Tropical Body-Con Dress, McCalls 7531

"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

1 Peter 5:5-7

***Update*** Time got away from me, so I ended up using this dress for my "Pin it Sew it" entry.  I made my dress not thinking of using it for the event, but since I didn't have time to make something new, I decided to use it last minute! Lol. My inspiration Pin was maxi-length but I preferred to do mine knee length.

 


   

 
 












   Hey friends!:) My planned pattern hack didn't turn out as great as I was expecting. *Sigh*. It was supposed to be a sarong dress with this same tropical knit fabric. After a sewing fail its always nice to do an "immediate gratification" project, lol! This McCalls's pattern didn't have any reviews yet (at least I haven't seen any posted) but I hoped it would work ok. I love how it turned out! I think I'll get lots of wear out of this casual t-shirt dress!:)

  This is a "Learn to Sew for fun" patten, so there are a ton of tips and detailed explanations geared  for beginners. I glanced at them and they seem alright. I made view A.

   I removed the 5/8" seam allowance on the neckline (and then another 1/4", since I preferred the neck slightly larger. I probably could've taken even more, just my preference). My dress neck circumference was then about 28". I cut a neckband (2" wide, folded in half) to be about 24.5"plus SA. I attached the band to the neckline using a 1/2" seam allowance. I also shortened & curved the the sleeve a bit to be more like a favourite RTW top.

   I've made a bunch of knit dresses, but they usually have ruching. This one doesn't and has a curved centre-back seam, which is good for shaping. I may shorten the waist length a bit next time (maybe a 1/4").

       I had to use a slightly smaller seam allowance up top (waist up). I think my fabric is not quite as stretchy as the pattern recommends. Its a more "stable" knit, as opposed to a slinky 4-way stretch that would probably be best for this pattern. Unless I've already used a pattern, I always use a loose basting stitch to quickly sew the main seams of a dress together to check the fit (rather than do a proper muslin. I just can't be bothered for the most part, lol).

         Next up is a more relaxed-fitting summer dress in this rather 80's/early 90's looking tropical print rayon! I cut it out last night, will hopefully get at it tonight:)

Have a great day everyone!