It’s week six!!! The first time I did this challenge it was all new patterns I’d never tried before. This time around we are going to see a lot of repeats. I know which patterns I loved making and wearing. This was one that I love wearing. I can’t say that I loved making it because these sleeves were massively difficult. I sewed and ripped them apart more than once before mentioning on instagram that I was stuck. Someone kindly directed me to an online tutorial for making similar sleeves and those instructions put me out of my misery. I wish I could remember who and where the tutorial was, but it was well over a year ago.
The shirt takes a horrific amount of fabric, 4 1/4 yards! The sleeves take up a lot of that fabric. They are cut on the bias and the original McCall’s instructions tell you to sew around the sleeve to create the tiers. That didn’t work for me. I would make it almost the whole way around the sleeve and then discover that it created a huge pucker that I couldn’t get rid of. I tried again and again. It wasn’t working. The online tutorial I was directed to suggested tacking instead. I tacked the sleeve in four places around each tier. That secured it without creating puckers.
I love wearing the shirt and it doesn’t get low or open up like many of the wrap tops I’ve made, which is why I decided I’d like to try it out as a dress. I made the shirt view B and now I’m making the dress view C
Here are a couple of photographs from when I first finished the top.
And now for the dress . . . The rest of the construction of this pattern is pretty easy. The sleeves are challenging but this dress doesn’t have any challenging aspects.
I forgot until I finished the dress how much I love not having bust darts. This pattern pleats at the bottom and at the shoulders and I love the look. I feel like it’s more flattering on the bust.
The dress assembled easily. The hem is the most annoying part since it’s about 5 yards long. I didn’t add pockets but I do miss them. I might try to add some once I’ve worn it a few times. I’m debating because I don’t want the fabric to show through.
It’s a fun summer dress. I’d recommend this pattern to beginner sewists since it’s pretty easy (without the sleeves). It sews up fast and it has no zippers or buttons which is why I feel like it’s easier.
I’d also like to point out that wrap clothes that are tied are pretty forgiving in fit. You can easily gain 10 pounds or lose it and still be able to wear them. To me that’s awesome as I enter my 40s in less than a year.
The hem was no joke on this . . .
I don’t really see myself making this pattern again soon but I’ll hold onto it forever. It has a classic feel to it that I could see myself making another many years from now.
I also like that it has facings instead of being fully lined in the bodice. I like how light and airy it is and another layer of fabric on the bust would have ruined that. Texas summers are no joke and you need clothes that lend themselves to that.
I’m happy with how the dress turned out. I wish I could tell you what was up next but I honestly don’t know.
Time to go hunt through my stash!
See you next week!
Pattern: McCall’s M7627
Fabric:
Purple is a sportswear, I think it was purchased at a warehouse fabric store in Minnesota, S.R. Harris.
The dress fabric was purchased at Joann Fabrics and is a current fabric as of this post June 2020.
Sew Sanity 