#mccalls pattern

So this is McCalls 8207:

(more under the cut because I know sewing posts can be dull!)

I have a LOT of doll patterns that I've picked up over the years of hoarding fabric and patterns I was planning on making when I 'got better' at sewing.

I was planning on getting better via osmosis - the knowledge in the fibers and the paper instructions would magically seep into my brain despite my never actually practicing, reading or using any of them.

So aside from a huge stash of fabric with no patterns in mind, and a whole BUNCH of patterns that I now find I have no desire to make....

These are here. I'll got through them one by one for ease:

My Etsy patterns are from Pemberley Threads - these are historical patterns based on actual dresses worn in the past. I LOVE historical dress and am really excited to start these but I'm a little nervous as they are... complicated!

PemberleyThreads:

Elizabeth 1780s Jacket and Petticoat

 Anne Shirtwaist and Skirt

Antoinette 18th Century Cap and Stays Corset

Charlotte 1780s Robe a l'Anglaise

Simplicity:

1484

1443

S9500

S9566

S9567

S9516

S8942

3551

5276

8072

8714

McCalls:

M7734

M7006

Butterick:

B6150

B6320

Raglan Sleeve Dress, Daring or Darling: McCall’s 8141

If you only saw this dress in green satin or in the bright red halter version which they feature on the website, you might think, hmmm... you might be thinking, “Don’t need that much drama right now.” It is a sad fact that they were lots of dramatic dresses, but few formal events to wear them too.

But this dress also has a short-sleeved, full skirted version as you see in yellow that would make a sweet spring dress, and in a fancy fabric, even a nice dress to wear to a wedding.

Dresses fitted to the body through a shaped, pieced bodice showed up from the 1930s onward in American fashion, although I think they were more popular in the1950s when tiny waists became especially popular. They allow the dress to be fitted closely through the waist and then to flare below as many dresses did in the 1950s. This pattern also has a straight skirt option.

Here you have a shaped piece from the waist up to below the bustline which then allows the bustline darts to be pivoted upwards and turned into gathers at the neckline. The gathers are then repeated on the short and the long sleeves, but I think the repetition in the short-sleeved version is the most successful.

They close all the versions in the back with a zipper that only goes up to the top of the midriff piece leaving a long, open slit, leaving you with the problem of having to think too much about your underwear. I say, either close it with a very long back zipper, or move a zipper to the side seam and think about how long you need to make the back neck opening to fit your head. I would even be tempted to shift the neck opening to the left front sleeve seam, making it far easier to close and offering an opportunity for a button and loop closure or some other possibility. I do dislike wrestling with back closures.

Summer Wardrobe in one pattern, misses' dress or blouse, jacket or vest, and skirt!  1965 vintage McCall's pattern #7704.