Here’s a dress that took a long time to post about but a really short time to sew! This was only supposed to be a wearable toile but it turned out so great!
McCall’s 8358 is a Laura Ashley ’70s vintage reissue… coming soon in pdf format. It’s a reversible wrap dress with square or v neckline options. And you can add an extra tier on the hem.
It’s absolutely huge pattern pieces gathered by elastic at the neckline and shoulders. I made a size 10 when I should have made a 12 because the armholesbare too tight for me. Its still very wearable though. The sleeve hems are also finished with elastic for a cute ruffle puff effect.
My top tip for this pattern is to extend the length of the ties A LOT. They’re way to short to wrap around your body. I like wearing it both ways round but find my bra shows a little when the v neck is at the back.
It’s super fabric hungry but I managed to find this sweet star print viscose challis for £1 per metre at Dalston Mills and bought 6m. It’s still available but has been increased to £1.50/m now. Having spare was very helpful when I cut out a piece double thickness instead of single layer.
It’s such a satisfying project because the gathering is made my a bias tape channel all around the edges, then you feed the elastic through. Here’s a photo showing the channel as I started to feed my elastic with a safety pin attached to the end to help guide me!