It seems that the Asaka Kimono dress pattern* from Named Patterns* has become a favourite of mine, since I’ve ended up using it to make 3 dresses so far.

For my latest instalment, I made adjusted the pattern to make a maxi version of the dress. for my first few versions the original hem was hitting my knees, so all I had was to decide how much to add to the bottom hem and where the put the side slit into the new dress to allow walking is not restricted by the dress. To lengthen it, I just added 45 cm to the bottom and, extended front neckline band by the same amount. Everything else stayed the same.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, marked with *. Please read my Reader Disclosure Policy for details of what that means.

Because the fabric I was working with (polyester chiffon*) is see through I skipped the pockets. I decided not to make a belt of the same fabric. I already have quite a few ones I could use, even a belt if needed. Another thing that I changed in this version was to not use interfacing on the neckline facings at all. I did however stay-stitched the necklines so that they do not stretch out of shape during the construction.

Usually when I work with slippery fabrics I use a serrated blade pair of scissors to cut my pieces off. This helps, because the fabric does not glide as easily. Even then my accuracy was not as I wanted it.

After adding the length I felt that I needed a side slit to make it easier to walk. I made mine just above the knee. However in hindsight, I needed to be more daring with it. If i made this again, I’ll go much higher.

On the side seams from the waist down I increased the seam allowance from 1 cm/2 cm. that way the hem around the slit is 2 cm and was turned in twice, leaving no raw edges.

As my garment is see through, I am thinking of wearing as a coverup in the summer or as a dressing gown. Maybe, I could wear it with a black slip under, but it is unlikely I’ll do that. For the photo shoot I wore an evening/cocktail outfit with it.

Although I had a moment of ‘ what the …. did I get myself into’ when I got the fabric and felt how soft and slippery it was, I am very content with my finished garment, and love that it is so versatile.