Maximize May: The Daydream Dress by George & Ginger Pattern Co. and the Spellbound Dress by Pattern Emporium

Welcome to Day 4 of Maximize May! Today we have the Daydream Dress by George & Ginger Pattern Company and the Spellbound Dress by Pattern Emporium.  These ladies are amazing in their versions of these dress and the whole week of Maximize May has been inspiring!  Check out our other posts too!

Hi everyone, it’s Brooke from idlesunshine and today I am sharing my George & Ginger Pattern Co. Daydream Dress for Maxi-mize May! We discovered a lot of our Pattern Revolution team are big fans of the Maxi dress style. With so many PDF patterns available, we set out to find a style to suit everyone!

I loved the recently released George & Ginger Daydream Dress when I saw the tester pictures in promotion. I haven’t worn this style before, but I had to give it a try! I knew with my short waist I would have to raise the waistline but I hoped the dress would work for me with this small change.

I decided to use a bold printed knit fabric, as I thought that would be flattering (as opposed to a small print) and I mostly just loved this mix of colours! I lined the bodice with white cotton lycra as the knit I used was quite slinky, and I thought a little stability might work well.

I took an inch and a half off the bodice length and  added a few inches back to the skirt length to compensate for  what I had taken off (and for my height.) That’s the beauty of making your own clothes!  I love the finished product and can’t wait to have an occasion to wear it out! I plan on making a few versions in a knee length skirt too now, I just love it!

Hey y’all.  Jackie here.  When you’re 6 feet tall with a 36” inseam, store bought maxi dresses or skirts are more midi length rather than true maxi length.  In order to get a true maxi dress, I’ve been sewing my own for decades (*gasp*).   I’ve been eyeing the Spellbound by Pattern Emporium since its release.  It’s got everything that makes my inner child swoon - a big swishy skirt, a beautiful neckline options, hemlines based on height, several sleeve options (and I hear rumors of more sleeve options to come)....  My list goes on.  Let’s just say that when the Pattern Revolution team started discussing Maximize May, I was jumping up and down to make the Spellbound!  

I love it so much I made two, plus my muslin.  The first maxi version, I made a scoop neck with capped sleeves from a very drapey soft knit.  I added 5 inches to the  length of the maxi since I’m 5 inches taller than the pattern is drafted for, but the fabric had so much stretch and weight that I wound up cutting off 4 of those inches.  I seriously stood and twirled in my living room like a little girl!  And I just can't get over how beautifully it swishes when I walk!  

The second maxi I made as an impulse sew.  I loved the first maxi so much that I wanted to wear another one the following day.  So I cut and sewed a new one in just over an hour.  My second one is a sleeveless version in an athletic knit so it drapes and stretches differently than my first.  Thankfully, I cut it with all of the extra inches I originally added to the hemline.   As further evidence of how fabric choice affects fit, where the first one hugged my body, this one skims away.  I didn’t change anything on the pattern between sews.  

I’ve enjoyed sharing my maxi’s with you today.  I hope you find a maxi to love too!