Maxi Length Wrap Dress Vondel

Oh my dear maxi dress. There is such drama to you.  You flow long and somehow ooze sexiness even as you manage to cover more skin.  You are a charismatic, enigmatic beast and I am happy to introduce you to my closet.

I am finally getting around to blogging about this maxi length wrap dress VONDEL!  It’s an ambitious pattern hack from the Halfmoon Atelier pattern Wrap Top Vondel.  I wore this flowing garden of feminine goodness over a month ago to the Tabitha Sewer Meet Up in Brooklyn, of which I was proud and excited to be a sponsor. It was a spectacular afternoon on a sunny rooftop with fifty other garment sewers and a blur of colorful outfits, music and sewing celebration. Check out Tabitha’s Instagram for the video.  This dress was the perfect accompaniment.
The original pattern comes with a mid-length and a shirt length and I knew immediately after making this one that I needed this style as a full maxi dress. I love the femininity and details of the wrap top (those gathers!) but wanted to bring the drama of a maxi dress.

There is a bit of an origin story for this dress to be honest. The inspiration came from Debbie Stoller of BUST magazine.  Back when I visited the BUST offices to take photos for my espadrilles DIY in the magazine, I met and had lunch with Debbie.  She is editor in chief of BUST, author of the Stitch and Bitch knitting series and a super awesome human being.  That day she was wearing a bright red floor length floral dress.  It was so attention-getting and dramatic. I loved the boldness of her dress and felt enveloped in her honesty and warmth. I decided then and there that I deserved a bold floor-length floral dress too.

So when I came across this incredible navy/green/hot red floral print at Blackbird Fabrics I snatched up four yards. It was only appropriate to wear such a strong woman-inspired dress to a gathering of bold, colorful female sewists then, wasn’t it?

I’ll be sharing the details of how I adapted the original pattern over on Meghann’s blog soon so keep an eye out for that.

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