It has been interesting to try to come up with title names for these blog posts since sewing patterns don’t have names but just a number code. Anywhoo! I’m back with another sewing pattern review!
I’ve incredibly behind on my sewing projects for no reason other than I have been pretty unmotivated, which honestly is nothing new. My craft room is also out bedroom so sometimes everything feels so cluttered and its hard to find actual adequate space just to cut fabric. So part of me just feels like waiting to work on project until we move, but where is the fun in that?
Im slowly getting back into the routine of trying to work on some kind of project everyday, so i’m finally sharing my (rather short) review for another McCalls Sewing Pattern!
Choosing the Pattern and Fabric
It’s actually really funny because I was just reading my last review and I said I “Wanted to focus on making tops for a while” and then apparently went right back to making dresses. Sounds just like me!
I have really been having a personal battle of trying to have a simple wardrobe that isn’t too bold or extravagant, and just having a mix of different styles since there are so many different things I enjoy wearing.
This time I let myself go bold, with this super bright tropical pattern, it was too cute and happy for me to pass it up! I picked it up from Hobby Lobby, which I think has some pretty unique cotton fabrics that you don’t see at places like Joann.
I chose to pair this adorable fabric with the McCall’s Pattern # M7952. Which in my opinion is kind of a 50’s style dress that would go well with any bold pattern.
Initial Thoughts
Upon just looking at the pattern packaging, i didn’t really have reason to think this pattern would be too difficult. It had a few construction elements I hadn’t tried yet, which is to be expected since I haven’t been sewing for very long haha.
One of the first things I do, which I think is pretty standard haha, is take out the written instructions and read them over to familiarize myself with the process of making the item before I start. This also allows me pin point any steps I think I may have a hard time with.
Upon reading through the instructions, nothing really struck me as being super complicated although it took me a couple minutes to decipher the fabric cutting layout, which I usually tweak a little bit anyway.
I always like to save as much left over fabric as I can, so if I can rearrange the cutting layout to save a little more fabric i usually try to do that.
Construction
This pattern is pretty straight forward, unlike other patterns it doesn’t have a wide variety of different styles included, it is just slightly different versions of the same dress to suit your preference.
Overall, the instructions are very easy to follow, there really aren’t any curveballs which is why this review is going to be so short haha.
This was however the first time I ever did button holes! I was actually pretty scared to give it a try, but I am happy to report that if you feel the same button anxiety as I did, it is really easy! (and actually kind of fun). honestly the sewing machine really just does all the work for you once you mark where the button holes need to be.
I was happy that there were buttons instead of a zipper, although I have kind of gotten over my fear of zippers, I still like to avoid them when possible (which isn’t often haha). The buttons also give the dress a lot of character and you can have a fun little pop of color and get as creative as you want with the button design.
Hiccups
While the pattern itself was easy to follow, I did have a couple little hiccups during the construction process.
- Pattern Pieces – This could just be because I am a beginner, but there were 2 or 3 pattern pieces in which the cut lines were rather confusing to know where to follow. From a beginner’s eye, it wasn’t immediately intuitive, so in the end I just kind of winged it, but I think I got it right??
- Interfacing – Literally the first step is to iron interfacing onto all of the bra pieces and I went ahead and completely forgot to do it. I’m sure it would have been useful to have, but I still think my top looked good and felt stable and comfortable without it
- Bow Hem – The second step is to sew a narrow hem onto the front bow overlay. I thought that this part seemed weird because the drape of bows is unpredictable, so you would likely have times where the wrong side of the fabric would be showing when you wear the top. I thought maybe there was an extra step later to address that, but there wasn’t. So if you have a problem with the wrong side of the fabric and the hem being visible, I would get a little extra fabric and have the bow be double sided, it may add a little bit of bulk, but i’m sure it would be fine.
- Fabric Pattern – Again this is probably because I am a beginner, but if you have a single direction pattern, be sure to really pay attention to how you attach the pieces. I attached the opposite pieces quite a few times which cause some of the waves to be upside down and had to do a lot of seam ripping and restitching to fix it. Don’t be like me haha.
- Straps – When I tried to measure how long i needed my straps to be, I tried them on with my posture being” proper”, however, in most cases I don’t actually stand that straight, so once I sewed them on, they were far too loose when I naturally slouched a little. So make sure you test our your strap length a couple times before you sew them on.
Final Thoughts
Though my execution of this pattern wasn’t perfect, ie there are inside parts that aren’t sewn into place that you can’t see, but I have yet to hand sew them in; this is still one of my favorite things that I have sewn so far!
I absolutely love this fabric pattern and I think the dress pattern really fits my personal style. I highly recommend both the fabric and the sewing pattern!
I ordered a bunch of McCall’s patterns recently because they were have a huge sale where patterns that were normally $20 were only $4! So I will have plenty of new sewing projects to share with you soon!
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