Well I managed it, my first evening dress! I have thoroughly enjoyed making it and can’t wait to wear it next year on our cruise.
This isn’t the dress I originally planned on making. Initially I had fallen in love with Simplicity 1874 but when I came to make my toile I realised that it would be a Herculean task to adjust each of the individual bodice bands to my size, and so admitted defeat and went in search of an alternative.
Enter McCalls 7090, a very versatile pattern that allows you to mix and match different elements to create your own unique dress. I was drawn to the chiffon overlay dresses and had even purchased chiffon for this purpose but when I started to work with the gorgeous shantung dupion I realised that it was far too beautiful to cover over and I needed to make it the star of the show. (A very big thank you to Minerva for gifting this to me).
I chose not to make a full length gown as it would get caught in my wheels and so I’m really happy with the length of this one, it manages to look glam whilst still being practical at the same time. I bought some beautiful lace to accompany the shantung and I love the contrast of the lighter blue showing through underneath the navy.
This pattern is perfect for being seated as the bodice isn’t boned which is quite unusual. It was important to me that the dress would be comfortable to wear as I plan to be in it for several hours and I don’t want to feel like a trussed up turkey whilst I’m trying to eat a meal!
I had to make my usual adjustments, (FBA, full tummy and sway back) but then I was good to go.
I stared by washing all my fabrics on a dedicates machine wash, placing the lace in a laundry bag for protection. Then they were line dried. I really wasn’t comfortable doing this and was terrified through the entire wash but thankfully it turned out fine. It was a relief but also meant I should be fine to wash the finished dress and not dry clean it. I should just add that I had fully researched doing this before I just went ahead and bungled everything into the washer. Not all delicate fabrics are suitable for this so please check before you start.
Hubby cut all the pieces out in a single layer to avoid slipping, which did take a while.
I used a microtex needle 70/10 and a walking foot for most of my sewing but did find my Teflon foot handy for hemming the lining and the rolled hem foot for the narrow hem on the main fabric. I’ve not used the Teflon foot on lining before and I don’t know what made me try it this time but it actually gave better results than the walking foot so I’m definitely going to be doing this moving forward.
The dress was actually fairly easy to make. A word of caution though if you are a beginner and want to attempt making this dress. The pattern only gives instructions on how to make each individual element it doesn’t show how to combine them so you need to have some previous experience of making garments to be able to plan the order of construction.
I love the finished dress and will use this pattern again but next time I think I’ll use the plain waistband rather than the gathered.
(Image description: There are six images taken from different angles showing Yvonne sat in her wheelchair. Yvonne has salt and pepper grey hair and is wearing a blue knee length evening dress that has a gathered waist and lace overlay on the bodice. She is surrounded by various foliage plants.)
#MinervaBrandAmbassador, #MinervaMakes, #MinervaMakers, #DisabledSewist, #SewistsOfInstagram, #MeMadeWardrobe, #SewOver40, #SewingMakesMeHappy, #SewingTherapy, #SewingIsMyPassion, #M7090Seated, #SewnShowedSeated, #IWearWhatISew, #SewingJourney #MeMadeEveryday, #SewersGonnaSew, #ILoveSewing, #IWearMyOwnClothes, #ISewMyOwnClothes, #DisabledSewingCommunity, #DisabledSewing, #McCallssewingpatterns
Leave a Reply