I Fixed It and You Helped Me : : McCall Pattern M7314

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I fixed it!

And you helped me!

Yes, ’tis true. Thanks so very much for your comments on my McCall Pattern M7314 post. Your suggestions and encouragement enabled me to resuscitate my pretty floral dress.  

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So….above…we see the original dress on the left and the updated dress on the right.  The waistline was sitting uncomfortably high, so much so that I wore the dress only once. I’ll fess up….the dress was a tosser. Too much trouble to try and fix, thought me. Plus, I only had a piece of fabric about the size of a dinner plate. 

Louisa, of Damselfly’s Delights, {go there now and be inspired by hand spun, hand died, organic pretty much everything} pointed out that it was really just a crescent of fabric that would be needed to do the fix, but I had concerns. What if…after going through the hassle of unpicking the waistline, fiddling with the insertion…it either flat out didn’t work…or…it technically worked, but ended up looking not so very good. 

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It was Pao, the wildly creative sewing blogger behind Project Minima, that made two suggestions I could not ignore. The first…making an Obi style belt in a contrasting fabric…sounded easy enough. But, it was her second suggestion…continuing the button down aspect and wearing it as a duster…that moved me to action.

I decided to integrate both Louisa’s and Pao’s ideas. After unpicking the front waist seam, I cut open the skirt and made self faced front bands. This step not only lessened the volume of the skirt front, it also made it easier for me to navigate inserting the triangular pieces of fabric. 

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Remember what the side view looked like? Soooo much better now!

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The back bodice ended up fitting slightly more relaxed by accident. But….me likey! 

You see, it wasn’t just the front bodice that I had to unpick…there was also a tiny bit of side seam that needed to be opened up. And. After I had everything resewn I discovered that the back waist elastic that was originally secured to the side seams had popped free

I’m happy to report my dress is now getting the wear it deserves!

 

43 Comments

  • Reply Baa July 16, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    Wow it looks great now!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:29 pm

      Thanks Baa! These kind of alterations can be risky, but I’m glad I went for it.

  • Reply Suzanne July 16, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    You sewing people are geniuses with the patience of saints.

    It really does look so much better now. I’m glad you saved it because the fabric is so very pretty with your colouring.

    bisous
    Suzanne

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:29 pm

      Thanks Suzanne. Not sure about having the patience of a saint….more like being a dog with a bone.

  • Reply Barbara July 16, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    wow! It really takes courage to do that, I almost never get myself to fixing something I made wrong. Ok, I don’t have a whole pile of that, luckily ;-), but still… I really admire you, and even more since you really managed to make it better! I liked the dress already the first time, but understood it probably didn’t feel nice to wear it, and it looks like this way it will probably really be comfortable! How great! Really: so well done!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      More….what have I got to lose than courage Barbara, 🙂 And I’m like you…usually the love for a garment fades when it doesn’t work the first time.

  • Reply coco July 17, 2017 at 12:30 am

    such a difference! I’m glad you re-made it, it’s truly lovely on you. Nice!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      Yep…in this case I think it was worth the effort. Thanks Coco!

  • Reply Ann July 17, 2017 at 7:08 am

    What a great fix! Your dress looks perfect now. And that color is perfect for you!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks Ann! It really is enjoyable to wear now. A nice cool summer dress.

  • Reply MaryEllen July 17, 2017 at 7:34 am

    This small change is hardly noticeable, but made such a difference !!! I love this fabric also

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:33 pm

      That’s a great compliment MaryEllen, thank you! I didn’t want the changes to be obvious.

  • Reply Louisa July 17, 2017 at 8:35 am

    Yay! It’s amazing that so much work for such a small change makes such a big difference! I think sewing actually teaches you patience along with creative problem solving skills. Excellent save, Sue! (And thanks so much for the kind shoutout!)

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      Thanks again for your input Louisa! It’s so nice to be at this stage in my sewing where I can appreciate the challenges. I remember when I was young….nope, no way; just wanted to tear through and finish a garment, LOL.

  • Reply Priscilla July 17, 2017 at 9:14 am

    I’m so happy for you that you were able to save the dress. It looks great on you. Kudos to Louisa and Pao for pointing you in the right direction on the fix.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      Thanks Priscilla. And yes! Kudos to Louisa and Pao!

