Hi, Jessamy from Jessamybmakes, and I’m here to share my newest dress with you. I have been thinking about our summer travel plans, and what I might need to add to make packing (and exploring!) easy and stress free. I decided that a maxi length Catalina Dress (affiliate link) would be the perfect addition to my summer travel wardrobe!
I love packing dresses for summer travel. It makes getting ready and out the door so easy. The Catalina is such a great versatile pattern, because you can sew it in a knit or a woven. I decided to use this pretty rayon from my stash to sew up the tank version. I love how using a bold fabric takes this simple tank dress up a level. The maxi length makes it perfect for transitioning from day to evening without needing to change. You could be strolling through a new town looking for the best ice cream shop (my favorite thing to do while traveling) in the afternoon, and head out to dinner that night without needing an extra outfit!
I made a few slight modifications to make this dress work for me. If you read my blog or Instagram at all, you know that I’m not very tall. I am actually super short waisted, so after muslining for this dress, I decided to shorten the bodice piece by 1.25”. This brought the elastic casing up to sit slightly above my natural waist. I just find this placement more comfortable and flattering on me. I opted to leave off the pockets after raising the waistline, because I thought they would sit too high on the dress and look out of place.
The only other slight change I made to the pattern was to put a slit in the side seams. I find maxi dresses to be easier to walk in when they have a slit. I love how it looks! My only regret with this dress is not making the skirt fuller! I already have another maxi length Catalina planned with an extra wide skirt piece, just for added drama!
At this rate, I’ll end up with a suitcase full of Catalinas — now all I need is to plan the trip!
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