Going to longer lengths

I decided to try out the maxi length skirt and dresses that are popular this year. I actually looked into buying one, but didn't find anything I liked. (except for one that I couldn't afford!) So I made my own!

I started with a simple skirt to try out the length and make sure I liked it. 

Voile fabric, simple a-line elastic waist skirt. Added a short skirt on the inside for a lining since the fabric is pretty sheer. 

This one is a skirt pattern that I really liked that I modified to be a long dress. I'm not really happy with what I did with the sleeves, so I might go back and change that. I wore this for the 50th wedding anniversary party.

Pattern: McCall's 6120 extended to dress length

Fabric from Girl Charlee

And lastly I made one out of the new Bianca shirt pattern from Made by Rae. This one is my favorite I think.

This one is made out of rayon and is so soft! I wasn't sure how the Bianca pattern would work extended this long, but I'm really happy with it!

With all three of these I took an existing pattern and extended the length to reach my toes, using the same angle the pattern already had. Each one above is with a different type of fabric and they all worked really well. 

Bianca Pattern from Made By Rae

Back in my March recap I mentioned that I got to be a pattern tester for the new Made by Rae pattern, Bianca. I was super excited to get to participate!

 Taping patterns together is more fun when you use washi tape!

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like the fit on me.

 But then I made it. And I like it a lot! For my first version I made the tunic and put the facing on the outside with a lace someone gave me. The fabric was a gift too, from Jennifer!

 I decided it was too much pink there on my chest and it needed a deeper V, so I seam ripped it back and made it a little deeper.

 Here's a close-up of the pattern as written...

 ...and my deeper v neck.

 Maybe a little too deep... but I like that better with the facing on the outside.

 My second version is the shirt length out of Anna Maria Horner voile.

I stuck with the pattern as written on this one and it turned out perfect! The cap sleeves are built right into the pattern. No extra sleeves to attach.

I used the elastic casing on the back for both versions. My elastic thread was all dried out, and the casing was easy to work with. The elastic comes around to the front and gathers the fabric instead of using darts for shaping. It's pretty clever, and easy, and COMFY!

Bianca is for sale over at Made by Rae and you can pick up a copy here.