It should come at no surprise by now that I love a good maxi dress. When I saw a sneak peek of the Cadence*, the newest pattern by Love Notions, I was immediately sold. Like all Love Notions patterns, this one is packed with options, but it was that maxi that caught my eye!
During testing, I sewed up a tank maxi with a drawstring waist. I seriously love this!
It's hard to see my drawstring because I made my own using the same fabric as my dress. I love how cohesive it is, but it doesn't show up well in pictures.
The pattern is drafted for woven fabrics and I used a rayon challis from Joann. You could use knit fabric, but sizing down is recommended. One of the testers did end up using knit and it turned out to be a beautiful dress!
This may be the lazy in me talking (ok, I will admit this IS the lazy in me talking) but I love that this dress has no closures. No buttons or zippers? Yes, please.
The dress does have some shaping, with darts and a seamed back. These were actually my first darts, which made me a little nervous, but they were easy peasy. There are also great instructions for adjusting the dart location should you need to customize this. I'm always impressed with Love Notions fitting instructions and this was no exception.
I could go on and on about my new dress (like I could share with you how I recently wore it on a 9+ hour car trip and how comfortable I was the whole time, or how cute I felt wearing it while taking all four kids to the park, or... but I digress, sorry.) Instead of babbling about how much I love wearing my new dress, I'll share the details of the pattern, they really are impressive:
- Neckline (and armscye for tank version) is finished with an interfaced facing. The seam allowance is understitched, leaving a clean finish without top-stitching. I'm very impressed with how nice it all lays.
- Traditional scoop neckline or notch neckline is included.
- Three lengths: shirt, knee-length dress, and maxi. The shirt and maxi both include side vents.
- Five sleeve lengths: tank, short, 3/4, flare, and bishop. Sleeves are asymmetrical (not cut on the fold.)
- Shift style shape. Bust darts and seamed back both add shaping. Optional casing with either drawstring or elastic can add more shaping if desired.
- Bust, waist, hip lines marked on pattern. I appreciate this for both blending sizes and for adding or taking away length.
- Standard and full bust pieces both included. Not that I even have to make a full bust adjustment, but I know this will be appreciated by others. :)
- Pattern includes layers and no-trim pages.
Did you notice all the options? This means you can make a tank top and a maxi dress with long bishop sleeves and a bunch of combinations in between.
I have been on the hunt for a woven tank pattern for a while, and that will be the next thing I make with this pattern. What's amazing is how many basic woven tank patterns are out there at a similar price point but how much more you get with the Cadence pattern.
My summer has gone by a lot faster than I anticipated and I haven't had as much time to sew as I would have hoped. I really had planned to make some woven tank tops, but summer...
At least I can enjoy what's left of it in this dress...
The Cadence is on sale through Saturday. You can purchase it here*. Or just check out the link to admire all the other tester pics and check out how many different variations there are with this one pattern!
*Affiliate links are present in this post. Should you chose to purchase this pattern after clicking on the link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps fund my passion for sewing, so I appreciate it. All thoughts are my own and I do not promote a pattern I do not love.
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