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When it comes to spring and summer, one thing I know that I must do is stay cool. This means that I have to be very strategic with my makes if I want to wear them right away. As Mother’s Day was approaching, I knew that I wanted to wear something very cool and comfortable, and this dress gave me both! Let’s get into the details.
Pattern
The pattern that I chose is McCall’s 8281 and I made view C. There are three views in this pattern and you can choose from the length to the sleeves that you desire.
Fabric
The fabrics suggested for making this pattern is guaze, linen, cotton blends, and stable knits. The fabric I used is a beautiful linen blend with white and taupe palm leaves print on a black background. I purchased this fabric about 3 years ago at Joann’s on clearance for $4 per yard. I purchased about 4-5 yards at that price! I must say that this fabric was perfect for this dress. I used 3-5/8 yards of fabric to make this dress.
Lightweight interfacing is also needed.
Size Details
Before I get in to the sizes, I must tell you that I STRONGLY suggest making a muslin for the bodice to make sure the fit is loose enough. I actually had to size up in order to get the loose fit like the model is wearing. I ended up cutting a medium for the bodice, and although the finished garment measurements for the bust was about 2.5 inches larger that my measurement, the fit was perfect. For the skirt, I cut an X-small. This was based on the finished waist measurement.
To get the length that I wanted, I shortened the skirt by 5.5 inches. I am 5’2″ and I wanted the skirt to end at my calf.
Armhole Facings
The armhole facings for the dress was a little different. The front armhole facing is wider than the back armhole facing. The purpose for the is to give the armhole a clean finish inside in case it shows since it does create more of a structured armhole. When I serged the edges to finish them, I just allowed the serger to smoothly slide from one width to the other in order to not interrupted the width needed for the front and back facings.
In conclusion, I did wear this dress on Mother’s Day and it was the perfect choice. As a bonus, I made a handbag out of this same fabric using McCall’s 7375, view D. If you want to know more about the details of the bag, be sure to go to my YouTube channel to watch the video. I hope you add this dress in your sewing plans, because if you do, you will absolutely love it!
