Tie Waist Dress - Mccalls 7381

It's pretty rare that I buy sewing magazines. Mainly because I have a lot of patterns that I haven't sewn yet and a lot of the patterns that come with magazines are already very similar to something I already have. 

But in this case I brought the magazine purely for the sewing pattern! Mccalls 7381 came free with a copy of love sewing magazine an absolute age ago [but you can also buy it here]. I loved the hippy floaty style of pattern and thought it would be an great addition to my wardrobe. Fast forward a LONG time and I've finally gotten around to making it. 

Okay so this pattern doesn't require a zip instead you use elastic on the back waistband. And as you can probably see from the photos, mine doesn't fit terribly well. 

I cut a size medium [as per my measurements] and when I came to try it on it was absolutely huge! In fact instead of just adding elastic to the back waist mine goes the whole way around.

Its still wearable but there's a lot of gaping in the boob area. 

As demonstrated here. I think you could probably store things down the gaping in this bodice. Important things, like mobile phones....loaves of bread......and fully grown men. [preferably shaped like Tom Hardy]

For these pictures I;m wearing it with one of those strapless bra bask things. I'm not sure what they are called but they are properly uncomfortable and leave no room for cake.

Which is ironic considering that without the bask I would have room for several cakes under this dress. In fact for one terrifying moment I did wonder if its boarder line maternity wear. I live in desperate fear of someone congratulating me on being pregnant when in fact I just like cake....and biscuits.....and donuts.

Luckily due to the way the pattern is nested on the sheet I have been able to cut a smaller size for my next version. Because I do still love the style of the dress. I love the tie detail at the front and the pleats on the shoulder. And surprisingly for me I'm actually on board with the whole elasticated waist thing...Typically I hate elastic around my waist but with this dress I like it [Or maybe that's just my subconscious preparing me for the gorging I'll be doing over Xmas]

And its not even that awful from the back!

I wish I was a bit braver an had worn this with a bra. but that would be a LOT of boob and I can't really think of many situations where that amount of bob would be considered appropriate. 

The tie detail was easier to sew than I thought it would be but It is worth interfacing the ends of the ties and maybe doing an extra line of stitching just to make sure they don't fall apart when yo turn them through. 

Its also worth mentioning that their are a LOT of pattern markings for this make and yes you will need them all! I used tailors chalk to keep track of them all and I;m so glad I took the time to mark everything on. There's a lot of stitch to the small circle etc instructions.

The fabric is a ditzy print viscose from Abakhans I found it in a remnant bin, I can't remember how much it cost but it is beautifully soft and presses really nicely. 

I did wonder if it makes me look a bit wide from the side but in reality how often do I look at myself from the side? 

The bodice is fully lined which leaves a nice finish, especially around the tie area. 

In the above two pictures you can see the pleat shoulder detail a bit better. The pleats are folded and then stitched down to make a sort of pin tuck. It took a couple of goes to get the stitching on them looking nice and neat.

 All in all its not a terrible dress. Yes it shows at least 80% of my boobs but that's just means that its more of a strutting on the beach holiday dress rather than a popping to tesco sort of dress. 

I'm actually a bit gutted that the fit is off because I had such high hopes for this dress. I love the fabric and its some of my best sewing. I really loved the challenge of doing something that's not just a basic dress. 

In other news! 

I took approximately 1 million blog pictures yesterday! So hopefully their will be lots more garment posts coming! 

I have a cold. Its not a bad one but its keeping me up at night and I't not enjoying the snotty nose. Does anyone have any cold remedies? aside from downing a bottle of whiskey? 

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx