by Chantal Lapointe This t-shirt dress pattern caught my eye when I first saw the McCall’s Spring 2017 pattern collection. At first look, this dress pattern looks simple but all of its beauty is in the details. I love the raglan sleeves on this dress and the bottom curved split hem. I mean, it’s totally on-trend. Athleisure, a mix between athletic and leisure wear, is still a strong trend this Fall, and it’s not about to fade.
My version of pattern M7574
For this dress, I picked up a medium weight black polyester and spandex knit. It is a moderately stretch knit, which is perfect for this dress. This fabric has great stretch recovery and is very comfortable to wear.
The M7574 pattern, designed by Melissa Watson for Palmer and Pletsch, is an easy make. Overall, I really like the detailed instructions on fitting this pattern to your specific shape. I mean, why sew if you are going to end up looking as if the clothes were made for a model, and not for you? Personally, I find fitting to be the most rewarding step of sewing. That is why I held about 10 fitting sessions over the course of three days. I stopped counting the number of times I pricked myself with a pin. Even my hubby grew tired of taking pictures of my behind in that dress (for fitting purposes, of course!). In the end, I think that I finally nailed it; the dress is fitted but not too snug.
Sewing is like any other craft, mastery comes with practice. Since fitting is an important part of sewing, I decided to focus on improving my skills with my next sewing projects. There are many ways to do it but the Palmer and Pletsch way has proven to work for me over the years. If you are interested in learning how to fit yourself, Palmer and Pletsch’s line of patterns for McCall’s, along with Melissa Watson’s patterns are the best in my opinion. Developed in the ’70s, the Palmer and Pletsch fitting method works for all body types and sizes.
What sewing skills are you looking to improve? Please share with me, I’d love to know!
