McCalls Dresses M7948

I needed more dresses like the Tilly Buttons Indigo for winter but wasn’t enjoying the sleeve and armhole issues which I tried resolving on multiple versions. I liked the loose fit, great canvas for prints, breezy style so I switched to try McCall’s 7948.

This lovely floaty style is very similar to the Indigo but has a more rounded neckline. It has different skirt options. Plus there are different sleeve lengths and cute sleeve cuff ruffles!

I actually used the pdf version of the pattern to make the dress as I was testing something out for work send needed to print one of our patterns. I thought why not make it one I want to sew!

I sewed a straight size 12 with a narrow shoulder adjustment. I chose the tiered skirt which is made from gathered rectangles. It’s marvellously swishy as you can see from my attempts to twirl on camera! It’s a great length and pleasingly roomy but I need to fix two elements.

The neckline is too high for me. I never wear round styles like this, always preferring boat neck. A new row of stitching on the front neckline, probably a further 1cm or 1.5cm in from the current seam will suffice. And I’ll ease off to meet the existing seam line at the back. That should also help me get it on without using the button loop.

I’m also going to slim the sleeves a little as they’re a touch boxy. But these are two teeny little things right!? I’ve already made another version with a front keyhole, neck ties and elasticated sleeve hems! It’s in a beautiful raspberry linen look fabric and I’ve worn it several times already. I can’t wait to show you. I see lots more m7948s in my future!!

A quick note to add I cannot for the life of me remember where I bought this polyester fabric! I feel like it was either Rainbow Fabrics or Simply Fabrics Brixton. But I’ve been hanging onto it for aaaaages. It’s good to sew older things from your stash. Justifies them being in there so long!!

There are lots of great looking options for this pattern, but I chose to make view C - the sleeveless bodice with the gathered, tiered skirt.

The instructions are fairly standard for a commercial pattern - they're brief but clear if you have a bit of sewing experience, but might not be the most helpful if you're a complete beginner. It's a relatively easy pattern to sew as it's loose fitting and has no darts, and the only fastening is a thread loop and button at the back neck.

I'd say one area to pay attention to is sewing the back facing as the seam allowances round the bottom of the slash are teeny - my stitching in that area already needs a bit of repair after one wear.

The sizing is generous. It's meant to be a loose style, but if you follow the recommended sizes it could end up VERY loose. Based on the finished garment measurements (on the pattern paper) I went a size down in the bust and two sizes down at the waist/hip and it's still plenty loose enough for me. I also lengthened the bodice by 1.5 inches, which is very standard for me.

I made a few changes to the pattern to get it how I wanted. I added waist ties into the side seams, took a small wedge out of the armhole to make the shoulders a little narrower, and I widened the pattern piece for the skirt bottom tier so that I could cut the tier in two pieces rather than the three pieces the pattern calls for.

You can read more details in my blog post.

I made view D with self drafted sleeve. Using 100% lightweight cotton. Size UK 8

It was a fairly easy make, and very easy to follow instructions. I made it in a UK 8 and is a good fit. I have a small bust and slimmer arms which suits this pattern well, as I would say it comes up on the smaller size on top, especially armholes. These may need adjustments for comfort and movement.

I added the pockets and altered sleeve pattern so they are slightly gathered at shoulder and hem, and elasticated finish at hem,, for a puff sleeve.

I think for future makes I would shorten the top bodice slightly, as I think the photos on front of pattern are slightly different to end results. The proportion may be slightly better then.