When I saw the Maisie dress, I knew it had to be on my Make Nine. Since I started sewing – 10 months ago now, I can hardly believe it – I haven’t bought a single RTW garment. This was one of the imperatives that got me sewing – I wanted a sustainable wardrobe and to be able to feel good in clothes that exploited neither people nor the environment. Sometimes, however, I miss RTW styles and Maisie is almost identical to one I used to buy every time it was released in a different print or colour.
The Maisie has a similar feel; the V neck and the pleated side seam and the (half) circle skirt; what I love about it is that it is a little less revealing; as much as I love the above dresses, I can’t wear them to the office. And while I am the first to maintain that a woman can wear what she wants wherever she wants, I just don’t have the patience to deal with creeps!
Maisie has a couple of features that actually make her a better version, in my opinion (on top of the fact that I can sew it to fit my exact measurements): I love that you get the movement in the skirt without it being too full (I live in Ireland and it can be pretty gusty) and the little raglan sleeves (shaped with a dart) are much nicer than the RTW dresses.
I’m not going to write up a massive review because you can see this featured on the Minerva website; I made a heavy navy jacquard version with fabric gifted by Minerva in exchange for a blog. Check it out here.
I am so enamoured with this pattern that I am planning to make another version (maybe using some deadstock Kate Spade fabric I have in my stash) on my day off tomorrow. I’ll update my review with how I find working with taffeta once it is complete.
Update – it only took another two days for me to be persuaded to cut into the precious taffeta to sew up another Maisie dress. I love this pattern and I will use it so many more times, I am sure.
