Zip Collar Dress McCalls M8138 Pattern Review

As promised in my last YouTube video, I sewed the McCalls M8138 pattern. I honestly thought this one was going to be very easy and for the most part, it technically was.  It goes to show how easy it is to get ahead of yourself. The problem I had was my choice of fabric. It was too lightweight for this pattern. It went together really well, but the collar would just not sit nicely, even after I resewed it with some scuba fabric inside - I got the same result - a floppy collar. Thankfully I have enough fabric to sew a different collar onto it. I have a few possibilities lined up - it will involve trimming the neckline to match the new design and using a collar pattern from another dress. Obviously, I will need to match the cut on the bodice of the other pattern.

The pattern itself is really straightforward and I still want to make another version of it - I think a scuba or scuba jersey knit would make it into a lovely bodycon dress in the bodice. The fit is really good.

This fabric is so lovely to wear - the rest of the dress is a good fit and, with some alteration could become one of my favourites.

This is a picture of the collar unpicked - this fabric is so deliciously soft - it's virtually impossible to unpick.

This is the part where I sewed in the scuba fabric and matched the pattern notches.

This is the final result of the collar. While it looks neat from here, it just will not stand nicely when worn. You may be able to see where it 'creases' near the point of the scissors.

Here is my attempt to support the collar by sewing in support made from stiffer fabric. I used an offcut of scuba.

I am considering how I will fix this. Once I have a solution I will share it, after all, I really like the dress and I want to wear it. The fabric is so comfortable and will be good for the colder months.

You can see exactly how it turned out in my video.

If you have any tips or tricks, please get in touch.