A Novel Idea

This was one of those last minute sewing projects as the Summer weather was threatening to disappear but I felt the need to make just one more sundress.  

I knew that I wanted to try a new pattern as I have a huge amount of warm weather dress patterns hanging around making me feel slightly guilty for not using them.  

McCalls 7950 fit the bill, and I don't need much of an excuse to work with a fun novelty print, so that was an easy choice once I came across the cotton stashed away in a bin.

One thing I will say about this pattern is that the instructions/construction is rather lacking.  I am not sure how many people would be comfortable wearing the tie front versions without the addition of some kind of closure.

Looking at the pattern itself, I suspect that this view was added in last minute as a second bodice option to give a different look rather than the standard button front, princess seamed bodice.

And certainly, the cute tie front was what drew me in.  I probably wouldn't have given this pattern a second look had it not been for View A.

The dress itself is rather loose fitting, and there is no additional shaping to the lower half of the bodice, which would be fine for Views C & D.  

I didn't think much of it until I had an almost completed dress, only to realize that it wasn't very wearable as it was drafted.  Darn it!

But I loved the print too much to give up on the dress, so I added a pair of bust pads to hopefully give the bodice a bit more shape.  That definitely helped, but the ties still didn't make the situation feel all that secure.

In the end, a simple hook & bar stitched just under each tie extension did the trick.  And with those small changes, I now have an easy to wear dress perfect for the warm weather which has most definitely disappeared!  Oh well, there is always next year . . .

Dress:  Made by me, McCalls 7950
Earrings:  Made by me
Shoes:  Bernardo "Veronika"

Patterns Illustrations

This is one of those patterns that I purchased soon after it was released with the thought that I would make it right up.  I was intrigued by View A (I love a tie front!) and thought it would make a lovely summer frock.

Of course, time got away from me, and a few years later I finally decided that I wanted to make something with a novelty print, and this pattern seemed like a good choice.  I had slightly more yardage than needed, so instead of the knee length dress I had originally intended, I thought that the longer skirt with the patch pockets would be a nice way to use up the majority of this wonderful novelty print.

And to make those pockets stand out a bit more amongst the crazy colors and designs, I added some rick-rack.  To tie everything together, I also added a length of the rick-rack to my straps.  One happy result of this is that those straps will not be stretching at all.  As a note on construction, I did have to shorten the length of the straps considerably compared to the original draft.

While I would have had enough fabric left to cut my bodice back pieces out, I decided to save the scraps for something more interesting than a simple lining.  And, of course, a tie front does require that the front lining matches unless you want the contrast to show, and in this instance, I did not want that look.

I went ahead and made bound buttonholes on the skirt front instead of pulling out my vintage buttonholer.

This is a stable cotton, so it's easy to work with, and if a fabric is anything but super sheer, I do prefer a bound buttonhole to one that is machine made.

Honestly, I find the process to be less stressful and requiring less "practice" before I get to making the buttonholes on the actual garment.

The only visible seams were the skirt side seams, so I finished those with rayon seam binding.

And while I didn't manage to take any photos of the process, I did make an Instagram reel about adding bust pads to the bodice of this dress.

And to make the bodice feel more secure, a hook & eye was added just under the ties to keep the bodice closed.

This is one of those designs that looks great in the technical drawing, but in reality, could use a bit more finesse when it comes to the instructions that come in the pattern envelope in order to make it a more wearable item of clothing.  For this particular dress, I do not think it would have been very wearable without the addition of that hook & eye to keep the bodice closed.  Obviously, every body is different, but I would definitely recommend an extra closure option rather than relying solely on the wide fabric ties that are part of the bodice front.

That being said, it's a very cute sundress, and I am happy with the finished product.  I am especially pleased with the fabric pattern/design pairing which I think looks rather 1980s does 1950s in the best way possible!