At Barrett’s first birthday party, Ella informed me that she wanted a maxi dress. Wait, what? She’s five so I can only assume it is something that she overheard. So I asked her what a maxi dress was. Her answer, “You know, like a really long dress”. Uhm, okay so she knows what a maxi dress is and she wants one. What is she five going on fifteen?
Lucky for me, I have the Go to Patterns Signature Dress pattern and it has a maxi dress option. The girl pictured on the pattern looks pretty great in her maxi dress, but in my mind she also looks older than Ella or taller, or something. I’ve made different versions of this pattern from short sleeve to long sleeve, tunic to dress. It has all these different pocket options. It is really a fun pattern to own. So why not make the maxi dress version?
Still, the entire time, I was cutting out this dress (and making sure that every last little stripe matched) I was apprehensive that this would be a style that would work for Ella.
Uhm, well, I admit that I was wrong. She looks just as good as the girl on the pattern.
And even thought I though the length would be all wrong on her. I really like it.
But seriously, she looks so grown up. This is definitely not my baby!
It really is a very straight forward pattern. There are four pieces for this version. And one of those is just a rectangle for the neckband. Andrea, the creator of Go to Patterns, offers directions that are very clear and she always includes tips for working with knits. I’ve made a couple of her patterns including the Parisian Top that I was lucky enough to pattern test this past winter. One of the things I love is that Andrea designs practical clothes. There are always plenty of options in the pattern to customize, but they are clothes that you would wear everyday of the week. Like a knit maxi dress.
And one more, because I am terrible at editing..
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Ps the blue circle in the middle of the dress is her admission sticker to the aquarium.
