There’s always that Big 4 pattern that seems to make it big every couple of years. The last one was the Vogue 9253 with the super deep V neck which, to be fair, is still pretty popular. The current one seems to be the McCall’s pattern 7969. It’s been popular enough that I’ve noticed quite a few places are consistently sold out of paper copies!
I used the new PDF offering from McCall’s and bought mine from this US site during a sale meaning I got it for the bargain price of $5. It always annoys me that Big 4 patterns always seem so much cheaper over there!
The base of this pattern is a loose faux wrap bodice with raglan sleeves which comes with a few variations of sleeve style, skirt length and flounce.
I made View A with a maxi length skirt in size M with no adjustments apart from the length of the skirt.
I used a beautiful off white cheesecloth fabric from The New Craft House for this dress. (Full disclosure: I was gifted the fabric and a voucher in exchange for photos of the make). I felt the slight sheerness of the fabric would help make the dress look and feel light and airy and not just like there was too much fabric!
The pattern is a pretty simple one and with it being so loose, I wasn’t concerned about the fit. The only mildly tricky area was making sure the gathers on the shoulder of the raglan sleeve were even and in the correct place!
I opted not to interface by neckline and sleeve cuff. I know, I know, it’s the naughty thing to do! But I really wanted to eliminate any extra bulk as the fabric itself is quite thick and bouncy!
Can you tell I really love this dress? I always end up taking more photos of the ones I really really love!
The only thing I wish I’d change (and that I’d change on future versions as there will definitely be more of these!) is the sleeve length! I should have shortened them so they’re at elbow length instead of this awkward in between place just above the wrist!
I did manage to make this in time for a trip to Cornwall a few weeks ago. I thought it was apt as this fabric was named Penzance!
2 Comments
Hi, love your dress. Did you alter the neckline of the M7969? I found the v neck too deep so altered the fit and it doesnt really hang properly now. Not sure what to do about it for the next version. I really love the sleeve shape, elegant but won’t dangle in your soup… I have seen a hack to turn this into a round neck dress, but not sure if that is really going to work… if its all about the wrap really..
Hey! I haven’t altered mine at all and don’t feel like it’s too low on me (though to be fair I normally go for quite a low cut). Could you try just overlapping the front just a wee bit more to get the effect you want? It’ll mean the front skirt is a little more gathered but it’s unlikely to be noticeable!