  • Reply fran July 17, 2017 at 9:38 am

    It looks so very much better now and I am sure that it will get a lot of wear this summer.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:35 pm

      Thanks Mom! I think it will continue to get good wear. It’s cool without being too beachy if you know what I mean.

  • Reply Melanie July 17, 2017 at 9:39 am

    That’s amazing what you can do with a teeny amount of fabric and some great suggestions. This is truly a wonderful fix for the things that were bugging you. What a powerful community! And I like that you have more versatility now as well with the duster option. Win win win.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      Yaaash…the blogging/sewing/reading community is generous and powerful! Thanks Mel!

  • Reply pao July 17, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Wow, what a difference a few snips, rips, stitches and grumbles make, eh? You and your new and improved dress look absolutely fabulous. It’s always such a delight when it goes from nah to yeah. And thanks for the mention too. woo-hoo.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      Surprisingly, no grumbles on this end, LOL. Grumbles after the initial make, but the fix sailed along pretty effortlessly. Thanks again Pao! xo

  • Reply Sheila (of Ephemera) July 17, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    As always, I’m in awe of people who sew! Lovely dress, and now even lovelier on you, Sue!

    Come over to the island and visit some time!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:37 pm

      Thanks Sheila! I know…I really do look forward to seeing you on your home turf!

  • Reply Margo Bergman July 17, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    Great save ! Yay for the sewing community and yay for you!! It looks great.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:38 pm

      Thanks Margo! YES, a big YAY for our sewing community!

  • Reply Shelley@ForestCityFashionista July 18, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    The updated version really is much more flattering. It’s so cool that you can ask advice from the sewers in your blogging community and have them respond with suggestions that worked for you.

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:38 pm

      Isn’t it though. Somehow, I just don’t think the original pattern is that suitable for busty women….

  • Reply No Fear of Fashion July 19, 2017 at 9:55 am

    You are a miracle worker. I cannot see any adjustment while the adjustments are rather spectacular. It is nice and flat at the front. Still, because the dress is slightly more relaxed than you are used to, I would also try Pao’s suggestion and wear it as a duster. I think that could be really neat.
    Greetje

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:40 pm

      Thanks Greetje! Best compliment…when your eagle eye doesn’t spot the adjustment! I will definitely try it as a duster…I think it will work out good.

  • Reply Flo July 19, 2017 at 11:23 am

    Wow, what a great idea! It looks so much better with just a small piece of fabric making the whole difference. Who would have thought?!

    • Reply Sue July 20, 2017 at 5:41 pm

      Yes…one really small piece of fabric did wonders. A good thing the pattern is so busy that I didn’t have to try and match the print.

  • Reply Anne July 21, 2017 at 9:48 am

    What a difference! Especially noticeable on the side view – and I can’t even really are your addition. Great save!

    • Reply Sue July 25, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Thanks Anne! Yep…it’s all about that side view being improved. Oh, and it feels better too!

  • Reply Let's Get Sewing July 22, 2017 at 10:33 am

    That looks amazing! I love the fabric and the buttons.

    • Reply Sue July 25, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Thanks so much! I totally love the buttons too. For once, I was actually excited about more buttonholes.

  • Reply Ginger July 27, 2017 at 5:14 am

    I love the fix! I’ve been sewing forever but I’m just now getting brave enough to cut into finished garments and alter. If I don’t love the original enough to wear it, I might as well cut it up anyway. You made it work!

    • Reply Sue July 28, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Thanks Ginger. I don’t do a lot of ‘fixes’. Usually if it doesn’t work out, I toss it…but there was something about this dress that had me giving it a go.

  • Reply seamsoddlouise July 29, 2017 at 5:17 am

    Clever sewing hive-mind! I love how our sewing community pitch in to help. Looks amazing now.

  • Reply Nia September 28, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    This is nothing short of brilliant.

    • Reply Sue September 30, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Thanks so much Nia.

  • Reply NewToSewing January 21, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    Wow. You look 20 lbs lighter by adding those triangles. What a change. That fabric is gorgeous and so is the revised dress.

    • Reply Sue January 31, 2018 at 9:47 pm

      I know right! It really did make a ginormous difference. I’m sure I would never have worn the dress before the revision!

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