I made this knit dress for a trip we just took to Santa Fe, but there was snow on the ground when we arrived so this dress never made it out of the suitcase, LOL! Still, I love wearing knit dresses, so I know this dress will have its day.
The trickiest part of this dress was positioning the stripes across the bodice and the sleeves.
Let me tell you….It took alot of pins and patience to get the stripes in the right place as I inserted the sleeves, but in the end, the effort was worth it.
I’ve made this knit dress pattern before and it’s now one of my favorites. McCalls 7430 offers a few variations that makes it easy to modify to give each version a fresh look. You can use contrast fabric for the yokes and the sleeve crowns as I did, or you can cut the entire sleeve from the same fabric as the bodice, or even make it sleeveless. There are collar variations too – a raised collar or a simple neck-band (my choice).
I love a pattern that gives you alot of options!
Challenges: There aren’t any side seams on this pattern.
This makes fit a little harder to modify. Because I’d made this pattern before (here), I wasn’t concerned, as I’d already done a trial run. The good news is, the pattern is well drafted and for me, the size dictated by my measurements was perfect.
The success of this dress depends in large part on the knit, I think. The fabric must have some weight and body so that it will give the dress some shape. A thin lightweight knit wouldn’t work because it would be cling too much and would show every bump. I was lucky to find this medium weight knit at Fabric Depot. It has just the right amount of weight and crosswise stretch. It’s a rayon/cotton blend which will make it easy to wear as the temperatures rise. Now, if the weather would just improve around here.
New Mexico stole my heart last week, and the brief sprinkling of snow only made the high desert seem more exotic. Here’s one of the sights we enjoyed as we hiked.
It was a great trip, but it’s good to be back at my sewing machine:).
Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!
I enjoy your blog. I love this dress and am curious about the fit. I wear a 6-8 petite RTW. On patterned I usually purchase for bust 35 1/2 and grade up a size st tummy 38. If you don’t mind me asking. … what size RTW are you and what size pattern did you make. I want to use this pattern but am a littler nervous that it does not have side seams to grade.
I don’t mind you asking at all:) I have narrow shoulders and a small bust and a big/non-existent waist. So I cut a size eight in the upper bodice and shoulders then grade to a size 12 in the waist
/hips. I shorten the bodice by 5/8 inch because I’m short waisted. This works for me on most patterns. My knit fabric had decent stretch crosswise which made the fit really nice. Hope that helps…
What a perfect match!
Thanks! Sometimes, it works out…
This is such a great dress! Very striking especially with such fabulous stripe matching 😉
Thanks, Diane! The stripe matching moved this project from quick and easy to long and hard, LOL!!
Very nice dress. I have this pattern. Now I’m inspired to make one. Thanks for the inspiration. Always looking forward to your next creation.
AH
Thank-you! It’s a fun pattern…I hope you’ll let me know how yours turns out!
Just perfect stripe matching! You’ve got a great mix of colours and tones there. Just lovely! 😁👍
Thanks, Linda! It’s warm today so there’s hope I’ll be able to wear this dress soon.