My White Dress McCalls M7948

I made this dress before I went on holiday in July. Life just has this way of interfering with projects, whatever they are. There's been a lot of upheaval and settling-in going on at home. I started a new job in February and it's been a huge learning curve. Between that and commuting, which I hadn't done for a good number of years, it left me completely worn out by the end of the day and wiped out by the end of the day and shattered by the time I got to the weekend. 

Now I have settled in a bit and have gone full hybrid, my routine is settling down a bit. I am hoping to get back my sewjo and creativity.

If you would like to buy this pattern from eBay, click here. (Affiliate Link)

I bought this lovely fabric on eBay for a very good price. It was lovely to work with and I will definitely consider making something else with this fabric.

If you want to buy this fabric from eBay, click here. (Affiliate Link)

When I saw this pattern in the pack for the Love Sewing Magazine - I had to have it! The picture on the envelope looked lovely and the dress appeared to be slimming... It also has a lot of features seen in dresses currently sold on the high street. I had to try it.

The pattern itself was easy to cut out and sew, there were no confidence-crushing skills required - which I love. I sewed a size 18, which fits well in the bodice and fits easily over my head. I found this fabric more see-through than tracing paper - so I lined the bodice and it is best worn with a petticoat. I might consider buying a slip for dresses like this - maybe they will drape better?

The issue I had with this dress, which I didn't like, is that it hangs with a spread that makes me look like a Christmas tree - not a good look. I even removed a lot of the gathers in the top tier to reduce this effect, and it does look a lot better, but it still hangs in a triangular shape. When I have more sewing experience, I might revisit this to figure out what the issue is with the fit. Sewing is a huge learning curve for me - I keep discovering new challenges - or at least they know where to find me!

I was going to make this pattern twice. I even bought more cotton lawn in another colour, but I decided against it. I might look at making the other style on this pattern - version B, it was version C I made. I think version B has pleats, rather than gathers and it may suit me better.

This is how my dress turned out.  Let me know what you think - maybe you have some tips or something I haven't thought of yet.

I will post the related video on Facebook and on YouTube.

Until next time, find me on Facebook and say hello!