McCalls 6953: Knit and Voile maxi dress

 

I've been a bit obsessed with mixed fabric dresses lately, I love a knit bodice and a woven skirt, seems the best of both worlds!

Pattern detailsn (same as last time I made this dress);

• sz20 with d cup
• 1" fba
• 1" wedge from back neck alongside of the zipper
• 2" petite bodice
• 1" wedge out of bustline length
• lowered neckline
• added waistband
• added pockets from Simplicity 2588

There were a couple added adjustments since the bodice is a knit;

• Took in the sides by a total of 4"
• Took out length in the bodice of about 2"
• Cut the back on the fold
• Gathered the skirt instead of pleating it so I could make the dress a pull-on.
• Bound the neckline instead of lining the dress.
• Added a 4" facing to the hem to help weigh it down

I do need to take some length out of the upper chest as its buckling slightly. It looks like the princess seams are ripply too but in real life they sit flat.

Fabric:
Cotton spandex knit for the bodice from Spotlight and a cotton voile for the skirt that was left over from my Cambie dress

I'm happy with how it turned out and I'll be making more mixed fabric dresses soon!

McCalls 6953: Rayon maxi dress

 

I think this summer's uniform is going to be the maxi skirt for me! I've been wearing my Gabriola skirt heaps lately so it just seemed natural to make a maxi dress as well.

This pattern has a few variations, I made Amber the hi-lo hem version and this is View D with the maxi skirt.

So the adjustments;

• sz20 with d cup
• 1" fba
• 1" wedge from back neck alongside of the zipper
• 2" petite bodice
• 1" wedge out of bustline length
• shirring panel on side
• lowered neckline
• added waistband
• added pockets from Simplicity 2588

I'm not overly happy with the bodice, it took 1 tissue fitting and 2 muslins and I'm still not completely happy.

Every time I try one of these cup size patterns I end up adjusting the fit more than if I'd started with a basic B cup bodice. This time I started with a d-cup bodice and had to do a 1" fba on the first muslin then had to take a big wedge out of length on the second - its like I need the width but not the length I'm finding - I really should add to the side seams which would let me do a smaller fba and also allow for an easier sleeve adjustment each time.

I had to take a wedge out the back neckline along the zipper as it was gaping, same as I had to on Amber's dress. This is not a common adjustment for me so I tend to think its more of a fault on the pattern.

Fabric is a rayon from the clearance table at spotlight - its a nice weighty rayon. I used a cotton poplin for the lining and a cotton sateen for the waistband. The photo below is more true to the colour.

The dress isn't designed with the waistband but I found it was just too much pattern without it, this fabric really needed a break.

I think the next maxi dress I make will be a frankenpattern of this skirt with the bodice of Vogue 8648, I just need to find some more decent rayon!

McCalls 6953: Chiffon dress

 

Ambers been wanting a chiffon high-low dress for awhile. I downloaded Lekala 4262 and made a muslin but she didn't like the hem line or the elastic waist. Luckily I had gotten this pattern with my haul from the last Spotlight $5 sale. It still has the high-low hem but has a nice fitted bodice.

Pattern details;

• This is View C without the hem band (She's 5'4".
• Sz 14 B-cup with the sides taken in by 1/4".
• Petite bodice 2"
• Swayback adjustment 1/2"
• Changed pleated skirt to gathers
• Took a wedge out at the top of centre back because the neckline was gaping.
• Added a skirt lining.

 

Fabric is a poly chiffon from Spotlight. I underlined the bodice with cotton poplin and also lined the bodice in the cotton poplin. The skirt lining is a poly lining fabric from my stash.

I wanted a free hanging chiffon overlay which I spent ages thinking about. In the end it was pretty simple, it's pretty much the same as the Sewaholic Saltspring dress but opposite sides up. Amber wants another dress similar to this so I'll take some pics and make a tutorial (mostly so I can refer back to it!)

Chiffon overlay hangs free with the top edges of the hem finished

You can access the zipper through the slit



When the dress is zipped up you cant see the slit or zipper in the skirt

I did a rolled hem on the overlocker to the skirt and lining, French seamed the chiffon skirt and used a normal zipper instead of an invisible one, the dress has a bit of bulk at the back and I never really trust an invisible one when the seams a bit bulky plus I'm trying to use my stash and its what I had!

I haven't really sewn with chiffon before but with the underlined bodice the dress has a nice bit of weight to it, the skirts a little bit short, I think having the long hem at the back seems to exaggerate how short the front it so I've added another couple of inches to the length at the front for next time.

 

 

In summary, I'm really happy with this pattern, we have another dress planned for Amber and I'd like a maxi rayon version for me!