Seamstress mania is a powerful force. It can be the fire under your ass that motivates you to rip off the “fear of failure” bandaid and just go for it. It’s the fuel that gets you through a marathon of sewing, where the construction becomes a blur and you come out the other side going, “I made what in how much time?”
Such is this autumn McCalls 7974 make. My husband and I had a fall wedding to attend out of state, and I pushed aside the thought of making something new. I had plenty of options in my closet already, and I simply didn’t think I had the time. We had just returned home from an anniversary trip to Seattle, and I was drowning at work. The week of the wedding. I tried on what I had at home and didn’t like how my dresses fit. I didn’t think they matched the fall theme very well, and I love an on-point theme.
This is becoming a very popular pattern. It has a feminine yet sexy plunging neckline along with the on-trend gathers and waist shaping. The long sleeves add some modesty to balance the neckline, and the tea length skirt is perfect with ankle boots. It was a perfect fit for a fall event.
In true seamstress mania, I didn’t make a muslin. I chose my size based on my upper bust measurement, held the flat pattern pieces to my body, and crossed my fingers. I cut the bodice of View B for the long sleeves, but cut the longer tea length skirt of View C/D. To make the sleeves truly long sleeved, I lengthened them by 2 inches and added a true cuff.
I starched my rayon challis, cut, sewed, serged, and hemmed the entire dress in three evenings. The button holes were sewed amidst packing, and I brought my buttons with to sew on in the car.
The day of the wedding, I started getting ready very early because I had no idea if my dress would fit. It was an anxious moment of reckoning, and the dress fit nearly perfectly. The length was hitting just right for a fall, tea length dress, the rayon challis flowed beautifully, and the buttons weren’t pulling at the waist.
The only fit adjustment I’ve noted on my pattern is to remove 1/4 inch of length at the bottom of the neckline (where it meets the waist) to eliminate the smallest bit of gaping. Browsing the other makes on Instagram #m7974 tells me that this is frequently adjusted based on people’s comfort level.
Overall, I’m excited to make this again! I’ve had a plan to make View A out of a summery, blue floral rayon challis since I bought the pattern. Next time however, won’t be made in such a rush.