Clinging to summer with McCalls 5882

Even though the calendar says October it felt like summer this week since we had the typical late September heatwave in my part of California.  More 100º temps which cause me to reach for a this batik print dress.  Not the most exciting number but so easy to wear. More blue which is certainly a trend for me this year, in any hue. 

The weather reminds me of back-to-school time in elementary school. I always wanted to wear my new school clothes which tended to be more of the winter variety. Since we didn't have air-conditioned classrooms (nor at home for that matter) a fashion conscious little me had to choose between waiting or sweltering in my new outfits. In particular I recall that my mom bought me a leather jumper at a boutique in Carmel, not exactly hot weather wear.  Wow that sounds slightly crazy in retrospect, but as I remember it was really cute, caramel color with buttons at the shoulder and worn with a little turtleneck.  I tell ya, my mama was a fashion-enabler from way back. Gotta love her for that (as well as a zillion other things, of course).

I used McCalls 5882 and it had a problem that I find on many patterns from McCalls, Butterick and especially Simplicity, which is that the neckline is far too wide, especially in the front. 

Consequently I had to make it work by putting two pleats in the front neckline. I had worn it for a few weeks as designed and it annoyed me so much that I thought I will either get rid of this dress (even though I really like the fabric bought in Hawaii) or make a somewhat unorthodox alteration. 

So you can see I just pleated the neckline which was already enclosed in the bodice lining, and topstitched down.  Success!  Kind of looks intentional.  Even better!

Since this time I have utilized a different method to choose which pattern size to make. I first saw this on a PBS TV show by Nancy Zieman and it really works if you are having trouble with the upper part of garments not fitting correctly. She calls it the "Right Size Measurement".  You choose the pattern size based on the width of your upper chest and notes that many people will find they should start with a smaller size than had been their habit.  The slight drawback might be that there are more alterations to do from the bustline down, however if the neck, shoulders and armholes fit well then the garment will look really great.  I highly recommend reading her blog post which I linked to above, as choosing a pattern size is always critical so having another insight is helpful.  I usually start with a size 12 in big 4 patterns but following her system I could start with an 8.  Quite a difference and maybe the neckline on this dress would have been better to start with.

Moving along with my Vogue 1143 suit, so I will have photos and lots of info before October is over.  Thank you for all the great comments and interest in that one.

Here is a tiny peek at my One-Hit-Wonder Grand Finale dress, the colorful image to the right   ➙


This one you don't want to miss...if you enjoy a good laugh at the excesses of recent decades :)  Let's just say this if this number was on Project Runway someone might call it "overworked".  But at the time it was a hit!










Today's SunnyGal garden photo, a calibrachoa that has decided to take off in a big way lately, and looking very good for it.  Here's hoping it makes it through the winter - sometimes they do.