Somewhere in Soho.

Finally, some season appropriate attire! :-D This is McCall's M6886. Full disclosure, this is actually the first of four M6886 dresses I've made. I don't typically gravitate towards body contouring styles or silhouettes. They're outside my comfort zone. However, as I was wardrobe planning and taking inventory of the types of garments I pin repeatedly on my Pinterest Dresses board, it became apparent that I like them. At least, I like them on other people (1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., etc... ). So, I thought, why not?  

I've been trying to concentrate my sewing energy on the types of clothes I want to wear instead of being drawn-in by pretty envelop art or the latest, greatest pattern release. Having visual inventory of the types of garments I like is an incredibly useful tool when it comes time to decide what I want to make. Despite having pinned hundreds of different pictures to various boards, I find that most of those images overlap and contain the same elements, styles, and pieces of clothing. Those recurring trends have been the blueprint for my project planning lately, and my self-stitched wardrobe is taking on a totally new & functional shape as the result.  

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this dress. First, it's three pattern pieces and takes a small window of time to put together. Second, it's ridiculously comfortable. I literally feel like I'm walking around in a nightshirt all day when I'm wearing it; except, third,  it doesn't look like a nightshirt. WINNING. 

For this first version, I cut the pattern exactly as it is drafted. It's a decent fit out of the envelope, but I did make some adjustments down the line: 1/2inch narrow shoulder, 3/4inch sway back, sleeve and hem shortening. I'll show you those later. These are all fairly standard adjustments for me. So, I wasn't surprised. 

The neckline and sleeves are finished with a narrow double fold  hem. And, the skirt hem is 1inch doubled and machine stitched, leaving everything on the inside of the dress nice and neat. 

The fabric I used is a textured poly knit Meg brought back from her trip to Korea last year. It's got A LOT of stretch. The texture reminds me of the texture produced by the puff paint I used to paint sweatshirts with back in the 80s/90s. That's a pretty dated reference... lol. At any rate, it adds a fun element to the dress. 

This dress is a great blank slate for a chunky cowl or necklace, and I know I'm going to be layering it up with jackets and sweaters as the temperatures here continue to drop.