McCalls Dresses M7969

I've long been an admirer of the #M7969 - a favourite of the insta sewing community, but I was put off by the lack of shaping at the bust, and the fact that I've never sewn a 'big 4' pattern. But I'm a big believer in better to try and fail than forever wonder.

So I used a lovely viscose I'd recently bought from rainbow fabrics, and figured I'd try it out in the size the pattern suggested for my measurements (other say size down, but the chest worried me). The fabric was perfect for a beach cover up and I figured if it was indecent, at least I could wear it with a bikini underneath.

The pattern was not as difficult as if feared - I think we've all heard horror stories of minimal, confusing instructions and huge amounts of ease from the big 4, but this was actually easy to follow. And the biggest surprise?! It fitted at the bust, with the help of a few little hand stitches. Delighted - it was great on holiday and perfect in the recent UK heatwave.

There's more photos and details on my blog: I finally made the M7969! It's a really popular pattern, but I have a big bust and was worried about fit , as there doesn't seem to be much shaping, and wraps can be quite difficult to adjust if the drafting isn't good. I decided to try a wearable toile - better to try and fail than always be wondering! And all the way through sewing the bodice I was convinced it'd be too small, and my bra would be exposed. But somehow, once the skirt was on, it all came together. I'd thought it'd end up being a beach cover as I don't mind showing my swimming costume, but it fit so well I wore it on days out, and recently during the heatwave too. I ended up adding a little stitch at the bust as it was a bit gapey, but other than that it's unaltered. A lesson to me to just try it and see, the result is usually pretty good! Fabric is a viscose - there's more pics on my blog http://sewslowsarah.com/2022/08/20/mccalls-patterns-m7969/

Ok, I'm pretty sure you recognise this dress, but something about it is different.

I have watched and watched this pattern for so long, never a day without it popping up in my Instagram feed, and finally I have no choice but to make it myself and see what all the fuss is about!

I can confirm that I can totally see what all the fuss is about and I am very surprised to be saying that I am absolutely head over heels with it.

Right then, those sleeves...

I totally love the great big sleeves that are the reason why this pattern is so popular, but being honest with myself I just wouldn't wear it as much with those sleeves. I know for a fact that I would be giving myself whiplash on a regular basis by catching them on every door handle I walked past! I also like to layer my dresses with cardigans in the cooler months and so a short sleeve was more practical for me.

I simply used the other sleeve pattern piece that comes with this pattern which is much slimmer, and cut it to the length that I wanted, added some elastic on the wrong side of the sleeve and hey presto! a cute gathered short sleeve without all that volume.

I also added a smidge more to the length of the skirt. Oh and the pattern doesn't have pockets, so I added those to the side seams of the skirt too.

I love the faux wrap and particularly like the tidy bias strip all around the neck edge,  finish this by hand for a really neat and rewarding strip.

If you would like to read my full blog post you can do so by heading over to www.sewdainty.co.uk.

Happy sewing!

Kathy x

This McCalls 7969 dress has become a bit of a cult favourite hasn’t it? Every one that I’ve seen has been amazing – I had to jump onto this particular bandwagon. It is especially good value for money because as well as getting an amazing dress pattern, I’m going to use this incredible sleeve to elevate a lot of other makes from now on!

The fabric I used for this is an incredible linen and viscose mix from Minerva. There is some hand sewing involved in this pattern, the bias binding around the sleeves and the neckline is supposed to be hand stitched down. I was initially looking for ways to avoid it by folding the bias and stitching in the ditch but I decided that might mess up the gathers at the sleeve cuffs so I did them by hand. To my surprise, I enjoyed it SO much! I generally avoid hand stitching out of laziness but I forgot how lovely and meditative it is. I will definitely plan to do more of this in the future!

I can see why this dress is so popular, it feels dramatic while also being comfortable and easy to wear!

Note on sizing:

I do think I might need to size down or do an SBA next time though as I had to cross the fronts over by quite a lot before the front even slightly covered my chest. Therefore, there is some pulling as it wasn’t drafted to be crossed over by that much! (I made the size M which is already sized down as my measurements put me into the L, but I might make the S next time)

The M7969 is a bit of a cult pattern at the moment and now I understand why! It's a simple garment to make with no fastenings/openings, so would be a suitable project for a beginner sewist. I really like that there are four different sleeve options and three skirt variations, giving good versatility for the pattern price.

I sized down to the small and adjusted the bodice piece slightly so the wrap neckline is slightly higher - you can see how I did this and read about the other alterations I made in my blog post here.

I can't decide on the star of the show - is it those beautiful balloon sleeves or the stunning Atelier Jupe tropical palms viscose I used for my dress?! I'd like to make another version with a more casual vibe for days out in the summer, perhaps in a nice muted shade of linen. It's safe to say that there will be more M7969s in my wardrobe soon!