McCalls 6319 Dress Times Two

Another repeat of a favourite pattern.  I have a trip to Australia coming up to see friends and family and I wanted to make some new things for it.  Although it looks like it is going to be warmer in Hong Kong than Aus so I might get more wear out of the cardigan from my last post than these dresses - oh well at least I am getting a head start for summer!

I've made this dress twice before so there isn't a lot more to say.  It is an easy pattern and again I made view A (the white one on the pattern envelope) even easier by leaving off the shoulder zipper and not lining the bodice.  I like the zip detail, I can just never find a nice one in the right length, but even if I added it I don't think I would make it functional, this dress goes on over the head easily.

My last version used a border print so I had to modify the skirt to keep a straight hem, but for these versions I went with the original pattern.  These are size 12, with 3cm length added to the bodice at the shorten/lengthen lines marked on the pattern as it seems a bit short otherwise to get the blousing effect shown.

This version is in a snakeprint jersey which I found at the street market in Sham Shui Po.  It has an ombre effect from pale grey at the top through beige and into a darker brown that is a bit difficult to see in the dressform photos.

This second version is in a very loud swirly print that a friend got me from the fabric market in Shanghai. The fabric is on the thin side so I lined the skirt in a very lightweight sheer knit, it's just enough to make sure the skirt isn't see through (I think and hope!).  I had a go at keeping the pattern broadly matched across the waist seam, more successfully in the back than the front.

I already know that these will get worn a lot, the style and prints make these two really versatile and easy to dress up or down.  This is a knit dress that can easily be made in a few hours, I really recommend it and I'm sure these won't be my last.

McCall's 6844 Cardigan / Jacket

I recently started getting adverts coming into my gmail account along with a message that I could go into my account settings to change them.  When I went into my profile, where I had only input the bare minimum of details, I saw that "based on the websites that I visit" they have decided I am in the over 65's age group!  Well thank you google!  I find it kind of hilarious and also a bit sad that sewing is still stereotyped that way, but I figure over 65's get sent less email adverts than the over 40's so I'm leaving my profile unchanged.

Anyway......

I've previously made view C of this deservedly popular pattern and this time tried out view B, the longer length straight version.

I used a hefty doubleknit for this, slightly unsure how it would work out to be honest, but I love the end result which looks like a blazer, but has all the practical advantages of a jersey cardigan. Plus it is so much quicker and easier to sew than a blazer, I made this in an evening (and I am no speedy sewer).

While flitting around the internet (looking at sites suited to 65+ ladies naturally!) I found this similar looking Donna Karan jacket made from a stretch linen blend (and costing 1,335 pounds, though that does include the leather belt!).

Again I made the small size, although I did add a little extra to the side seams below the waist and also to the width of the arms as my heavy fabric has less stretch.  I had a bit of fabric left over so I made a tie belt in case I want to go with a different, more casual look and of course there is the Donna Karan option of a proper belt.

I have one small tip to share - often when I am sewing a corner I do not trim off the seam allowances, but instead press them in the shape of the corner, then hold them with my fingers as I turn the fabric right side out.  The seam allowances kind of fill the shape of the corner and I get a much better result than trimming.  The photos below show this on bottom edge of the neckband.

I often wear a blazer jacket with jeans, either dressed up with a dressy top or dressed down with a tshirt and I think this knit jacket is going to be a favourite, I'll definitely be looking out for more jersey like this so I can make it in more colours.  Colours that are easier to take photos of.  I've had to really adjust the exposure in these so you can see the jacket which has done weird things to my skin, don't worry I am ok!

Unbelted

With tie belt

With leather belt

McCall's 6996 and 6844 Cardigans

I am probably the last person in the sewing universe to make these popular cardigan patterns.  I couldn't decide which one to get so I decided to try both of them.

6996

6844

These are both great patterns and quick to sew, but the instructions especially for 6844, are awful, everything that the Big 4 get criticised for is here.  I can deal with the fact that the existence of sergers is completely ignored, but given these patterns are for knits, the instructions to ease stitch shoulder seams, staystitch necklines, double stitch seams and gather sleeve caps are all just unnecessary time wasters that won't produce better results.

So here are the versions I made, largely ignoring the instructions naturally though these are so striaghtforward to put together that there isn't a lot to say about the construction.  I have a horrible cold so don't be alarmed that I look like a ghost, I was determined to get photos this weekend whatever.

6996 
This is the simpler of the two cardigan patterns so I chose this one for two busier pieces of sweaterknit in my stash.

This black sequin number in view A will be ideal for those casual events when I want a bit of sparkle.  The sequins were small enough that I didn't use any special techniques, just cut, sewed and serged like any fabric.  It did make an almighty mess though!

