Almost missed the boat with this one…

 

Well, I had plans.  I had plans to use this beautiful fabric (100% rayon Batik) with my Butterick Retro dress pattern B5920.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough fabric.  No matter how much I measured and twisted and turned the pattern pieces, I just didn’t have enough fabric.

So I pulled out my second choice.  A pattern I haven’t tried before, something a bit different for me.  Something that in the end, really wasn’t my style.  McCall’s M7080.   I managed to cut all the pieces out with only a small piece remaining!

Too bad I wasn’t making the sleeve less version, I like the way they put the neck and armhole facings together ensuring that, when turned, no hand sewing of the neck and arm holes is needed.  It would have been a beautiful finish.  The skirt was basically two rectangle pieces, gathered at the top.

My serger behaved beautifully finishing off the seams.  Yes, quite often I serge together as many seams as I can, then check the fit and then sew the 5/8 inch seam allowances – more or less, depending on the fit.  Strange, huh?

Well it’s not quite finished here.  The sleeves and bottom hem have to be sewed up. The waist has to be sewn together properly, not just basted.  But it was close enough to being finished for me to try it on and realize that MY body will never be happy with an undefined waistline.  Perhaps it would look better if the waistline was shortened to sit higher on my body?  Doesn’t matter, I’m moving on (again).

I’ve now decided to get a top, McCall’s M6840, out of my dress.  View A, perhaps with short sleeves.  There certainly is enough fabric in the skirt portion for the larger front and back pieces.  I’ll have to see if I can get a collar AND some short sleeves out of the bodice pieces.

This pattern instructed you to sew together the back piece, the back yoke and the front pieces and hand sew the long seam of the inside yoke to the back yoke.  I would prefer not to do any hand sewing, if I can get away with it.  So let’s do the “Burrito” technique instead!

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Things are going better now.  I just have to sew on the collar, do my buttons and buttonholes and do my hemming.  Let me tell you, I think my fabric is looking much better.  I was thinking of adding some contrasting topstitching along the button hole band, collar and maybe the hems… First I shall see what it looks like when completed!

Now just to spread the joy (that I haven’t thrown my project in the dumpster yet) I would like to have a Give away of this dress pattern, McCall’s M7080 (size 14 through 22), which I now know is not MY style – although it might be your’s!

To enter the giveaway, just comment below that you would like this pattern and let me know how you follow my blog (WordPress, email, etc.?).  This Give away will be open until Friday, May 27th at 12 noon, PDT.  I’ll draw the winner and post next weekend.

In the meantime, Happy Sewing!