Review: McCall's 7468 | A Cut Out Shoulder Dress!

12:00 AM

We've just entered October and the temperatures are settling in at "comfortable". It's not cool enough for outerwear just yet, but I still want to dress autumnal. The long bell sleeves and the cut out shoulder style make McCall's 7468 a perfect transitional garment.
I decided instantly that this dress needed to be in fall colors so that it wouldn't remotely look summery. I found this paisley print peachskin fabric from Joann's. I've always loved this type of poly. It's perfect for drapey casual wear. Sometimes you just want things that don't wrinkle and that you can take from the washer & dryer then to the hanger. The lack of having to dry clean means that this cute casual dress will get plenty of wear this fall.
I cut the size 14. I lengthened the bodice by an inch. And I lengthened the skirt by 3 inches. I'm 5'9" and you see where the hemline falls on me, so keep that in mind.
Right off the bat, I discovered an error in the second line of the instructions. It's telling you to gather the the bodice front with an illustration of the sleeve. So read the entire pattern carefully and with your own common sense.
Also, I didn't care for the construction methods of the bands. 
Here are my suggestions: Sew the the facing to the bands and underline BEFORE attaching to the body of the dress. It's a lot easier to maneuver and press that way. It took a lot of cussing and frustration while working on the first sleeve band for me to discover that there is a better way of doing that.
So by the time I worked all of that out, I wasn't about to do any handstitchng. I serged the raw edges and ditch stitched. 
I finished the sleeves with narrow hems.
For the neck bands, I did go ahead and slipstitch those. It was basically unvoidable.
Then neck closure is done with 1/2" buttons and thread loops. I found that using heavy duty thread works best. It's just a lot more sturdier.
The dress has a waistband. It's interfaced in the front and has two rows of 1/2" elastic in the back.
And the skirt is also hemmed in the exact same way as the sleeves.
Overall, I really like this dress and I feel that I don't have enough casual dresses in my wardrobe. So I'll be looking to add more fun and casual styles in the future.

Share This Story

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

You Might Also Like

39 comments

  1. Sew-To-Fit by AD Lynn12:29 AM

    Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Irene1:15 AM

    Very, very cute!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Crystalsewsandstuff 6:05 AM

    Thank you so much for this review! I am working on this dress now and struggling with the arm bands. I thought it was just my beginner sewing skills causing the confusion. This is so helpful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erica Bunker2:19 PM

      No! Just bad construction directions. Thanks Crystal!

      Delete
  4. Graca6:11 AM

    Oh my! That fabric is beautiful and screams autumn. Beautiful dress as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic)7:36 AM

    Lovely fabric choice and cute dress!

    ReplyDelete
  6. SewCraftyChemist8:34 AM

    This fabric is PERFECT to make this a fall staple! I meant to grab this one at the last sale and somehow forgot. Shows me for not taking a list.

    SO fab! And thanks for the pattern errata and tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erica Bunker2:20 PM

      I was looking for Nicole Miller fabric for the Nicole Miller dress. No luck... But I'm glad I found this one! Thanks Kisha!

      Delete
  7. Shauni S10:50 AM

    Wow Erica, this looks lovely on you! It's so on trend and the fabric is absolutely perfect for it :) X

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lizzy12:50 PM

    Beautiful as everything you do!! the fabric is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sonya Kendall2:00 PM

    Such a beautiful dress for fall.

    ReplyDelete
  10. bpatricia746:04 PM

    Nice dress! The colors are great for fall. Thanks for pointing out the errors in the pattern instructions. It is good to read them before starting a sewing project.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Margo7:13 PM

    Great dress Erica! Love the print. Poly often gets a bad rap, but like you, I sometimes like the easy care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erica Bunker10:07 PM

      Poly is great if you don't want to look like you slept in your clothes! Thanks Margo!

      Delete
  12. Tomasa8:56 PM

    Love the colors and the print of this fun and vibrant dress. You look gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Candice 10:47 PM

    This is just perfect Erica!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tany5:11 AM

    That's a gorgeous dress, Erica! I can also picture it made up of solid color fabric. I will add this one to my wishlist ☺

    ReplyDelete
  15. Unknown12:39 PM

    Dress is fantastic, with those boots though?! So perfect! I can't see this with any other shoe option now... or even as a summer dress.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Regina Gee8:06 PM

    NIce autumn inspired dress!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Myra4:28 PM

    Very cute dress Ms. Erica! I love the way you paired it too!

    ReplyDelete
  18. sravya2:28 AM

    Nice colour..Beautiful dress!!To find more details Click here

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unknown5:52 PM

    This review helped me tremendously. I did catch the first step error where they are referring to front bodice 1, but the illustration was the sleeve 3. Still struggling with the sleeve neckline but now I have some affirmation that instruction is flawed.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Unknown9:47 PM

    I'm struggling with the arm bands. When I put them on the "body" there is more body than arm bands. I have gone over all the pattern to fabric and it was done correctly. I also double checked the seams -- all according to pattern. Should I just do the arm bands and cut as needed when I get to the neck band? I've been struggling with this one thing for days now and can't seem to get it accurate. If you have time to respond...thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erica Bunker9:56 PM

      I've sewn so many things in the last two years that if this post wasn't here, I wouldn't even remember making this dress. I have no other details other than what I blogged about. I write comprehensive posts when I review a pattern and always provide info I feel will be helpful, ESPECIALLY if I run into something that I think others will find troublesome.

      My only suggestion is to pose your question to the McCall's/Simplicity Group on Facebook and maybe someone is possibly working on this or has recently sewn this.

      Delete
    2. Unknown7:49 AM

      Thank you so much for your response. I will go will try as you suggested.

      Delete

Popular Posts