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Friday 17 February 2012

McCall's 6319 Jersey Dress

Here in Hong Kong we recently got a hint of Spring and I was inspired to whip up a warm weather dress. Although this was super quick and easy to make, alas our mini Spring was over before the dress was finished. Still, for once in my sewing life I am ahead of the game and ready for some sun!

This was a popular pattern last year - McCall's 6319 a knit dress pattern with pleats and neckline variations. I made view A but without the exposed shoulder zipper - I do really like that detail but I didn't have anything suitable in my stash and I just wanted to get on with it, you know?








Here is the finished dress, it's in a sort of aqua / turquoise ITY jersey from Fabric.com.  

(With purchased pewter snakeskin print belt from Armani Exchange)

The pattern calls for a lined bodice which I decided was unnecessary - of course then I had to figure out how to finish the edges.  I decided to apply a strip of binding to the right side of the neck and arm edges which is then understitched, turned in and topstitched with a twin needle.  I had cut the binding much wider than I needed to which made it easier to handle and then just trimmed the excess close to the stitching.  

I remembered as I was doing a sleeve to take some photos if my explanation makes no sense!

Armhole from right side after sewing facing strip (in the flat, before the side seams were sewn) and understitching to the seam allowances

Same as the above but from the wrong side

Fold facing strip to wrong side and hem with twin needle right side up

From the wrong side, the excess facing strip is trimmed off close to the stitching line

I don't know if I stretched the neckline a bit unevenly doing this (maybe all that stitching is just too much, sure looks neat though!) or if the one shoulder pleats and lack of lining support affect the drape, but my neckline does have some extra wrinkles on it and seems to hang a bit lopsided, and it looks even more obvious now I see these photos.  Oh well, since it is asymmetric anyway I am hoping I can get away with it as unpicking anything does not appeal and would probably make it worse!  

Also, the pleats at the skirt and neckline are quite subtle, if I make this again I would like to make them a bit more exaggerated - does anyone have any suggestions how I would do that - slash and spread and make the pleats deeper / add more of them?









29 comments:

  1. Beautiful spring dress, I really like the shape and fit of the dress. Putting that pattern on my list, thanks for the tutorial

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  2. gorgeous! i love this color :)

    I don't know that the neckline looks weird from the pictures- from here it sort of looks like the pattern illustration!

    and can you send some of that spring to NYC? we could use it, please!

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  3. Beautiful dress. The color looks beautiful on you!

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  4. this looks awesome on you! I have this pattern and your version makes me want to sew it up.

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  5. It looks exactly like the pattern envelop! It also shows of your lovely figure, it's very flattering and a perfect colour for hot weather.

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  6. That is such an elegant and pretty dress.

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  7. This looks fantastic on you and I see none of the lopsidedness that you commented on.

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  8. Fabulous dress and I love the belt!

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  9. ohhhh....how pretty! Love the color and style:)

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  10. Love the dress. I agree with the others, I don't see what you're talking about.

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  11. Looks great! I made mine with a more stable knit. That might help you see a bit more definition for your next version.

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  12. It turned out really well I think. To make the pleats deeper I would slash and spread where you have the pleats now on the pattern.

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  13. What a fun color. I love it on you. It's cheerful and perfect for spring.

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  14. Knit dresses are the best for warm months! Lovely color on you.

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  15. Beautiful dress, and the color is fabulous on you.

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  16. I don't think you stretched the neck out. I can't see anything odd anyway! Nothing like a knit dress for instant gratification. I hope you get some warmer weather soon so you can wear it.

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  17. lovely shaped dress and a lovely colour - it looks like silk jersey from here. I agree about the slash and spread to make the pleats more pronounced.

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  18. Thanks for your comments on my kaftan. Teal is a signature colour for you. I really like the simplicity of this dress.

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  19. Cute dress. This pattern looks better when seeing an actual sewn garment.

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  20. The drape of the dress is so flattering - beautiful job too!
    Mild weather? Cold and rainy here in the South - hopefully for just a few more weeks.

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  21. The dress is so pretty, both in style and color. Hopefully spring will come soon so you can wear it again.

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  22. What a great way to welcome Spring! The pleats do look a bit subtle, I will slash and spread before trying this one.

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  23. That is such a pretty dress in a gorgeous color for you.
    Perfection! The way you finished the edge is really neat.

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  24. Beautiful dress and gorgeous colour.

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  25. I think it still looks great! I am not experienced with knits at all. I'm going to have to dig some of my knit fabrics out and get over my fear! Fun blog! I'll be following you now.
    Michelle
    Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life

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