by Melanie for Following The Thread I am excited about my Spring — this reprint of a “vintage” 90s McCalls 8501 was so appealing, even if I find it hard to think of the 90s as vintage 😉
I then found the perfect fabric option, and it sealed my decision to make this pattern. This is a beautiful rayon-nylon blend, in my favourite blue and yellow colourway. It’s a Borealis print in the denim colourway.
This fabric is lovely to work with; it has the drape of rayon but the nylon content makes it a little easier to sew. It does wrinkle easily if that matters to you but I think this print makes it worth it!
This is called a “3 Hour Pattern”. That’s 3 hours of sewing time, not the careful cutting part. And probably only 3 hours if you’re a quick sewist – I’m not. But it wasn’t too complicated. A front, back and overlay, plus a little tie piece and a neck binding. I of course overcomplicated things by trying to add pockets! But I can’t imagine a summer dress without any. It was a bit fiddly to figure out where to attach the pocket bags with that overlay, but I got there in the end.
The front has an overlay that is sewn into the side seam and then ties at the side with another little tie that you sew into the opposite side. Quite secure.
The changes I made to the pattern:
Otherwise this was straightforward to sew, and I’m happy with the outcome. This fabric is a dream, with such a nice drape. I never wore a dress like this in the 90s, but I’m glad to wear it now.
