit them. I did the adjustment on the maxi dress pattern (all by myself) and it worked beautifully. I had often found clothes tight in the shoulders but I hadn't realised it was a 'thing'.

For the skirt I got all the pieces of McCall's 6608 and laid them out to match with the seams and waist of my bodice pattern (adapted from the leotard) and traced around the edges. I then went round with a metre ruler and tried to make the skirt roughly the same length all the way round. I should add that this is an incredibly unscientific method and I wouldn't rely on it to be anywhere near accurate.

The resulting skirt pattern was huge so I then folded it in (pivoting from the hip) until the pattern would fit on my fabric. The amount of skirt left in the dress is very nice and I don't think I would want it to be fuller.

The dress has a knee-length viscose lining to prevent the weight of the jersey in the skirt from stretching the bodice too much. The neckline and sleeves are finished with folder-over elastic .

I am so, so happy with this dress. The fit is just right and it's very comfortable.