This dress! Oh it ticks all the boxes of my DIY style. Feminine, classic, tailored, flirty…and it’s in pink and green no less. I’m still riding the tiered dress trend and this is one of my many summer makes.
This is a button-front dress from McCall’s, pattern M7925. There are 11 button holes to sew, yes ELEVEN. I craft on a Viking No. 1 and a Viking 875 Quilt using the manual buttonhole method to achieve precision and placement.
You can see here I baste my stitch lines and start and end points to better control the outcome.
The pattern is a very simple sew, but takes time. There is lots of gathering and hand-stitching, but all worth it.
My biggest challenge was pattern placement. Why? Because I used a gorgeous print from Jennifer Paganelli. She’s a textile artist known for her vintage design ethic with very saturated colors, most apparent in her fabric. I generally consider her fabric for quilting especially as it’s 100% cotton.
Side note: As a rule, I DON’T sew apparel with quilting cotton. It tends to be stiffer and not quite so soft, but I was tempted only because it was just so pretty. What I did was wash it to test the feel of it against my skin. If it was acceptable, then I went ahead with construction. After wearing, it is a denser cotton though. Colette Patterns has a good review on the pro’s and cons of using quilt fabric for garments.
Anywho, it’s a fairly distinct pattern, so I was extremely diligent in keeping the print aligned horizontally. I only pattern-matched across the bodice and skirt pieces, front and back. For the sleeves and placket, it was whatever. The bottom gathered tier only needed the print to be horizontal. You can see here my attempts to do the most crucial matching so that it visually flows.
This is a definite winner for me. My only drawback is my own doing. Vanity got the best of me and I cut a size too small and you can see the pulling on the buttons in the middle…but not enough to stop me from wearing though. I know, shameless. Lol.
This will be made again. No sneak preview, but I’m a part of Style Makers Fabric fall tour and they have gifted me the most gorgeous challis. So there’s more to come!
What a pretty dress! The colors really compliment your skin tone. I love the sleeves and the ruffled tier, all the girly details.
Thanks so much! Pink and this green are one of my faves.
It is a lovely dress! It is such a flattering style dress and the fabric glows on you.
Thank you so much! I love the style too because it gives me a figure.
Your dress is beautiful! I love the bright colors and the care you took to match the design on the fabric. It gives it a more couture look. Even though this is a quilting-weight fabric, I agree that the print is too pretty to pass up for this style. I also wear my makes even if they don’t turn out perfectly. Thanks for sharing your review.
Thanks so much Crystal. The fabric was irresistible and I’m glad it turned out so well.