Thursday, February 14, 2013

McCalls 6069 Valentine dress

Several days ago, I realized that Valentine's Day was coming, and a new dress might be a good idea. I knew I didn't have time for a full out fitted woven dress, so I flipped through my knit dress patterns and came across McCalls 6069, which I bought after admiring Elizabeth's.
I've had this border print ITY in my stash for a year, just looking for the right pattern. I think this was right on. Can you believe I found this at Walmart!?! Hello, $3 dress.
Here it is on Sandra Dee. I'll admit, when I finished it and put it on the dressform, I totally thought it was frump city. It doesn't even look good on her! But I think it was saved with accessories. The bling-y necklace broke up all that black in front and the belt gave me a waist.
Better, right? Mitch really liked it, so I think it's a winner. I did make quite a few alterations to the pattern to get here though...
Starting with the back. I have had a few too many cowl mishaps lately to take a risk with one as deep as this one looks, so instead of the cowl back neckline, I actually used the square neck front pattern piece and redrafted the armscye to make it a back. The skirt front/back piece is the same, so I knew it would fit together just fine.
I also did my usual knit top cheater FBA by grading out the side bodice piece under the arm. I probably could have given myself a wee bit more room, as evidenced by the little wrinkle in this shot, but the dress is comfortable and doesn't pull across the front, so I think it's good enough.
My biggest beef with this dress is the neckline. Facings on a knit dress are just a recipe for failure IMHO. As you can see, mine rolls out a bit. I considered using a band, but that would have meant dealing with 4 corners, which I wasn't into. I think that lining the bodice with tricot would have been a good alternate option though.
I did try to eliminate some of the roll out by deepening and squaring off the facings, making sure that they caught in the armscye well. I think this did help in the corners, but there isn't anything holding CF down, so that is where it is rolling out.
So, while it isn't perfect, it was perfect for its intended purpose! It wowed my Valentine on our date, and I could eat as much of the amazing meal we had as I wanted. Elastic waist? Yes, please!

24 comments:

gMarie said...

Oh you are just adorable. That dress is fabulous! And your meal looked ah-mazing (you know, from the glipses on Instagram)! g

Karin said...

Wow! That's the best Walmart dress ever:-)

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Katie - the dress is awesome and you look so pretty in it! If you want the center to stop rolling out sew a penny into the bottom of the front facing and the weight will hold it down. It's $3 well spent!

The Hojnackes said...

The dress is lovely. By the way, last night I had a dream that my bra wasn't holding the girls up very well anymore- thanks to a conversation about that on twitter! I'm having the craziest dreams lately.

Lori said...

I think this dress is incredible, Katie. You look beautiful.

EmSewCrazy said...

Very Nice! Love those surprise walmart finds!

SEWN said...

Love it. The accessories make it work. That borderprint is TDF!

gwensews said...

Fantastic! We don't have a WalMart here that carries fabric. But when they did, I found many quite good pieces. I miss that.

Andrea said...

Glad you gave it a second chance. You looked beautiful for your date!

Unknown said...

Love the fabric, great styling - this dress is a winner on you!

Linda L said...

That is a gorgeous dress!!

Elizabeth Made This said...

Wow, the belt really pulls it together. The neckline is so pretty on you too.

Carol said...

Now that is toooo cute!

marcy harriell | oonaballoona said...

not frump in the slightest! i LOVE your print placement, and i bet with that dark color no one but you sees the facing.

Marjie said...

That's a really cute dress! The belt did help it a lot. And that is one spectacular restaurant you dined at!

Sewingfunthings said...

What an interesting fabric and you look really cute.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

Great use of the border print! M6069 is one of my go-tos. You have to wear a belt over the elastic waist, but it is surprisingly chic and, yes, you can eat as much as you want in it!

prttynpnk said...

I love this- such a pop at the bottom with a sleek shape. Gorgeous!

Lynneb said...

Its so fresh and pretty! Good use of that Walmart fabric, Katie!

Shannon said...

This looks great on you! That print is so colorful and bold- I love it. It will take you right into spring looking fabulous!

Tawny said...

I love that border print on the skirt! Fantastic find!

Scruffybadger said...

It looks a million dollars! Really stunning.
How are you getting on with your polka dot frock ? :-)

KID, MD said...

I finally found some spotty fabric I like!! That was a major hurdle. Whew, overcome.

Sam Rose said...

You look super cute in this dress!