Magazine Street Maxi: Mommy and Me

I’ve been delving into the world of self-care sewing in 2014, which is very daunting as a curvy mama. Not only do you take a risk with the fit, you take a risk with time and fabric, as it takes more of both to sew something in larger sizes. Especially when you’re used to sewing for munchkins in a 4T. After I had a few pieces under my proverbial belt, I decided that I’d do a little dreaming. I spotted this gorgeous dress from Anthropologie and I knew that with the right fabrics and pattern, I was going to make it work!

I found the fabrics I wanted from The Purple Seamstress and had them on hand.  When Jenny from Seamingly Smitten posted that she needed people to sew up her Magazine Street Maxi for her blog tour, I was so excited that I had found THE pattern to make my dress dream come true!

Jenny’s patterns are really straightforward and she gives you great tips on working with knits.  This dress can also be made with a woven skirt, which is definitely on my to-do list!  You get a pattern piece for the bodice and then cutting measurements for the skirt, which is great!  No cutting and taping (and cutting) rectangular pattern pieces!  It ranges from sizes XS-XXXL (0-26) and could be tackled by an adventurous beginner that isn’t afraid to tackle knit fabrics!

I did make a few modifications to make my vision work.  I divided the skirt pieces so that I could use 2 fabrics.  I used a knit binding to finish my neck and armholes, which gives me a little more coverage.  I also did several pleats on the skirt, fanning out from the center, instead of gathering. I felt this helped slim down the skirt in areas where I needed it most!

But wait!

There’s MORE!!!

Not only can you sew this for your mamalicious self, you can sew a tiny version for your mini me!

This sweet and petite version of the Magazine Street Maxi is for sizes 2T-16 and is seriously a fast sew.  I made just a few extra cuts with the scraps from my dress and had this sewn up faster than your kids could watch Frozen for the bazillionth time.  The only modification I made to this one was the addition of the binding again, but the fit is so great and she was absolutely thrilled that we were so fancy in our matching dresses.

                    

We did kind of get a laugh out of the photo on the right…she blends right in!!!

I’ve come to the end of my post…and I’m also at the end of the blog tour.

But don’t fret, my dearies!  Jenny has some awesome things for you!  First up is a coupon code for 50% off your ENTIRE pattern purchase in her shop, good through July 25th!

There’s also a giveaway with some Seamingly Smitten patterns up for grabs!  It also ends later today, so don’t miss out!

Last, but not least, you can check out more of Jenny’s amazing patterns from the other participants in the tour.  It was such a privilege to be among so many great bloggers!

I hope you enjoyed my post and if you want to see more from me, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!