Sewn: McCalls M7946 Sundress - The Olive Version

It was only about a year ago that I made my first version of the M7946, but with the lovely weather we have been having, and a holiday booked in the south of France in the autumn, I decided I needed another one!

I have had this olive fabric with a bit of a crinkle to it for a few years now. I think it was from Poundametre, so would have been inexpensive. It feels like cotton. The reason I have been sat on it for a while is because of the stripe. But I knew I wanted a multiway stripe in this dress, so this fabric was perfect.

This version is again View D: pullover dress with shoulder straps extending into ties. The pattern says it is designed for a beginner but I think it misses out some really important instructions. For example, it says to sew the stitches for gathering, but once gathered and then sewn onto the main dress, there is nothing about removing the stitches. 

Similar to the first time I attempted this dress, I have had trouble with it and lost my temper quite badly. I tried to shirr, but again I just couldn't get it to work, so I returned to the original pattern and inserted elastic through casing. I made a change to just two rows of elastic rather than the three that the pattern calls for. The honest truth is that by the time I had unpicked my shoddy shirring, I just couldn't be arsed to add yet another row of elastic.

One thing I did on this version that I really like, was to place the hem ruffle with the ruffle top proud (on my first I put it underneath). This is what the pattern calls for, and I do like the look.

And finally I decided I would try out a scalloped finish to the hem. My God, I don't know what is going on with my sewing machine at the moment, but it started off well, but just ended really badly. I unpicked a fair chunk, and sewed it again with marginal improvement. I like the look of the scalloped hem but it is completely lost on this print. 

These dresses are just so wearable. 

Love Mrs Jones x