by Chantal Lapointe For Spring break, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a tropical vacation. Traveling always inspires me to sew, so I came back obsessed with long sundresses. They’re so comfortable, especially on hot days, and they’re also the perfect thing to wear when you want to look put together without too much effort. It is so easy to throw on a sundress and pair it with sandals or flats. Lucky for me, there are several sundress patterns available, and they come in a variety of styles to suit everyone’s taste.
My new sundress
M8321 view A
My inspiration came from a ready-to-wear dress that I purchased two summers ago. The ties in the back are my favorite things about the dress. Ever since I bought it, I’ve been wanting to recreate it, but never found the right pattern until I saw McCall’s M8321 view A. I just knew that it was the perfect jumping point. The only pattern modifications I had to make to resemble the inspiration dress would be to lengthen both skirt panels and to shorten the back ties. For this style of dress, you’ll want something breathable with a fluid drape. Fabricville’s Spring collection has plenty of viscose and rayon fabrics that are perfect for sundresses. I fell for the texture of the Allison rayon printed crepe. The fabric has a black and light pink abstract print on a navy blue background. The Guterman thread in shade 267 is a good match for this fabric.
This project was relatively easy and quick to sew. I would say that the most time-consuming part is to uniformly gather the skirt’s panels. With this rayon crepe, I recommend using a size 10 needle and use lots of extra-fine pins to hold the fabric. In my experience, this pattern is true to size. For reference, I cut a size 12 bodice and a size 14 skirt.
McCall’s M8321
McCall’s M8321
I am really happy with the results. This dress is not the most convenient to wear with a conventional bra, so I ended up sewing bra cups to the bodice’s lining. I am eager for the warmer weather to get here so I can bust out my newest sundress. Is a sundress on your sewing project list?
