Hi you.

I’d love to quickly breeze through this post…Pretty floral dress, pretty floral background…looky dat, not even an I to dot or a T to cross. Done. Finito. But I gotta tell ya. This dress isn’t really working for me and I feel the need to talk it out with you.

I’m wearing McCall Pattern M7314. It’s a pullover shirt dress that offers multiple cup sizes and optional underlining instructions. I did a rough bodice muslin before cutting into my good fabric {purchased this year so not a stash buster}. The envelope description notes the bodice as fitted with a raised, gathered front and elasticized waist. Somehow…despite reading the description, reading other reviews…and um hello…making a muslin…I ended up with a bodice woefully too short. How did I even do that? Apparently I’m so ingrained to the belief that I have to shorten everything…that I literally did not believe that I had to lengthen this bodice. {To clarify; I neither shortened nor lengthened the bodice.}  And yes….my muslin looked silly short….insert face palm here.

So, obvs the fit is off. If I stand really still…as if I ever do…it’s almost passable. But. The side view gives it all away. When I wore it, I found myself sort of pulling down the dress in an effort to get it to sit better. {Note the past tense; I’ve worn it only once.} And…of course…attempting to adjust the dress made zero difference.

The second less obvious goof I made was in the fabric choice. Okay, chronologically the fabric selection would be the first error I made. I waffled on this fabric, but the colourway won me over. I love the turquoise, the pink, and the lime green. Unfortunately the print feels too flowy, too soft, for my Type One energy movement. And huh….I’m also now seeing some Type Two in the downward curve of the waistline. I don’t often talk about Dressing Your Truth in my blog posts, but the program has taught me a lot. Ideally, I like to get it right before I buy the fabric, sew the garment,  and prance around in front of the camera…but hey…it’s a process.

Okay…enough gloom. The fit may have been a fail on my part, but there are positives that I want to share.

I love the method for elasticizing the back bodice.  The channel for the 1/4″ wide elastic is in the seam allowance…so easy and so brilliant. The top edge of the pockets are sewn into the waistline seam….eliminating pocket flop! I’ve also found my perfectly proportioned collar and collar stand. See, I didn’t get it all wrong.

Sewing-wise, it was a straightforward make with easy to follow instructions. Don’t be surprised if you see me wearing M7314 again….with the front bodice lengthened. I also think this pattern will be great as a jumping off point for a shirt!

Longtime readers may remember my Matchywear post, if only for it’s colourful backdrop. It was an underwater kaleidoscope masquerading as a bus shelter.  Sadly it’s gone now having been upgraded with glass and steel and faux wood.  Today’s blooming mural, also by Elizabeth Hollick, has long been on my radar….Must get photos before it meets the same fate, thought me every time I passed it. I may have bought my Kaffee Fassett Ferns in Turquoise fabric with just this spot in mind.

I’ll wrap up with a reminder that the #sewtogetherforsummer tag is in full effect still. I love the shirt dress trend and I’ve got a few more makes coming soon; my Vintage Shirt Dress is next in the blog queue! As ever, thanks for stopping by and saying Hi!

For some reason, I’ve lost some text options and I apologize for the light coloured print. I’m hoping to get that sorted out before my next post!