Monday, August 6, 2012

Two Dresses in One - M6553



This is my first try at sewing Fashion Star pattern design.  When my DD saw it, she added it to her long list of things she'd like me to make for her.  And because it was her birthday, I decided to move this one to the top of the list.  Besides it's not hard to sew and requires very few pattern adjustments.

McCall's has printed the NBC Fashion Star website on the pattern envelope.  Of course, I was curious to know who designed this dress and to see how the pattern version compares to the original design.  The dresses are similar, but there are some noticeable differences.  The original design is lined, the sleeve cap is shorter, there is some type of applique on the left bust, and has less style ease built into the dress.

Take a look at Kara's runway design on Fashion Star.

Now here is my review of McCall's Rendition of the dress, M6553

Pattern Description:  Misses' Dress and Belt:  Very loose fitting, pullover dress has princess seams, self-lined yoke back, side openings for self-belt, back pleats, neck slit with button, thread loop closing and shaped hemline.

Pattern Sizing:  6 to 22; I used size 10 with minimum modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes it did.  The dress on the envelope looks the same as my version of the dress. 

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were a piece of cake.  I had no problem following them.  Nothing confusing.  The guide sheet included some design options, which I thought was a nice addition.  I've seen all three design ideas in RTW this summer.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  We like the design of the dress, period.    No dislikes.

Fabric Used:  I used one of the fabrics that I purchased at the Mill End Store in Portland.  It's a fuschia rayon/polyester blend.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I decided to use the Palmer/Pletsch fit system to determine the changes needed.  First, I pinned the tissue pattern together to see if there were any adjustments needed.  This pattern has a lot of ease in it.  That could be a good or bad thing.  So to avoid a disaster, I tissue pattern fit it to make sure there were no surprises.
  • The first fit revealed the need for a narrow back adjustment.  I made a 1/2 inch tuck about two inches from her spine on the yoke back.  Then I moved and adjusted the width of the back pleat to fit the yoke. 
  • Out of laziness, I machine stitched the hem.
There were no other changes needed.  There is a lot of style ease built into this dress.  The bust measurement for size 10 is 44".  The length of the dress was just right for my DD.  She is about 5'6".


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, she wants one more version.  And yes I do recommend it to others.  It sews up quickly; it's stylish; and you get two dresses in one. Lol

Conclusion: This is a nice dress to sew.  It's on trend and does not require a lot of adjusting to make it fit.

16 comments:

  1. Gorgeous dress--gorgeous daughter. I love the color!

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  2. Beautiful girl, beautiful dress. Great color on her. Your dd is lucky she has you around to sew for her!

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  3. I like it. I may have to add this to my stash. TFS

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  4. She looks lovely!!!

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  5. She looks beautiful in the dress! Great job mom!

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  6. It's nice to see that dress in a closeup picture. It's a gorgeous dress on your daughter, and that pink is just the right color for her too.

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  7. Nice dress! It's so cute on your daughter

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  8. I agree with all the other commenters - this is one killer dress. The silhouette is on point - very fashion forward - and from reading your description, the construction was a piece of cake!

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  9. Found you via Mushywear and love your blog!

    This dress turned out beautiful, I adore the silhouette and the little details!

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  10. She certainly picked the right style for you to make. It's great.

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  11. That is a pretty dress. And, it is a bit retro looking. I can remember these belted front/loose back garments in the 70s.

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  12. Gorgeous dress, and beautiful DD

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  13. Oh my!!!! What a beautiful dress! I have been eyeing this pattern for awhile. You did a beautiful job!!

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  14. I just bought this pattern and cut the pieces today. Thanks for the review it gives me confidence moving forward. Do you think that a lighter weight fabric like a silk would work well for this dress? The one I'm making is out of suiting like it suggests but I thought a flowy silk might look pretty too.

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  15. It's so pretty on her!! I love the pink!

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  16. Oooh, this is gorgeous! I love the hot pink color! Your daughter is so beautiful, too!

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