Mai Tai, anyone? It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?
Makerist, a site full of sewing and crafting patterns, tutorials and classes, reached out to see if I'd like to try one of their sewing patterns. I was intrigued by the idea because they carry many sewing pattern designers that I hadn't tried before... Makerist gave me the pattern for free, but all my opinions are my own.
Scrolling through the women's sewing patterns on Makerist, the new-to-me designer Our Lady of Leisure caught my eye, particularly their Mai Tai dress, which had many of my favorite features in a dress: a faced V-neck, a mitered hem, cut-on sleeves, and wide waist ties that originate in the back bodice darts.
For my Mai Tai dress, I chose some fabric from my stash: a summery purple linen/lyocell blend from Joann, part of the Nicole Miller line from a couple years back. It's got the tell-tale crinkle and texture of linen, but a nice, heavy drape from the lyocell. The color probably wouldn't be my first choice, but it definitely grew on me as I sewed with it!
I love the Mai Tai dress... it's reminiscent of one of my favorite dresses, the Style Arc Adeline, due to its cut-on sleeves and lovely v-neck. However, it has some really cool design details that set it apart.
The mitered, deep hem is really a delight; such a nice, crisp finish on those hem splits! I also can't get enough of the super wide waist ties and the fabulous shaping provided by the back bodice darts. Those two features provide such great waist definition!
I cut a size G, the largest size, and I am happy with my size choice. The size chart is strangely not included in the Mai Tai pattern instructions, though. I had to click back through the Makerist pattern page to find it. I cut the shorter of the two sleeve lengths for a summer dress.
Although, as I said, I love my final Mai Tai dress, I found that the pattern's instructions could use a little bit of an edit. There seemed to be a few steps missing (like sewing the long sleeves on), and some details were a bit confusing, particularly the markings on the pattern pieces. For instance, it wasn't clear whether the back piece was cut on the fold or not, so I had to scroll through the instructions to see that yes, there is a center back seam. But if you're a confident sewist with some experience under your belt, you will have no trouble.
I am so happy with my Mai Tai! It's quite cute. I think I'll wear it to a wedding I'll be attending in a few weeks. Perfectly summery! I love a dress that can be dressed up or down, and I feel like the Mai Tai is just that way.
I can totally imagine the Mai Tai in a wool or poly crepe for winter, too, with long sleeves. Adding it to my list!
I can totally imagine the Mai Tai in a wool or poly crepe for winter, too, with long sleeves. Adding it to my list!
The Mai Tai pattern is 25% off and there is also 10% off all other patterns by Our Lady of Leisure with the code LEISURE10, good through Friday, July 19th at midnight.