WHITE COTTON EYELET McCALL'S M7948 - PATTERN REVIEW
When this new collection of McCall’s patterns came out, I was in love. So many fresh, beautiful patterns! I was hoping for a Memorial Day pattern sale, but I had to wait. And then, when they went on sale online, this one was sold out! Ugh! Luckily, I went to Rhode Island for the weekend with my mom, and of course we stopped by the local Joann’s. Because I live in New York, I rarely get to visit a Joann’s, and nothing beats it. You know I love the NY Garment District, but pawing through the pattern drawers at Joann’s floods me with happy childhood memories. Buying a new pattern was always a huge treat.
Ok, so I got the pattern! I love the photo on the cover, and knew immediately I wanted to try using this embroidered eyelet fabric from my stash, and I decided to underline it with a sheer cotton voile. This fabric is from H&M fabrics on West 39th street, but a couple years ago. It’s a pretty wacky store, and no, despite what the signs in the window say, I don’t think it is going out of business. They often have great eyelet fabrics, and if not, there’s definitely something good hiding in there. I recommend popping by and digging around.
This is an easy, beginner friendly pattern, because it has minimal seams, no darts, no zippers, and it is designed to pull on over your head. Because of this, the pattern has a lot of ease - it is designed to be a bit boxy! so don’t remove the ease unless you know you can still get in and out of the dress. I love simple patterns because you can have your way with them, and this is no exception. I made a few big changes to this pattern, but I didn’t stray from the pattern pieces.
Without further ado, my complete review of this pattern is below. If you have any questions about this pattern, leave me a comment here on the blog, I’m happy to help! XO
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, clear instructions.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Likes: The pockets are big and they catch in the waist seam. If pockets don't catch in the waist seam, I re-draft them to do so. Simple construction, I sewed this in an afternoon.
Dislikes: This pattern is great, but as usual with Big 4, there is no mention of trimming, grading, or clipping seam allowances. This is an important step for getting a clean finish at the neckline, so take your time with it. After you understitch, grade the seam allowances and clip them, so the round neckline can lay flat.
Fabric Used:
Cotton embroidered eyelet that has been waiting in my stash for years. I underlined it with a sheer cotton voile. Store bought bias tape.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
• Underlined bodice and skirt due to fabric choice.
• Lengthened bodice 1" (as always, I am 5'8").
• For the skirt, I used the View A skirt piece, shortened 4" and gathered it instead of using pleats.
• I then added the top tier of the View C skirt as a bottom ruffle. I cut this piece 2.5x width to create the ruffle.
• I narrowed the shoulder 2" and redrafted the entire armscye because I found it unflattering on me (might work well on someone else, though!). I have narrow shoulders but not *that* narrow. I have never once tried on RTW and felt my shoulders were narrow. I usually do a 1" narrow shoulder adjustment for Big 4 patterns, so this was wider than usual imho.
*If I made this again, I would drop the center front neckline 1/2". It's not unbearably tight, but lower would be more comfortable.
I’ll leave you with a peep at the interior finishes!