The second Missoni-esque version is in the view B longer length,I love the colours in this this fabric : teal, brown, taupe.  I need to make some coordinating tanks I think.  I used the sleeve notches to match the pattern.  It is quite a floaty fabric though and might have been better suited to the more substantial 6844 pattern.

6844
I think the banded 6844 is the better pattern, there is a bit more to it and the collar band gives it more structure so it can substitute a jacket.  I made view C (sorry peplum haters!) in a teal doubleknit.  Interestingly there are two photos of this version on the website, one belted and one not and the description states that the cardigans do not meet at centre front which I find a bit confusing, it just depends how you wear it.

I went down a size to a small based on reviews - the fit is fine except in the arms which are pretty narrow on me and in my doubleknit fabric.  I like the look, but it means I won't be layering this over another sweater.

I had trouble attaching the collar band, the layers kept shifting as I tried to sew them so I removed the interfacing that was preventing the band facing from stretching with the collar band and then it went in perfectly.  Perhaps with a softer fabric the interfacing is needed, but my doubleknit has enough structure by itself.

These are all great additions to my winter wardrobe and I am sure I will be making more and trying the other options soon, especially as they are so quick and easy.

McCall's 6319 Dress

While I had my serger threaded up with black (it takes no time at all to rethread so I don't know why I do this, as good a way as any of deciding what to make next I suppose!) I thought I would tackle the border print jersey that was still hanging around from my last fabric shopping trip.  I love wearing simple knit dresses in the super hot weather we have right now, when I met up with Maria we were both wearing essentially long t shirts with elastic at the waist.  Simple easy sewing and brainless dressing, can't beat it.

I used McCalls 6319, a basic dress with a bit of asymmetry that I have made before here.  That version, whilst a gorgeous colour was not good quality fabric, it became flimsy, pilled like crazy and has had to go.  I made view A again (and again without the shoulder zipper) except I had to change the skirt portion from a bias pleated piece to a straight rectangle to accommodate my border print.

I did try to get clever here and originally cut the front skirt wider, added in some pleats and stitched it all up.  After a day of wearing it I realised it just wasn't going to work, unpicked it (no fun!) and removed all the excess fabric.  The proportion of my extra pleats was just wrong and the weight of them pulled the hem down on one side.  Also the skirt was a bit long so I shortened it from the top to keep the border intact.  All that would be much more interesting if I had some befores and afters to show you, but I don't, sorry!  Anyway here's the after, I'm glad to have this in my summer wardrobe, hopefully this one has a longer lifespan than its predecessor!

I wore it out to a casual dinner last Friday and found a couple of black and white backdrops on the way.

Next up, another black and white dress that I have just finished and then I am diving into my pile of activewear fabrics.

McCall's 6069 Jersey Dress - 3rd time around

First thanks to all for your comments on my previous post, the navy faux wrap dress - just to address a few queries;

- the pattern is from an old issue of Burda Style magazine, May 2007, it might be possible to get a copy on ebay or it might even be somewhere on the Burda Style website, but how you search for it is a mystery to me.  There are a couple of similar patterns available that are worth checking out;
Simplicity 1653
Simplicity 2369

- Speaking of the mysterious Burda Style organisation, Perfect Nose provided a link to the French site which has a better picture.  Goodness knows why even the archive magazine content on each site is so different;
France from 09/2006
Germany from 08/2009
Russia from 01/2004 
and English language version still nothing since they deleted it all a few years ago
Argh, don't get me started!

- thank you to Sewing Sveta who confirmed that wrap and odour are indeed written the same in Russian, proving that computers aren't ready to replace human translators yet (though I have no doubt there are more sophisticated translation programmes out there than the free google one).

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Moving on to another dress........

With the obvious exception of the Aussies and Kiwis everyone seems to be moving to autumn sewing, but I am still firmly stuck in summer and very behind with this blog.  I will get some photos of me wearing this and a few other makes soon - I am going on holiday soon to Italy and will get some on location photos I promise!

I recently wore my maxi version of McCall's 6069, a very easy and popular pattern from a few years back and was reminded what a great summer dress it is, so I whipped up another one from this stripy rainbow printed jersey.  Unfortunately the pattern is no longer available on the Mccall's website.

When I say whipped up, I really do mean it - the pattern envelope states this is a 1 hour dress in terms of sewing time and I probably wasn't far off that.

For this version I copied an idea that I pinched from previous reviewers and used the plain square necked front of view C as the back, instead of having a cowl front and back.  It worked perfectly and, surprisingly to me given that it has no shaping whatsoever I can even wear the dress backwards though I doubt I will.

The only problem with the square neckline is that is is faced and despite understitching and topstitching it still kept creeping out, so I just trimmed it off close to the row of topstitching.  I would normally bind edges in a knit but I wasn't confident handling those square corners.

I can't believe I have never thought to make the long sleeve version of this so maybe if summer ever ends there will be a version 4.