April 2021 Makes: Sundresses Galore

April’s theme was Spring sundresses. I started off conservatively with five items on my list. So I guess it’s not quite a galore. But… I was able to complete them all and for me, that’s sundresses galore! Oh, I also made an order of masks.

Look at these dresses!!!

The first garment I completed was a sundress in green linen using New Look 6446 New Look 6446- A Green Linen Sundress. I bought the fabric at Joann with my daughter. She picked it out. We were on a linen kick and she thought the green linen was the best pick. I like how it turned out. It was my first time sewing a lined bodice. It wasn’t as hard to do as I thought. It gives it a clean look and it really aids in the construction. I actually think I prefer it over facing. I think I am getting better at my invisible zipper installment because it was another success. I don’t think I’m afraid of them anymore. What I like best about this sundress is that it can be worn with a T shirt underneath. Cute…

The next garment I completed was a short, sleeveless sundress in a rayon challis woven crepe in black and white floral. Simplicity 8910: A Black and White Floral Spring Sundress My favorite part of this dress are the ties at the shoulder straps. They are so cute. I made them detachable so that I can have the option to have the sundress with the ties or without. But they ended up serving a practical purpose. I use the ties to “tie” my bra strap together with the shoulder strap so that my bra doesn’t slip and show.

I was really excited to make Simplicity 8231. Mostly because it is a pattern in collaboration with Sew House Seven and I thought that was interesting. It’s also called the Mississippi Avenue Dress. I made mine in a yellowish gold chambray fabric. It has an elasticized waist dress and a V-neckline. I made the sleeveless dress with the shoulder ties. I really like how it turned out. Simplicity 8231: Mississippi Avenue Dress in Yellow Chambray It kind of has a 1930s vibe.

Although it didn’t quite go with my sundress theme, this next one I made is still a dress. I was planning sleeveless sundresses and this dress has sleeves. Really voluminous sleeves. In fact, that’s the most popular detail of this dress. McCalls 7969- A Very Bohemian Billowy Sleeved Dress. I needed something to wear for an outing. Three of my friends and I planned a picnic at Malibu Wines and Garden. I thought this dress was the perfect dress for the day. And it was…

And the last garment I made in April was a dress I had made twice already using McCall’s 8084. I made the prior dresses for my daughter. This one was for myself. I used the leftover fabric from my last dress for this dress. Bohemian Flouncy Sleeved Tie Dress- McCalls 8084 McCall’s 8084 is a dress with a tie at the bodice. I made the view with the flouncy sleeves which is my favorite part of the dress. The tie at the bodice also has a keyhole opening which I was not too excited about but I kept it in rather than modifying it. Also, this dress has pockets!

Now on to planning May. I plan to participate in Me Made May and it will be my first time. I’ve been sewing since 2015 and every year, I’m an observer. An inspired observer. But now that I have been sewing consistently, I feel ready to be an actual participant.

Happy Sewing!

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Bohemian Flouncy Sleeved Tie Dress- McCalls 8084

I made another McCall’s 8084. I used a fabric that I purchased from L.A. Finch Fabrics. It’s a designer deadstock rayon woven named Abstract Bohemian. I bought 4 yards of end of bolt fabric and this is the second dress that I made using this fabric. The first dress was McCalls 7969- A Very Bohemian Billowy Sleeved Dress

This is the third dress I made using this pattern. I made the first dress using McCall’s 8084 for my daughter for Valentine’s Day. McCall’s 8084- A Valentine’s Day Dress for my daughter. She loved it and asked me to make her another one in linen. Lovely in Linen Dress- McCalls 8084.

All three dresses were made using View A.

McCall’s 8084 is a pattern for a semi-fitted dress with a tie front bodice. It has dolman sleeves, with an option for a flounce on the sleeve (View A) ruffle or an elastic cuff (view B). It has an elasticized waist and different length variations. View B has a hemline ruffle. The recommended fabrics for this pattern are crepes, challis, stable knits and cotton blends.

I chose View A for my bohemian flouncy sleeved tie dress. I love the flouncy sleeves. It has a shorter length which was perfect for the amount of fabric I had left. I had a little over 2 yards left and this view calls for 2 3/8 yard. Somehow, I was able to make it work and I think it might be because I made some modifications.

When I made my daughter’s dresses, I made the size large throughout the whole dress. For this dress, I made the top a size medium and kept the bottom a size large. I felt that the neckline was a bit low and although making the top part of the dress one size smaller helps a little bit, I went ahead and traced the ties a couple inches higher. I had to also retrace the facing to match the size medium as well as the higher neckline.

Also, when I made my daughter’s valentines dress, I modified the pattern so that there would not be a keyhole opening at the bodice. But for this dress, I went ahead and stuck to the pattern which included the keyhole opening and it looks really cute. I think that making the size medium top and size large made the keyhole a little larger, but luckily the ties hide it.

My favorite part of this dress are the flouncy sleeves. I also like that this dress has pockets. The elasticized waist makes this dress feel comfortable.

The parts that I am not too happy about is that the top is boxy and the sleeve area is a bit big and falls low.

The dress is still cute and I’m looking forward to wearing it one day.

Happy sewing!

McCalls 7969- A Very Bohemian Billowy Sleeved Dress

McCalls 7969 is described as a very loose-fitting, pullover dress. It has 4 sleeve variations and a raised waistline. It is a good pattern for the beginner or advanced beginner because it’s an easy pattern to sew together. There is bias binding for the neckline as well as binding for the sleeves (if you choose View A which is the view with the billowy sleeves). There is also gathering for the top part of the skirt.

My very bohemian billowy sleeved dress was made using view A, which is the most popular view in the sewing community. The sleeves are full and big and billowy. The hem of the front sleeve is slightly higher than the hem of the back sleeve. I really like that detail. In fact, the sleeves are my favorite part. It’s the main attraction of this dress. I also really like how the bias binding at the neckline pulls the wrap bodice altogether. I think it has a very clean and neat look.

I used a rayon woven fabric that I purchased at the beginning of this year from L.A. Finch Fabrics. It’s described as Abstract Bohemian.

Before making this dress, I read a few reviews. Many sewists stated that the neckline is very low. So I made the cross over at the bodice a little tighter so that the neckline wouldn’t be too revealing.

This dress is described as a very loose fitting dress and that is 100% true. This dress runs big. In fact, I believe you can probably size down and I believe many people who made this dress actually did. I wasn’t able to size down since I bought a large. The envelope only contained sizes L, XL and XXL. The large was the smallest size of the pattern. If there was an option, I would have made the medium. I ended up taking in about half an inch on both sides of the bodice. I also crossed over the neckline more in order to make a more modest neckline since the original neckline is very deep. I also cut about 6 inches off the skirt to make the gathers less full. I believe the gathers are very full to begin with and I read many reviews of sewists doing the same.

This is my fourth garment made using this pattern. The first one was a dress using the same view A but I hacked it and added ties to the waist. The second one was a hack to make it a blouse. The Very Popular McCalls 7969- A Review and 2 Hacks

The third one was a midi length dress with the ruffles at the end of the sleeves. I call it midi length but for me, it was actually a maxi length dress since I am short.

McCalls 7969- A Ruffled Sleeve Midi Dress

McCalls 7969 – A Dress with a Ruffled Sleeve

This dress is very popular in the sewing community. So many cute makes on Instagram. If you haven’t bought this pattern yet… Join us…

Happy sewing!