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"I Had To Have That Fabric" Dress - McCall's 7381

6/1/2017

5 Comments

 
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One of my students brought this fabric into class and I immediately fell in love!  Not with my student (although she's wonderful and has amazing taste) but with the fabric.  I thought about sliding it into my work bag when she wasn't looking or offering to buy it from her but instead she told me she got it from Craftsy and I was giddy to discover it was still available!  Yay!  For those of you that haven't purchased fabric from Craftsy, all of the their fabrics either come in kits or in precut lengths.  I purchased a 4 yard cut so I still have enough for a blouse or shell.
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I made McCall's 7381 View A in a size 12 straight out of the envelope but ended up making quite a few changes after I wore it the first time.  This is a polyester/spandex knit and although I usually sew with natural fibers, I love the way this dress looks, feels and washes (which is a good thing since I purchased another knit just like it.)  The dress calls for a woven fabric and has quite a bit of ease built in, so sizing down to a 10 would've minimized the alterations I needed (and the amount of time it took to take it apart!). 
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Here are the changes I made:  
  • Made the shoulders 1" narrower (more flattering for me).
  • Took the sides in 1" on both sides.
  • Stitched the elastic casing to the dress instead of having it feed through in the seam allowance.  A stitched down casing looked less bulky.
  • Fused knit interfacing to the front neck so it would hold it's shape.​
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I'm happy I took the time to make the changes even though it took me almost as long to make the changes as it took to make the dress.  Every time I need to make changes that require a lot of ripping out I spend days deciding if I should do it or not.  I'm always happy when I take the time. "Unsewing" can be very discouraging but I highly recommend taking the chance sometimes.
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I've been sewing faster than I've been blogging so I have more to share with you.  Summer sewing is in full swing and I couldn't be happier.
5 Comments
Elizabeth link
6/1/2017 02:45:09 pm

What beautiful fabric Diane! Looks like one of those effortless dresses for warm summer days! Thanks for inspiring!

Reply
Diane
6/3/2017 04:33:08 pm

Thank you so much! Already it's had a lot of wear.

Reply
Melissa Evans of mahlicadesigns link
6/2/2017 07:51:24 am

I have this debate with myself all the time. I usually convince myself it would be easier just to start over, but honestly, that doesn't happen often.
Your tweaks were worth it. The dress looks beautiful.

Reply
Diane
6/3/2017 04:34:47 pm

Thank you! I'm going to eventually convince myself I don't mind taking things apart. It can happen because I kept telling myself I love handstitching and now I do. I also might be crazy.

Reply
Lawrence, Julia
8/27/2018 10:55:25 am

Beautiful fabric and dress. I’ve found the pattern and will try it but I’ll check the sizing after what you said as I’m not confident making adjustments. Thanks so much for your effort to share.

Reply



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    About Me

    Hi!  I'm Diane, a wife, mom, sewing teacher and pattern designer from sunny Southern California.  I share my sewing adventures here on the Blue Dot Blog formerly Gatorbunnysews.  For more info click here.

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