Summer Staples

i figured out why i love sewing maxi dresses so much. i've never been able to buy long dresses RTW because they are always obscenely long on me. finally i can make them a custom fit and i don't look like a dwarf (hopefully).


Pattern: McCalls 6559, View D front with E back
Size: 6, graded to 8 at waist
Fabric: tribal stripe ITY jersey from fabric.com



i already lowered the armhole by 1" for next time. this dress is a little uncomfortable under the arms. i shortened the front by 9 inches but the back only needed to be taken in 7 inches. i'm not sure if it's because i used 2 different views or if the front and back pieces just don't match. i didn't figure this out until i was pinning the pieces to the fabric and trying to figure out why the stripes didn't line up all the way down.

i used twill tape in the shoulder seams and clear elastic on the neckline and armholes. i zigzagged the clear elastic on the wrong side then turned and stitched with a twin needle. i like the finish but it was kind of a pain to do. i'll try binding next time.

i've never had an easier time matching up stripes. i'm going to make another version of this dress shortly. i can see myself making a new dress from this pattern every year. i love it.