Havana, ooh Na-Na
This time of year is amazing for weather in New England. The temperature is just right (around 60-70 degrees F) and the days get longer and longer. It also means that my Magnolia Tree is in bloom! This week I made the Havana Dress from Greenstyle Creations for my Letter H of the #ABCPatternStashChallenge and it is a perfect spring/summer dress!
This is a dress that I had purchased many years ago when it first came out but just never made. Mainly because I didn’t always have enough fabric on hand to make a dress. My fabric buying habits have changed by having 2-3 yards of any fabric I like in case it is destined to become a dress. The Havana was a perfect fit for my H pattern!
The Pattern
This pattern is a great summertime (or in my case spring) dress that just has beach and chill vibes written all over it. This was also the first time I had considered making a dress where the fabric recommendation was WOVEN! Just about all my fabric is knits, so I needed to go and buy some woven specifically for this dress (more info in the next section).
The Havana comes with several different options.
Lengths: Tank Top | Short Dress | Long/Maxi Dress
Back Options: Racerback | Lace up | “Bare it all” Low back.
Optional inseam pockets (heck yes!)
All options have binding straps.
I personally am not a fan of Maxi Dresses, mainly because I don’t feel like they suit my style, body type, or personality. That’s not to say I think Maxi dresses can’t be super flattering, but they just aren’t for me.
Because of that, I wanted to still see if I could get away with a maxi length dress and made the Havana completely as if it were going to be a Maxi. No surprise when I tried it on it just didn’t look like me. However, all was not lost!
I made the dress Maxi -Length first so that if I did decide I didn’t like it, I can just cut away the excess. So with the dress on I pulled it up different hem lengths until I found the one I liked the most (knee length) and took my Kai scissors to the bottom! I still left about an inch extra to make sure I could hem them. The length is longer than the “short” version though, so I am happy I started with the maxi length and catered it to my tastes.
Racerback Size F length between long and short. (right above the knees) with the optional inseam pockets
The Fabric
As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have much woven fabric in my stash, let alone enough to make a full dress out of. So I took a quick trip to my local Joann’s in hopes that I could find some fabric to use without needing to wait for a delivery!
I was in luck. Joann’s started carrying a lot more garment fabrics recently and I found a woven fabric that was just begging to be the Havana. The colors gave me a summer vibe and the weight of the fabric was enough that I don’t need to worry about pulling a Marilyn Monroe any time soon.
Feedback and Final Thoughts
Even though Maxi dresses aren’t for me, I absolutely love my Havana. Another benefit to being able to sew my own clothes is that I can make it be exactly how I want.
The next Havana I make I want to try a lighter fabric with and use it as a beach cover.
Get the Look!
Pattern: The Havana Dress from Greenstyle Creations
Fabric: Woven fabric with minimal stretch from Joann Fabrics
Do you prefer Maxi length or shorter length dresses?
Bonus Content!
