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Hello chums,
Sunny May greeting from the North of England! Its lovely and sunny after some truly horrid weather that included hailstorm which battered my lovely flowers and snow which killed of some of my tender shoots :-(. Still no hard feelings as long as the sun continues to shine. Ok Rant over…lets talk McCalls M7242.
McCalls M7242
I first saw this pattern with the new release on the US website and immediately fell for it – I loved the description too: Loose-fitting dresses have mandarin collar (I do love these), blouson bodice, back pleated into self-lined yoke, elastic waist, side pockets, and narrow hem.
I patiently waited the 4-5 weeks it takes for UK to get the latest releases but alas it turns out its a Laura Ashley pattern and only sold in the US and Canada (teeeny tiny print on the website that I missed).
Despite loving it and being obsessed I still could not bring myself to pay the $15 P&P charge for ordering from the US site. So what are you going to do when you just cant get it out of your head? Well for the sake of my sanity I decided to appeal to my IG buddies and wow! I love being a part of the sewing community – so many nice and lovely people willing to help the cause of a fellow sewist.
Through IG I found a US based Etsy seller who posts to UK at a reasonable charge. It equated to £9 including P&P which is not bad in comparison to the £22 it would have cost me otherwise.
Inspiration to pair my fabric with M7242 was from Lisa HERE. Just like Lisa says in her post I too am a sucker for a big floral print against a dark background.
I love the boho appeal of this dress.Its sweeping statement kind of dress. Finished with a sexy V-neckline and adorned with a belt this is my version of ultimate boho-babe look. 🙂 It would also work with a self-tie sash. Next time I make it I will make a self tie sash. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough fabric for sleeves so I went sleeveless with it.
The fabric features an allover floral print in hues of black, purple, blush, and olive-green. Its a poly viscose which is fine in cooler weather but it doesn’t breathe so well in hot weather as I found out on my holiday. Its the kind that goes hard and unwieldy when wet .I only managed to wear it once and packed it away. Its fine here in North England’s cooler climes but temps of 32C are a big ask for it.
Construction wise the center front is finished with facings. It makes for a clean and neat finish however the facings keep on wanting to flip out. So I need to hand sew them down. I’d love to make this in a cotton lawn as I think it would be a cool summer festival chic dress.
I am not in a hurry to cut another out though because of the fabric requirement on this dress.
The elastic insertion is a new technique for me. You basically joined the bodice with the skirt and there is an inch and half seam allowance which you then fold over to create the casing. I wanted a snug back so my elastic was pulled tight so much that the center front was then pulling away. I had to sew a hook and eye on the center front waist seam to keep it from gaping. I love the pockets, the swishiness of the dress and the edginess it has with showing a bit of leg.
Verdict – I would strongly suggest using a blouseweight crepe (drapey) fabric with this pattern. The facings need securing to keep from flipping out. Despite this its well worth the hassle I went through to get it and one of the very few patterns that i have ever had to pay full price for!
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the interwebs. Until next time ….Happy sewing!
Hila
XoX
