Birthday Dress

This is the second version of McCalls 6503 and there will be more!  I love this dress.  It was fun and easy to wear and got lots of compliments from strangers. 

Why the birthday dress?  Well because Monday was my birthday and it was the first day I wore it.  This time, I faced the collar with the solid contrasting fabric so it stood out.   I also added tiny, tiny (barely visible) yellow piping to the bottom of the sleeves and the yellow bow belt. 

I took out the extra length from the front bodice at the side seams only and it worked great! 

I added as much length to the skirt as my fabric would allow - which was only 2.5" and still wasn't quite enough.    With wider fabric I think I can get a skirt that long enough I don't have to do something funny to get it hemmed.


For this version I cut 2.5" wide slightly bias (cut on the 60 - because that's what I had room on my scraps for), seamed them together and then sewed it to the dress with the tiniest seam allowance I could.  I finished those inside edges, folded a tiny little bit at the top down and then hemmed the dress with a blind hem. 

It's a bit short - but it's fine.  With tights nobody can really tell anyway. 

I had company for dinner on Monday and they had just arrived as I was corralling JB to take photos.  The good doctor was playing 'model photograher' and whooping and hollering.  Yelling - "yea baby!  Work it!  That's what I want to see."  I was laughing so hard - there wasn't a decent photo in the shot!  But it was very fun!

Next up - what we did for JB's birthday.  Don't forget to enter the drawing to win the extra copy of Pamela's Perfect Pencil Skirt pattern. 

McCalls 6503

 First - I have no idea who the average is for dresses these days.  I added 2" to the skirt when I cut this out, but it still wasn't enough. 

The first version of this dress is what I think Karen of Did You Make That? would call an 'ickle' print - or rather childish.  But I wanted what I've started calling 'fake fabric*' in case my alterations didn't work out. 

The only alterations I made to the pattern tissue was to shorten the back for both my sway back and my very short back waist.  What I didn't do was shorten the front so the side seams matched.  I thought I could create a fake full bust adjustment by just gathering the extra front into the side seams.  It worked ok - but it's not perfect, there is a bunch of extra fabric under my arms at the side seams.  I have adjusted that and have the next fabric ready to roll (or be cut).

I like this version - but I think it's a bit boring.   I've dubbed it the prison matron dress - but seeing the photos -  it's not nearly that bad.  I've bought some lovely, tiny white tatted trim to put around the collar and will add it to the hem - maybe.  Will have to take a look at it.

As I said earlier - I added 2 inches to the skirt when I cut it out.  but that wasn't enough. To hem this version, I cut a 3 1/2" band, folded it in half and added it to the bottom.  It's just about the perfect length.

I wore this most of the day with a white cardigan.  The sleeves look tight, but they are not and there was plenty of room to move.   I was quite surprised by how well the pleated skirt laid over both my belly and my rear. 

The best part of sew camp?  Coming home feeling cute and not nearly as fat as I thought I was!

*Fake fabric - something old from the cupboard that would be alright to wear, but if it didn't work out wouldn't hurt my feelings at all.  This time it worked out!