I recently pattern tested the Mayfair Dress by Nina Lee. I made the maxi version with short sleeves, as I only have one maxi dress at the moment and I wear it a lot! I think maxi jersey dresses are so comfy and easy to wear in summer.
The dress has some interesting details that set it apart, it has a shawl-type collar and the facing is constructed using the burrito method for a clean finish. I think my jersey was a little thick for the burrito method on a maxi dress, there was a lot of fabric to tightly roll! It gives a lovely finish though and is really satisfying!
I like the shaping at the front and the waist tie. The shaping is really flattering and I found that a contrast waist tie helps to break up the maxi dress.
The front has a v-neck and it’s low enough for me to successfully breastfeed in! I’m not sure how much longer I’ll need that functionality, but it’s really useful at the moment.
I’m planning another Mayfair maxi dress in a grey, dandelion print viscose jersey. I think this time I’ll make the sleeves slightly longer as I’m a little self conscious of my upper arms. I’m already eyeing up lots more viscose jerseys as I can see these dresses getting a lot of wear!
This is the sort of pattern that I love, comfy, flattering, effortless and with some interesting design details. The pattern requires a drapey jersey, such as a viscose jersey. I didn’t have enough viscose jersey in my stash to make the maxi version, so I used an organic cotton-spandex jersey from Elvelyckan Designs. It was mustard with black wavy lines, which at the time I bought it seemed like a good idea, but the yellow colour looks awful with my skin tone so I decided to dye the dress once I’d finished. The dye was not all that successful, but it is still an improvement. I think I will try dyeing it again to get a more even colour as it is a bit patchy in places. The quality of the fabric is amazing, it is so soft and densely knitted and has a great stretch recovery. I will definitely be buying more! I think it is aimed at children's wear but they have started stocking plain colours too and slightly more grown up prints. I did a plain black tie belt as a contrast from some fabric in my stash, which was also a cotton spandex blend.
I was very happy to be able to test the Mayfair Dress by Nina Lee London. This was my first time pattern testing for Nina and it was a really enjoyable experience. There were a few changes made to the pattern after the testing process, but they relate mainly to the longer sleeved versions, so my finished version is a pretty accurate representation of the finalised pattern.
Overall I would really recommend this pattern, Nina’s instructions are fantastic as usual and it’s such a versatile dress with so many options and fabrics available to make every version look very different. Let me know if you have any questions or you are thinking of making this pattern!
Jenny
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